Hoang Huong prosecuted for tax evasion

On October 3, the Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation Police Department initiated criminal proceedings against six suspects for “violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences,” including Hoang Thi Huong (known as Hoang Huong, 38, from Phu Tho)  -  a social media “livestream tycoon”  -  along with her two brothers-in-law and three employees.

The investigation, led by the Environmental Police Department in coordination with the Investigation Police Agency, focused on violations across multiple companies and business entities under the Hoang Huong ecosystem.

According to initial findings, Huong controlled a vast network of 18 companies, 25 business households, and 44 individuals registered under her direction, operating in health supplements, functional foods, and consumer goods.

To evade taxes, Huong allegedly instructed staff to disperse revenue across various entities and personal business licenses to hide the real scale of operations.

From January 2021 to June 2025, her network was found to have excluded nearly 1,800 billion VND (about 71 million USD) in recorded revenue and to have made false VAT declarations on roughly 2,100 billion VND (around 83 million USD) in taxable income.

Major corporation owes over 1,000 billion VND in unpaid taxes in Nghe An

Large-scale corporate tax violations are not isolated to individuals.

In February 2025, the Nghe An Tax Department published a list of 54 enterprises owing more than 1,277 billion VND (50 million USD) in taxes and related state obligations.

At the top was Thien Minh Duc Group JSC, headquartered at 2A Le Mao Street, Vinh City, owing 1,074 billion VND (about 42 million USD) in tax debt.

Founded in 2001 with charter capital of 2,022 billion VND, Thien Minh Duc is controlled by Chu Thi Thanh, who holds 77.15% of shares. Over two decades, the conglomerate expanded into fuel trading, liquefied gas, real estate, packaging, logistics, and hospitality.

A 2024 report by the Government Inspectorate revealed that the company frequently underreported or failed to declare environmental protection taxes, with discrepancies amounting to 3,287 billion VND (130 million USD) between 2018 and 2021.

Despite these tax debts, the company reportedly lent 7,485 billion VND (295 million USD) to its top executives, including Chu Thi Thanh and her husband Chu Dang Khoa (known as “the diamond tycoon”), of which 1,396 billion VND (55 million USD) remained unpaid.

On January 17, 2025, the Ministry of Public Security initiated a criminal case for embezzlement of assets and illegal printing, trading of invoices involving Thien Minh Duc Group and related entities, prosecuting seven suspects, including Chu Thi Thanh and four subordinates.

Western tycoons under probe for large-scale tax evasion

The Mekong Delta region has also witnessed several shocking tax evasion cases.

In April 2022, during the investigation of Ngo Phu Cuong (known as “Cuong Cat”) for tax evasion, the An Giang Provincial Police expanded the case, uncovering multiple related major tax fraud schemes.

Following the dismantling of a gold smuggling and illegal foreign exchange network led by Nguyen Thanh Binh, owner of Phuoc Nguyen Gold Shop in Long Xuyen City, authorities determined that Binh had also committed large-scale tax evasion.

Between 2015 and 2020, his gold trading operations totaled 6,362 billion VND (about 250 million USD), but he declared only 339 billion VND (13 million USD) - hiding nearly all real revenue.

In another case, involving smuggling kingpin Nguyen Thi Kim Hanh (also known as “Muoi Tuong”), police found that she established numerous “shell companies” and failed to declare more than 4,000 billion VND (160 million USD) in taxable income from 2010 to 2020.

Y Nhuy