The Investigation Police Agency for Corruption, Economic and Smuggling Crimes (C03) under the Ministry of Public Security has proposed charging Tien with “violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing loss and waste,” under Article 219 of the Penal Code.

Several former officials from the Ministry of Health’s key medical project management board have also been recommended for prosecution on similar charges, including alleged violations in state asset management and bribery. In a separate charge, Le Thanh Thiem, director of Sao Nam Song Hong Co., Ltd., is alleged to have committed fraud and appropriated property.

According to investigators, Tien and her alleged accomplices caused losses to State assets totaling VND803.7 billion.

Tien, 67, is a native of Ha Tinh Province. She holds a doctorate in medicine and the honourary title of “People’s Doctor,” one of Vietnam’s highest distinctions in the healthcare sector. She served as Minister of Health from August 2011 to 2019.

The two large-scale projects – Bach Mai Hospital 2 and Viet Duc Hospital 2 - were launched in 2015 in former Ha Nam province, each designed with 1,000 beds to ease chronic overcrowding at their primary campuses in Hanoi.

However, construction has been suspended since January 2021. After nearly a decade, both projects remain unfinished and unused, with some completed structures reportedly deteriorating.

In late March 2025, the Government Inspectorate concluded that the implementation process involved multiple violations related to bidding and construction procedures. The findings cited project delays of more than seven years, inefficient use of resources and significant waste, with signs of potential State budget losses estimated at around VND1.253 trillion.

According to the inspectorate, the Minister of Health and the responsible Deputy Minister at the time committed violations in approving the hiring of foreign consultants to prepare and design the projects without sufficient legal and technical basis. Authorities also alleged unlawful directives regarding consultancy packages, as well as a lack of oversight, supervision and fulfillment of responsibilities by the investment decision-makers. The key medical project management board and related units were found to lack the required professional capacity and experience.

Inspectors further stated that certain individuals deliberately committed violations, submitted inaccurate and unobjective reports, and failed to properly incorporate assessments from specialised agencies.

The case is part of Vietnam’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign targeting waste, mismanagement and misconduct in large-scale public investment projects.

Anti-corruption resolution to be adopted in late March, says Party official

VOV.VN - The 14th Party Central Committee is set to adopt a resolution on anti-corruption, wastefulness and misconduct during its second plenum scheduled for late March 2026, a senior Party officials said on February 12.