On the morning of January 5, 2026, the Hanoi People’s Court commenced the first-instance trial of 55 defendants involved in serious misconduct at the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) under the Ministry of Health. Among the accused, 34 face charges of receiving bribes, while 21 are charged with offering bribes.
Key administrative violations According to the prosecution, between 2018 and 2025, an illicit profit-seeking system was established within the agency across three primary regulatory activities:
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Product registration licensing: Officials allegedly created intentional obstacles by requesting vague amendments to documents to prolong the process. Businesses were pressured to pay 5 to 10 million VND per application for expedited approval.
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Advertising content licensing: An “extra-fee” mechanism was instituted, ranging from 4 to 9 million VND per application. Those in charge instructed subordinates to collect these payments to ensure smooth processing.
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GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification: Certain enterprises reportedly bribed agency leaders to overlook deficiencies or accelerate the appraisal and re-issuance of manufacturing capacity certificates.
Accountability of top officials The indictment identifies two former Directors General, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong and Ms. Tran Viet Nga, as the architects behind the bribery mechanism and the distribution of illicit gains.
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Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong is held criminally responsible for a total bribe amount of 94.8 billion VND, with personal gains totaling 43.9 billion VND.
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Ms. Tran Viet Nga is accused of being responsible for 12.7 billion VND collected from advertising licensing, with over 8 billion VND in personal benefits.
The total amount of bribes identified in this case exceeds 100 billion VND. The trial is scheduled to last for nine days, concluding on January 14, 2026.