In a dramatic culmination to one of Vietnam’s largest corruption trials in recent memory, a court in Hanoi on Friday sentenced 30 individuals, including ex-senior officials and business executives, in a sweeping graft case that drained the state of an estimated $45 million.
The centerpiece of the trial was Nguyen Van Hau, chairman of the Phuc Son Group, who was slapped with a 30-year prison term for orchestrating an elaborate bribery network spanning over a decade.
Prosecutors revealed Hau spent over $5 million bribing government officials to secure lucrative contracts across more than a dozen mega-infrastructure projects in three provinces.
But it wasn’t just the figures that shocked the nation—it was the method.
Hau was said to have delivered the bribes in suitcases packed with cash, directly to officials’ offices and private homes.
Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, the former party chief of Vinh Phuc province, received a 14-year prison sentence for accepting what prosecutors called the largest bribes in the case—almost $2 million, reportedly transported in suitcases weighing up to 60 kilograms.
“I recognise my mistakes and my crime,” Lan told the court, adding, “I would like to ask the court to reduce sentences for my comrades in the most humanitarian manner.”
In total, 41 defendants were tried on charges including bribery, abuse of power, and violations of bidding laws.
Of them, 30 were found guilty of corruption, a crime prosecutors say inflicted over 1.16 trillion dong ($44.6 million) in damages on the Vietnamese state.
This landmark case is the latest blow in a sweeping anti-graft campaign in the communist-ruled nation, which in recent years has brought down two presidents, three deputy prime ministers, and a long list of high-ranking party figures and business elites.
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Lawyers for the Phuc Son Group confirmed that Hau and associates have paid more than $45 million in compensation, a gesture seen as an effort to mitigate sentencing.
This trial follows April’s conviction of Hoang Quoc Vuong, a former deputy industry and trade minister, who admitted to accepting a $57,600 bribe to favor solar power investments.
He was sentenced to six years, but his family repaid the bribe in full ahead of the ruling.
The trial has been widely covered by state media and signals the government’s continued push to restore public trust through aggressive anti-corruption actions.
Yet, despite progress, watchdog groups warn that such deep-rooted graft remains a systemic challenge.
As Vietnam accelerates development and opens more infrastructure projects, eyes will remain fixed on the country’s judiciary—and its resolve to root out corruption, suitcase by suitcase.