In recent months, Vietnamese authorities have launched a series of criminal investigations into high-profile figures, exposing vast hidden wealth. From gold bars to hundreds of property deeds, the scale of the seized assets has stunned the public.

Mailisa founder had 100 land titles, luxury cars, and hundreds of thousands in cash

The Ministry of Public Security recently charged Phan Thi Mai - director of Mailisa Beauty Salon - and her husband Hoang Kim Khanh, along with six others, for smuggling.

According to the Department for Anti-Corruption, Economic Crimes, and Smuggling (C03), Mai orchestrated a network that appeared legitimate through shell companies, masking a massive smuggling operation for Doctor Magic cosmetics. Together, Mai and Khanh built a distribution system of 17 branches nationwide, pushing over 8 million products across nearly 100 SKUs.

During the investigation, authorities seized around 124,000 USD, 3 billion VND (approximately 123,000 USD), 300 taels of SJC gold, and 100 land use right certificates. Mai and Khanh also voluntarily submitted 300 billion VND (about 12.3 million USD) to offset damages, including 12 supercar registrations and various other high-value assets.

Ngan 98’s home safe held 80 land titles and cash

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Police search the residence of influencer Ngan 98 and seize a safe filled with valuables. Photo: L.A

In the case involving the production and sale of counterfeit food products, Ho Chi Minh City police raided the penthouse residence of Vo Thi Ngoc Ngan (aka Ngan 98, born in 1998), the alleged ringleader. Located in a luxury high-rise, the 300-square-meter apartment contained a large safe. As Ngan and her family refused to provide the combination, the safe was transported to police headquarters.

Upon opening, authorities discovered 80 land titles, over 8,000 USD, four savings books, and other key evidence. Two cars were also seized for investigation as authorities continue to trace the origins and flow of funds tied to Ngan's alleged illegal activities.

Assets worth over 12.3 million USD frozen from Hoang Huong

At an October 6 press conference, the Ministry of Public Security announced the indictment and arrest of Hoang Thi Huong (aka Hoang Huong), head of the Hoang Huong business ecosystem, for serious violations of accounting regulations.

Initial findings revealed Huong operated 18 companies, 25 sole proprietorships, and 44 business entities under different names to sell dietary supplements and health products.

To evade taxes, she instructed employees to report revenue under individual business entities. From January 2021 to June 2025, Huong failed to declare nearly 1.8 trillion VND (73.6 million USD) in revenue and misreported VAT on over 2.1 trillion VND (85.9 million USD).

Two of her properties - valued at more than 300 billion VND (12.3 million USD) - have been frozen to recover damages.

Shark Binh scandal: 36.9 million USD in assets seized

On October 14, Hanoi police announced charges against Nguyen Hoa Binh (aka Shark Binh, born in 1981) and nine others for defrauding investors through the Antex cryptocurrency project.

Binh confessed to the charges and pledged to cooperate with restitution efforts.

Authorities allege that Binh and his co-founders withdrew funds from over 30,000 investor wallets, amassing an extraordinary amount of wealth. Investigators have frozen 900 billion VND (36.9 million USD) worth of assets, including 597 taels of gold, large amounts of foreign currency, 18 land titles, two luxury cars, and numerous documents and electronic evidence.

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Nguyen Hoa Binh (Shark Binh) under police investigation. Photo: CACC

Mr Pips case: over 216 million USD in seized assets

Before his arrest, TikTok personality Pho Duc Nam (aka Mr Pips) was widely known for flaunting a lavish lifestyle and giving investment advice to hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and YouTube.

He is now under investigation for fraud and money laundering.

Police have confiscated a colossal trove of assets linked to the case - estimated at more than 5.2 trillion VND (216 million USD). This includes:

·        316 billion VND (13.1 million USD) in bank accounts

·        9 billion VND (373,000 USD) in bonds

·        Over 200 billion VND (8.3 million USD) in savings

·        69 billion VND (2.9 million USD) in cash

·        2.3 million USD in foreign currency

·        890 SJC gold bars

·        246 kg of solid gold

·        31 supercars

·        7 luxury motorcycles

·        59 designer watches worth approximately 300 billion VND (12.3 million USD)

·        84 pieces of diamond-inlaid jewelry

Additionally, authorities froze 125 real estate properties.

By December 27, 2024, investigators uncovered a further 12 billion VND (494,000 USD), 18 residential properties (including condos and villas), and 500,000 USD in overseas accounts.

 
Hanh Nguyen