Former food safety director jailed for 20 years

The former director of the Vietnam Food Administration was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Nguyen Thanh Phong was found guilty of accepting bribes during a hearing at the Hanoi court. Another former director, Tran Viet Nga, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

A total of 55 people were convicted, including 34 food agency officials for receiving bribes and 21 accused for offering bribes.

According to media reports, Nguyen Thanh Phong collected nearly 95 billion Vietnamese dong ($3.6 million) and Tran Viet Nga received more than 12.7 billion VND ($483,000). The defendants also benefited personally, with Phong accepting approximately VND43.9 billion ($1.7 million) and Nga more than VND8 billion ($304,000).

Multi-year plan
The case involved the food safety department of the Ministry of Health and companies in provinces and cities across the country. Local media reported that between 2018 and 2025, agency officials were offered money in exchange for faster action and the issuance of key permits, including product registration certificates, post-production assessments and good manufacturing practice (GMP) certificates.

Court judges said the defendants’ actions harmed the proper functioning and reputation of the organizations and undermined public trust in state agencies. This has potentially contributed to the circulation of substandard foods in the market, directly threatening the health of consumers.

Nguyen Hung Long, former deputy director of the food safety department, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, Do Huu Tuan to seven years and Le Hoang, deputy director of the disease prevention department, to five years.

Dinh Quang Minh was imprisoned for nine years, Pham Van Hinh for seven years and Cao Van Trung for four years.

Other defendants, including Tran Thi Quynh Trang, Lai Thi Thu Anh, Nguyen Thi Vinh and Le Thi Thu Ha, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from a few months to a few years.

Tran Thi Hong Nhung, Tran Thi Tuyet and Nguyen Nam Tien had their 30-month prison sentences suspended.