On September 22, the Hanoi People’s Court opened the trial of Le Van Vang, former deputy director of the Institute for Educational Cooperation and Development.

Also on trial was Luong Viet Anh, former director of the same institute under the Vietnam Association of Psychological and Educational Sciences, both charged with “fraudulent appropriation of property.”

Other defendants - Nguyen Van Giang (independent businessman), Nguyen Truong Doanh, Tran Trong Dai, Nguyen Minh Yen, and Hoang Thi Quynh Anh (all freelance workers) - are also facing the same charge.

According to the indictment, in 2021, Le Van Vang fabricated the name “Cambridge International” under the pretense of offering English language training courses. Due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he partnered with Luong Viet Anh to organize fake English certification exams under the guise of a collaboration between Cambridge International and the Institute for Educational Cooperation and Development.

To carry out the scheme, Vang drafted a document titled “Letter of Acceptance,” dated May 21, 2021. The letter claimed that the Institute for Educational Cooperation and Development had been appointed as the exclusive agent of the Cambridge International Center in Vietnam, authorized to deliver English language programs aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Vang then signed the letter under the false name “Max Mooney, Global Director, Cambridge International Center, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom,” and affixed a round seal that he had purchased online. He also commissioned a raised logo seal reading “Cambridge International CEFR” for VND 1.5 million (about USD 60).

Subsequently, Luong Viet Anh developed a website, launched advertising campaigns, and organized online English exams for students starting on September 25, 2022, continuing until the scam was uncovered on June 18, 2023.

Investigations revealed that "Cambridge International" was not listed among the organizations approved by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training to administer foreign-language certification exams. Nonetheless, from September 2022 to June 2023, the accused used the fabricated affiliation to promote and collect documents and fees from 1,425 candidates for various English exams, unlawfully appropriating more than 2.1 billion VND.

The breakdown of the illicit gains is as follows:

Le Van Vang: 600 million VND (approx. USD 24,000)
Luong Viet Anh: 500 million VND (approx. USD 20,000)
Nguyen Van Giang: 150 million VND (approx. USD 6,000)
Tran Trong Dat: 425 million VND (approx. USD 17,000)
Nguyen Truong Doanh: 20 million VND (approx. USD 800)
Nguyen Minh Yen: over 346 million VND (approx. USD 14,000)
Hoang Thi Quynh Anh: 120 million VND (approx. USD 4,800)

The trial was postponed due to the absence of some involved parties and two defendants who had been released on bail.

All 1,425 candidates who were issued certificates under the name “Cambridge International” claimed they were unaware the documents were fraudulent. Of these, 257 have requested refunds totaling nearly 1 billion VND (approx. USD 40,000), while the remaining individuals have not sought reimbursement.

T. Nhung