Vietnam Insider

Prosecutors say a covert cross-border pipeline moved 546 kilograms of gold worth about VND1.208 trillion (US$45.8 million) from China into Vietnam, hiding one-kilogram bars in shoes, burning off identifying marks, and feeding the metal into Hanoi’s jewelry market in cut-up pieces.

According to an indictment released on Nov. 24, authorities have charged Tran Thi Hoan, the actual operator of the Hoan Hue gold shop in Lao Cai Province, along with former Thang Long Trading and Services Company director Pham Tuan Hai and six employees and associates for allegedly running the smuggling network.

Three executives from Vietnam Gold Company have also been charged in a related case involving major accounting violations. All 11 defendants will stand trial before the Hanoi People’s Court.

Investigators say Hoan capitalized on the large price gap between domestic and international gold and exploited weak border oversight in 2024. The indictment describes how a supplier known only as “Fat Lady” (Ba Beo) entered Vietnam in September, visited Hoan’s shop, and later offered 99.99 percent raw gold at prices below the domestic market.

Deals were conducted over WeChat. Couriers were allegedly paid VND250,000 (about US$10) per kilogram to move gold across the Lao Cai border gate.

To avoid detection, smugglers hid one-kilogram ingots in their shoes, taking advantage of screening that did not require footwear removal. After delivery, Hoan’s staff weighed and photographed the bars, then used heat torches to remove markings and cut the gold into smaller pieces.

Between Sept. 17 and Nov. 27, 2024, Hoan allegedly bought 97.3 kilograms of gold from this supplier, worth VND208 billion.

Prosecutors say the network expanded when Hoan partnered with Hai, who sourced gold from a Chinese seller named Chau and arranged additional smuggling routes. Couriers sometimes strapped gold around their waists to cross the border. When Hoan struggled to make payments, Hai and Hoan’s staff allegedly sold the gold directly in Hanoi, with Hai collecting the proceeds.

Authorities concluded that from Sept. 2 to Dec. 2, 2024, Hai smuggled 424 kilograms of gold worth VND943 billion into Vietnam. He initially denied involvement but later admitted to smuggling.

Forensic tests by the Ministry of Public Security found that jewelry seized from Hoan Hue, including rings, necklaces, and bracelets, had gold purity levels between 99.92 and 99.95 percent.

Hoan is accused of earning VND100 million from the scheme. Hai says he profited VND449 million, roughly VND1 million per kilogram, although prosecutors charged him based on smuggling volume, not profit.

In the related case, Vietnam Gold Company is accused of operating two accounting systems: Vacom for tax reporting and QLVang for actual transactions. Prosecutors say chairwoman Tran Nhu My and deputy director Phung Thi Thuyet recorded unreported gold trades and routed payments through bank accounts of 30 acquaintances.

As a result, the company allegedly earned VND4.243 trillion in 2023 but reported only VND646 billion for tax purposes. In the first half of 2024, it reportedly made VND5.726 trillion while declaring just VND332 billion. Investigators estimate the scheme caused more than VND5 billion in tax losses.

Pham Nhat Vuong has entered the top one hundred richest individuals in the world for the first time after Vingroup shares surged again on November 25.

Vingroup stock climbed for the seventh consecutive session to 246,400 dong, while Vinpearl and Vincom Retail also posted gains. The rise added about 1.4 billion dollars to Vuong’s net worth, lifting his total to 22.5 billion dollars and placing him at number one hundred on Forbes’ real time ranking, ahead of Tether co founder Giancarlo Devasini.

Forbes first listed Vuong as Vietnam’s inaugural billionaire in 2013 with assets of 1.5 billion dollars. His net worth has increased fifteen times over the past decade. This year, Vingroup shares have grown sixfold, pushing the group’s market capitalization to nearly 950 trillion dong, the highest on Vietnam’s stock market.

Vuong directly holds 389.9 million Vingroup shares, equal to 10.1 percent, while his family and private entities control about 65 percent of the group. He also owns nearly half of VinFast through two private companies.

Vingroup’s business network has expanded rapidly. In October, Vuong and his family launched new firms in steel, eldercare, and entertainment. Earlier this month, he founded VinSpace, a company focused on aircraft, spacecraft, satellite manufacturing, and air cargo equipment, holding a 71 percent stake.

According to its latest financial report, Vingroup’s total assets reached more than 1.08 quadrillion dong by the end of the third quarter, up 30 percent from the beginning of the year, making it the first private enterprise in Vietnam to reach this scale.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reports that HIV transmission patterns have changed significantly over the past decade, with sexual transmission now accounting for more than eighty percent of new infections and the highest rates found among men who have sex with men and transgender women.

The country recorded 13,351 new HIV cases and 1,905 deaths over the past year. Deputy Director of the Preventive Medicine Department Nguyen Luong Tam said at the national launch of the 2025 HIV AIDS Action Month that the shift reflects a clear change in how the virus spreads.

Blood related transmission has dropped sharply compared with previous decades, while mother to child transmission is now rare. Sexual contact has become the main route of infection and the affected population has changed from sex workers to men who have sex with men.

A large scale study in ten provinces that included more than 428,000 men who have sex with men found a new infection rate of 7.2 percent. Those who used drugs had eight times the risk of those who did not. Rates of other sexually transmitted infections in this group were also high, while condom use remained low.

The Ministry of Health estimates that men who have sex with men represent one to two percent of all men aged 15 to 49 nationwide. Yet this group now accounts for a rising share of new HIV cases. Sixty eight percent of new infections came from the Mekong Delta, the Southeast region, and Ho Chi Minh City. Infections are also rising in provinces that were not previously hotspots, driven by synthetic drug use and group sexual activity.

Officials warn that services have not expanded fast enough to meet demand. Vietnam has medication, experienced staff, and a nationwide clinic network, but many people avoid testing or do not access PrEP or ARV treatment because of fear of stigma.

Vietnam is also not on track to achieve the global 95–95–95 targets by 2030. The country has reached only 87 percent for the first target and 79 percent for the second. Funding gaps, difficulty in procuring test kits, and the decline of international aid have slowed progress. UNAIDS warns that reductions in global funding threaten essential services including testing, PrEP, and second line ARV drugs.

Health officials and UNAIDS leaders stressed that communication is essential. Reducing stigma and making services accessible will be critical if Vietnam is to meet its goal of ending AIDS by 2030.

The Ministry of Health advises people at high risk including men who have sex with men, transgender women, sex workers, and people who inject drugs to use PrEP. For those living with HIV, early and consistent ARV treatment can suppress viral load within six months, preventing transmission to partners and reducing the risk of mother to child transmission. Many patients who maintain treatment now marry and have healthy children.

Vietnam has recorded one of its largest disaster relief mobilizations in recent years as more than one million donors contributed over two trillion dong to support families devastated by severe floods and landslides across the country.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front reported on November 25 that total registered contributions reached 2.088 trillion dong. More than one million individuals and close to sixty one thousand businesses donated through the national relief fund. Of this amount, 1.118 trillion dong has already been transferred directly to affected provinces. Another 970 billion dong was delivered through bank transfers or cash contributions to the central relief committee.

Officials pledged that all funds will reach the hardest hit communities as quickly as possible.

The floods have left entire villages isolated for days. In Dak Lak province, hundreds of households along the Ban Thach River remain surrounded by water more than a week after record breaking rainfall.

Since October, Fatherland Front offices in thirty four provinces have launched local campaigns and direct support programs, bringing total nationwide fundraising to more than 3.2 trillion dong. The central committee has already distributed nine rounds of aid, allocating 678 billion dong to twenty three provinces.

Gia Lai received 45 billion dong. Dak Lak received 40. Quang Tri received 55.5. Hue, Da Nang, and Nghe An each received between 40 and 40.5. Provinces with lighter damage received between 5 and 25 billion dong. In addition, organizations and local authorities distributed another 118.5 billion dong directly to affected communities. Vingroup, through its Thien Tam Foundation, has released more than 350 billion dong.

Ho Chi Minh City has also played a major role. As of November 25, the city had collected close to thirty nine thousand donations worth more than 288 billion dong in cash, food, medicine, and essential supplies. The city has already delivered more than 190 billion dong to disaster zones along with nearly three thousand tons of essential goods.

Under a directive from the central government, Ho Chi Minh City is supporting Khanh Hoa with 50 billion dong and delivering ten thousand life jackets, ten thousand medical kits, and more than two thousand four hundred tons of relief goods. On November 25, the city approved another 10 billion dong and five hundred tons of supplies for Dak Lak.

The scale of the disaster is severe. National disaster authorities report that storms and floods this year have caused 409 deaths and disappearances, injured 727 people, and destroyed or damaged more than 337 thousand homes. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops have been lost and livestock deaths have climbed into the millions.

From November 15 to 21, the south central region received extreme rainfall between 300 and 600 millimeters, with some stations recording more than 1,800 millimeters. Rivers in Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan exceeded historic flood levels. The week of flooding killed 102 people, inundated more than 200 thousand homes, and caused economic losses of more than 13.2 trillion dong.

Vietnam continues to face rising climate risks, and this year’s floods underline the growing pressure on infrastructure, agriculture, and vulnerable communities.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have charged eleven people for staging a fake funeral procession in front of Ben Thanh Market as part of a TikTok publicity stunt designed to boost sales for an online clothing shop.

Prosecutors say the group hired mourners, painted a coffin black, and marched it through downtown streets to create a shocking scene that would attract views on social media. The video quickly spread on TikTok, but the stunt triggered strong public backlash and a criminal investigation.

The case centers on Ho Ngoc Tuan, who created a TikTok account called Never GG in early 2024 to sell clothing online. Investigators say Tuan struggled to build an audience, so he turned to more extreme content. After connecting with Nguyen Van Quyet and his wife, the group began searching for ways to generate viral attention.

According to the indictment, Tuan bought a coffin for about three and a half million dong from a funeral supplier and hired workers to repaint it black. He then paid five people from the funeral service to dress in black, cover their heads, and carry the coffin while he filmed.

The group first recorded at a studio, then decided to film again at a more dramatic location. On February 25, the hired carriers walked the coffin along Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street and later moved the stunt to the busy entrance of Ben Thanh Market, one of Ho Chi Minh City’s most visited landmarks.

The final video showed four people carrying the black coffin marked with white letters reading Never GG and Die Everyday as they walked through traffic. After filming, the group loaded the coffin into a car and left the scene.

Tuan later edited the footage into a promotional video and posted it on TikTok, where it gained thousands of views, comments, and shares.

Police identified everyone involved and summoned them for questioning. The group, including the funeral home owner, several employees, and a photographer, now face charges of disturbing public order.

Prosecutors say the stunt caused fear, confusion, and disruption in a crowded tourist area and reflected a growing trend of dangerous content created solely for online engagement.

Hanoi is preparing one of the most ambitious urban transport transitions in Southeast Asia as the city moves toward banning gas powered motorbikes in core districts during selected hours. The proposal marks a major step in creating low emission zones as air pollution continues to threaten public health and investor confidence.

A new draft resolution sent to the Hanoi People Council outlines the first legally defined low emission zones under the Capital Law 2024. These zones are areas where the city can restrict vehicles that generate high levels of pollution.

The plan focuses on districts inside Ring Road 1 where congestion and poor air quality are most severe. Starting July 1 in 2026, Hanoi will pilot a low emission zone in nine inner districts including Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Hai Ba Trung, and parts of Dong Da and Tay Ho.

The restrictions expand in stages. From January 1 in 2028, low emission rules will apply across all of Ring Road 1 and selected areas inside Ring Road 2. By January 1 in 2030, the zones will cover the entire area inside Ring Road 3 including thirty six wards and communes across central Hanoi.

Within these areas the city plans to restrict or ban gas powered motorbikes during specific hours and in selected neighborhoods. Motorbikes used for ride hailing and delivery will face tighter limits. Cars that fail to meet Euro 4 equivalent emission standards will also face time based entry restrictions.

The draft goes further. Hanoi will require all motorbike based transport businesses to begin their green transition before 2030. From July 1 in 2026, all new taxis must use clean energy vehicles.

The plan allows gradual implementation rather than a full time ban, which had been proposed in a previous national directive. City authorities said the change came after strong feedback from industry groups, Japanese investors, motorbike manufacturers, and local communities. Concerns centered on infrastructure readiness, social impact, and the lack of a unified national standard for public charging stations.

Hanoi officials noted that the transition is challenging and urgent. Multiple agencies are still developing policies for green mobility and charging networks. The city stressed that public communication and phased implementation will be essential to change commuter behavior in a city where almost seven million motorbikes are registered and another one million arrive daily from surrounding provinces.

Air pollution remains one of Hanoi’s most persistent problems. National environment reports show annual PM2.5 levels in the city are close to double the national standard. Emissions from road traffic account for an estimated fifty eight to seventy four percent of air pollution.

The low emission proposal will be debated at the city council session from November 26 to 28. If approved, Hanoi will become one of the first major cities in ASEAN to adopt a formal schedule for restricting fossil fuel powered motorbikes, a move that could reshape daily life and urban mobility for the capital’s more than eight million residents.

A fast forming tropical system in the Philippines has triggered heavy rainfall, school closures, and the evacuation of riverside communities, raising concerns that a new storm could move toward the South China Sea and approach Vietnam in the coming days.

The Philippine weather bureau PAGASA reported on November 24 that Tropical Depression Verbena was delivering widespread moderate to heavy rain across the Caraga region. Local authorities halted sea transport, suspended classes, and activated emergency response teams as flooding risks increased.

Verbena was located about 330 kilometers east of Surigao City on Sunday morning with sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 55 kilometers per hour. Forecast models show the system moving west northwest and strengthening into a tropical storm within about thirty six hours, according to Gulf News.

Coastal and island provinces including Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, the northern part of Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Norte were placed under the first level of the national storm warning system. Disaster management offices elevated alert levels and advised communities to prepare for possible flash floods and landslides.

The Philippine Coast Guard temporarily suspended most sea travel to ensure passenger safety. Larger roll on roll off cargo vessels above three hundred tons are allowed to operate only after a twelve hour delay and without passengers except cargo drivers.

Schools in several affected provinces announced immediate closures. In Agusan del Norte, provincial offices also paused operations, with rescue units ordered to remain on duty.

Evacuations began early on November 24 for families living along the Cotcot River in Liloan, Cebu province. Local officials said more than one hundred thirty people, including children, had been moved to safer shelters as water levels rose.

Authorities continue to urge residents, especially those in coastal and low lying areas, to monitor official updates closely as Verbena advances toward the South China Sea. The system could strengthen further as it approaches the region between the Philippines and Vietnam, an area that has already seen multiple storms this season.