Vietnamese police arrested a deputy health minister on Wednesday for allegedly accepting huge bribes, part of an investigation into a company accused of smuggling medical equipment, authorities said.
Deputy Health Minister Tran Van Thuan, a leading oncologist in Vietnam, was taken into custody “due to his acceptance of bribes involving a large sum of money”, the public security ministry said in a statement, without specifying the amount.
Thuan, 56, was appointed deputy health minister in 2020 and chairman of the National Medical Council in 2024.
His arrest came as part of a police investigation involving “smuggling” and “violations of accounting regulations causing serious consequences” at Viet My Medical Investment Joint Stock Company, the ministry’s statement said.