On 8/9, Nguyen Duy Hung, former chairman of the Thuan An Group, was one of 29 individuals tried by the Hanoi People's Court for bid-rigging offenses in Bac Giang, Tuyen Quang, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, and the Department of Roads.

Several former high-ranking officials and local officials were also tried for "creating non-transparent conditions" for Hung, including Pham Thai Ha, former Deputy Director of the National Assembly Office and former assistant to the former National Assembly Chairman; and Le O Pich, former Vice Chairman of the Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee.

>> List of 29 defendants

Nguyen Duy Hung, former chairman of Thuan An Group, at the court. Photo: Danh Lam

Nguyen Duy Hung, former chairman of Thuan An Group, at the court. Photo: Danh Lam

The Supreme People's Procuracy accused Hung of "exploiting close relationships" with several leaders to influence local authorities and the Ministry of Transport. This allegedly enabled Thuan An Group to participate in and win construction bids.

Hung also directly met with authorities responsible for project direction and implementation to negotiate percentages, collude, and engage in fraudulent activities across five projects, causing over 120 billion VND in losses to the state.

Initially dismissed projects for low value

Testifying in court, Hung stated that Thuan An, a construction company with a charter capital of 800 billion VND, was 86% owned by him, 10% by his wife, and 4% by his father. He admitted to the charges but claimed two of the five projects had "excessively low estimated budgets," which he initially intended to reject but accepted as a favor to local authorities.

One such project was a 488 billion VND section of the Tuyen Quang - Phu Tho expressway in Tuyen Quang province, overseen by the provincial Project Management Board. Hung contacted Tran Viet Cuong, then-Director of the Project Management Board, whom he knew previously, to request participation and received immediate approval. Cuong also provided Hung with the budget file.

"I forwarded the file to the group's staff, and they reported that the estimated budget was very low, recommending against participation," Hung testified, adding that he subsequently informed Cuong of his decision not to participate.

Faced with this rejection, the director relented, proposing that Thuan An take on 50% of the project while another contractor would handle the remainder. He promised that "the Project Management Board would support [the group] in future, more favorable projects."

Hung claimed he accepted 50% of the bid due to this promise. He then instructed the general director to coordinate with bidding partners to arrange a rigged bidding process, ensuring their victory.

Tran Viet Cuong escorted into the courtroom. Photo: Pham Du

Tran Viet Cuong escorted into the courtroom. Photo: Pham Du

Hung employed a similar strategy for the renovation and upgrade project of National Highway 14E in Quang Nam province, overseen by Management Board No. 4 of the Department of Roads, Ministry of Transport (now Ministry of Construction).

In this project, Thuan An didn't need to leverage connections because Nguyen Quang Huy, the then-Director of the Management Board, was a former colleague of Hung's at Cienco 4 (Construction Corporation No. 4).

Upon Hung's request, Huy agreed to award him two construction packages. However, during the site survey and review of design documents and estimates, Hung found the budget "extremely low" and declared his inability to participate in both.

Similar to the Tuyen Quang case, Hung testified that Huy made concessions and pleaded with him, saying, "It's too close to the construction start date; we can't find another contractor in time." Huy requested Thuan An to continue with the project, promising "support in overcoming difficulties and mitigating losses," without specifying the nature of the "losses."

Hung claimed he only took on both projects "because he was asked to, despite the low budgets." However, the indictment states the combined value of these two projects reached 937 billion VND. After each successful bid, Thuan An allegedly distributed tens of billions of VND in gratitude, with the largest sums going to those who had "requested the favor."

Specifically, in Tuyen Quang, Tran Viet Cuong received 12.5 billion VND, while subordinates received 160 million VND. For the Management Board No. 4 project, Thuan An disbursed nearly 14 billion VND, with Huy receiving around 9.2 billion VND and Vu Hai Tung, former head of the Road Construction Management Division, receiving 4.65 billion VND.

Hung admitted that for "every contract secured," Thuan An Group provided "operational funds" to the Project Management Board, typically 3% of the pre-tax payment. These funds were allegedly sourced from bidding partners, joint venture companies, or through inflated pricing from material suppliers.

Meals that secured projects

Beyond the two projects he initially dismissed, the remaining projects in the case were lucrative enough for Hung to mobilize high-level connections to secure them.

The Dong Viet Bridge project in Yen Dung district, Bac Giang province, with a bid value of 1,100 billion VND, serves as an example. According to the indictment and Hung's court testimony, he had prior relationships with Pham Thai Ha and Duong Van Thai, former Secretary of the Bac Giang Provincial Party Committee.

Pham Thai Ha, former Deputy Director of the National Assembly Office, at the court. Photo: Danh Lam

Pham Thai Ha, former Deputy Director of the National Assembly Office, at the court. Photo: Danh Lam

To secure the project, Hung called Thai to schedule a meeting and informed Ha about his upcoming visit to Bac Giang. "I asked Ha whether, during my conversation with Thai, I should call a 'high-ranking leader' to put in a good word for me with Thai. Ha advised me to do so," Hung testified.

A week later, en route to Bac Giang to meet with Thai, Hung messaged Ha, saying, "In a bit, I'll call you to connect me with the leader." However, Ha was busy and advised Hung to contact the leader directly or through the leader's secretary.

During the meeting, Thai explained that the project required advanced technology, but "none of the contractors in Bac Giang were qualified." Thai said he would support Thuan An and its consortium if they undertook the project.

In court, Hung did not disclose whether he contacted the "high-ranking leader" but admitted to "messaging Ha to boast about his success" that day. Two weeks later, Thai invited Hung to an informal dinner.

The indictment states that in late 12/2021, a dinner was held at the then-National Assembly Chairman's residence with the Bac Giang Provincial Standing Committee. There, Ha introduced Thuan An as a "competent unit" and requested consideration for their participation in the Dong Viet Bridge project.

With this "paving of the way," Thuan An was subsequently involved in every detail of the bidding process, reviewing, evaluating, and even requesting adjustments to the bidding criteria to align with their capabilities, ensuring their winning bid.

A second influential meal hosted by Hung also helped Thuan An secure the Vinh Tuy 2 bridge project. Although the indictment states that Pham Thai Ha "exerted influence" to secure this project for Thuan An Group, Hung claimed in court that his prior successful completion of two packages in the De An Duong project fostered a good relationship with the Project Management Board.

Upon learning about the Vinh Tuy 2 bridge project, Hung proactively requested a meeting with Pham Hoang Tuan, then-Director of the Hanoi Project Management Board. "After breakfast at a leader's house," Hung testified that Tuan, aware of his connections, agreed to assist.

According to the indictment, Tuan not only agreed but also urged his deputy and subordinates to provide extensive support in various ways. Notably, Thuan An was allowed to pre-evaluate their bid, receiving feedback on deficiencies to ensure their victory over other bidders. As a result, Thuan An won the 290 billion VND contract.

In this case, Duong Van Thai, former Secretary of the Bac Giang Provincial Party Committee, was prosecuted in 12/2024 for abuse of power. The Supreme People's Procuracy subsequently requested further investigation to "clarify the amount of money received" by Hung. On 2/6/2025, the investigative agency decided to separate the case and Thai's actions for further investigation and separate prosecution. Wrongdoings by other individuals will continue to be investigated and addressed.

The trial is ongoing.

Thanh Lam - Pham Du