On September 8, 2025, Vietnamese authorities unveiled two major criminal cases that have sent shockwaves through both the country’s border security apparatus and its financial sector. The first, a cross-border smuggling ring operating between Vietnam and Cambodia, has underscored ongoing concerns about border management and public order. The second, a high-profile embezzlement and abuse of power case at the Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC), has exposed vulnerabilities in the nation’s gold industry oversight and the potential for large-scale financial misconduct.
According to Báo Thanh tra, An Giang provincial police announced that the security investigation agency had prosecuted and detained one individual, while seeking prosecution of another, for orchestrating the illegal exit and entry of Vietnamese nationals across the Cambodia border. The investigation revealed that, around July 2025, Lê Văn Mạng, a 53-year-old resident of Kandal province, Cambodia, established connections with cockfight organizers in Cambodia. His role? To ferry Vietnamese citizens—lacking passports—across the border to participate in gambling events, earning himself between 400,000 and 500,000 VND per day.
The operation came to a head on August 16, 2025, when Mạng used river transport to take nine Vietnamese from the Long Bình footbridge area in Khánh Bình commune, An Giang, into Cambodia for a cockfighting event. But on their return, the group was intercepted by An Giang’s traffic police. Realizing the severity of the situation and the impossibility of concealing his actions, Mạng voluntarily turned himself in to the authorities on August 19, admitting to the entire scheme.
Officials stressed that Mạng’s actions were not a victimless crime. His conduct, they said, “violated regulations on entry and exit management and threatened security and order on the border area,” a concern echoed by the An Giang provincial police. The authorities promptly initiated criminal proceedings against Mạng, placing him in temporary detention and vowing a thorough investigation in accordance with Vietnamese law.
On the same day, the security agency transferred the case file and requested prosecution of another individual, Võ Chí Linh, born in 2001 and residing in Vĩnh Điều commune, An Giang. Linh’s involvement dated back to December 19, 2024, when he was hired by a Cambodian named Lim to smuggle two Vietnamese across the border for 500,000 VND per person. On January 6, 2025, Lim again solicited Linh’s services to bring the same individuals back to Vietnam, using the same covert river route. By March 26, 2025, authorities had prosecuted Linh, citing his acts as having a direct and detrimental impact on border security and administrative management.
These incidents, as outlined by An Giang authorities, have had a significant effect on the administrative management and security order along the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Officials emphasized the urgent need for strict legal action, noting, “Such acts must be dealt with sternly before the law, serving as a deterrent, educational measure, and general prevention.” The cases have reignited debate on the challenges of border control, especially as illegal activities like gambling and smuggling continue to test the limits of Vietnam’s border security.
Meanwhile, in a separate but equally consequential development, the Supreme People’s Procuracy concluded its indictment of 16 defendants involved in an illegal gold production case at Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC) and related units. According to Báo Thanh tra, the centerpiece of the scandal is Lê Thúy Hằng, the former General Director of SJC, who now faces prosecution for embezzlement and abuse of power. She is joined in the dock by other key figures, including Mai Quốc Uy Viễn, Director of the gold workshop, and Trần Tấn Phát, Deputy Director of the same facility.
The indictment alleges that the defendants illegally produced 6,255 taels of SJC gold bars, pocketing illicit profits exceeding 74 billion VND. The scheme, which began in October 2021, involved Phát and Hằng agreeing to introduce raw gold sourced from outside into the official production process. Hằng reportedly purchased 2,273 taels of raw gold from two gold shops in Ho Chi Minh City and supplied them to Phát, cleverly circumventing regulatory controls.
Despite stringent oversight measures—including a four-member State Bank supervision team monitoring all production steps at the Tân Thuận gold workshop—the defendants managed to bypass controls. The gold processing itself was divided into twelve steps and four teams, covering everything from melting and cutting to shaping and serial numbering. Investigators found that, between August 10, 2022, and February 21, 2024, Hằng delivered raw gold to Phát’s group on 56 separate occasions for illegal production. The finished gold bars were hidden and later sold to various gold shops in Ho Chi Minh City, with some also distributed through SJC’s Hải Phòng branch.
The fallout has been significant. The Vietnamese state suffered financial losses exceeding 74.8 billion VND as a result of these crimes. Hằng personally benefited by more than 64 billion VND, while Phát took home over 6.1 billion VND. Investigators have seized eight properties linked to the defendants, including six land use rights belonging to Hằng and two apartments owned by Phát. In a bid to mitigate their wrongdoing, the defendants and related parties have paid more than 28.4 billion VND in restitution, with Hằng herself returning 20 billion VND.
During the investigation, authorities uncovered further violations in gold transaction accounting and tax declarations. However, SJC maintained that it had fulfilled its tax obligations, and there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal liability for these accounting issues. The investigative police instead recommended administrative penalties for the individuals involved and called for additional scrutiny from tax authorities.
Both cases have prompted broader questions about regulatory oversight and the effectiveness of deterrence in Vietnam. The border smuggling incidents highlight the persistent challenges of policing remote crossings, especially when economic incentives for illegal entry and gambling remain high. Meanwhile, the SJC gold scandal shines a spotlight on the vulnerabilities within even the most closely monitored sectors of Vietnam’s economy.
In the wake of these developments, Vietnamese officials have reiterated their commitment to upholding the rule of law. As the An Giang authorities put it, “The acts of the accused have directly affected the administrative management and security order on the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Strict handling is needed to deter, educate, and prevent such violations.” The message is clear: whether it’s the porous borders of the southwest or the glittering vaults of a state-backed gold company, no one is above the law.
As the cases proceed through the courts, the nation will be watching closely, keen to see whether justice is served and what lessons might be drawn for the future of Vietnam’s border and financial governance.
