Vietnam Health Deputy Minister Faces Disciplinary Action Over Corruption Allegations

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan is set to face disciplinary action from higher authorities for serious violations, the Central Inspection Committee announced on September 7. The committee concluded that Mr. Thuan had degenerated in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, violating Party regulations and state laws in his duties and in combating corruption, waste, and negativity. These violations have caused very serious consequences, severely impacting the prestige of the Party organization, agencies, and units where Mr. Thuan worked, warranting disciplinary measures, the committee stated. One day prior, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had temporarily suspended Mr. Thuan from his positions as Deputy Minister of Health and Chairman of the National Medical Council pending a decision from competent authorities. Earlier, on September 2, the Police Investigation Agency for Corruption, Economic Crimes, and Smuggling (C03) had initiated legal proceedings and detained Mr. Thuan on charges of bribery. In a related case involving Viet My Medical Investment JSC, which surfaced over a month ago, C03 had previously prosecuted and detained Bui Chan Phuong, former Chairman of the company, along with two subordinates, for charges of smuggling and violations of accounting regulations causing serious consequences. Viet My Medical Investment JSC, established in 2007 and majority-owned by Mr. Phuong, has secured hundreds of bidding packages worth trillions of Vietnamese dong since 2018, according to public procurement data. Initial investigations by C03 suggest Mr. Phuong established and operated businesses in Vietnam, Singapore, and Hong Kong to inflate prices of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals before importing them into Vietnam. A significant portion of goods were marked up before sale to domestic healthcare facilities, leading to illicit profits, budget losses, and impacting patient rights. C03 alleges that during the import of medical equipment, Mr. Phuong exploited import licenses granted by the Ministry of Health for main equipment to declare accompanying items, thereby illegally bringing other equipment into Vietnam. Mr. Thuan, 56, is a professor of medicine and holds a PhD in oncology. He is considered a leading oncology expert in Vietnam with over two decades of clinical experience before transitioning to management. He served at K Hospital and the National Cancer Research Institute for many years before becoming director of K Hospital in 2016. He also held positions such as Director of the National Cancer Institute, Chairman of the Vietnam Young Physicians Association, and Director of the 'Brighter Tomorrow' Fund for Cancer Patients. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Health in April 2020 and also served as Chairman of the National Medical Council. According to the division of responsibilities by the Minister of Health in October 2025, Deputy Minister Thuan was directly in charge of outpatient and inpatient treatment, rehabilitation, medical and forensic examinations, forensic psychiatry, blood transfusion safety, application of new techniques in treatment, and donation and transplantation of human tissues and organs. He was also tasked with overseeing the health protection and care of central officials, medical services for major Party and State conferences, international health cooperation, the National Medical Council's activities, and coordination with the Vietnam Red Cross Central Committee.