CaliToday (14/9/2025): Thanh Hoa province has become the latest hotspot in Vietnam's sweeping anti-corruption campaign, as a series of legal actions have been taken against top-ranking officials. In the most recent developments, the province's former Party Secretary, Đỗ Trọng Hưng, has been placed under a temporary exit ban, while the current Provincial Vice Chairman, Nguyễn Văn Thi, has been formally prosecuted, according to reports from state-run media including VietNamNet.
These moves signal a significant escalation in an ongoing, multi-faceted investigation that has already implicated numerous officials in the north-central province.
Mr. Đỗ Trọng Hưng, who served as the Secretary of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee—the most powerful political position in the province—is now barred from leaving the country. This preventative measure is typically employed by Vietnamese authorities to ensure an individual's availability for questioning and to prevent them from absconding during a criminal investigation. While he has not been formally charged, the exit ban indicates he is a person of interest in an active probe.
In a parallel development, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Thi, a Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, which functions as the region's executive government body, has been officially prosecuted. The initiation of criminal proceedings against a sitting vice chairman is a serious step, suggesting that investigators have found sufficient evidence to move forward with a formal case. This action often precedes pre-trial detention and further legal proceedings.
Vietnamese authorities have confirmed that these high-profile actions are not isolated incidents. They are integral to a broader investigation that is expanding in scope. The nature of the alleged wrongdoings has not been fully disclosed, but such large-scale probes in Vietnam are typically linked to corruption, economic mismanagement, or violations in public procurement, land management, and major infrastructure projects.
This crackdown in Thanh Hoa is a clear reflection of Vietnam's national "blazing furnace" (đốt lò) anti-corruption campaign. Spearheaded by the Communist Party of Vietnam's General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the campaign has aimed to root out corruption at all levels of the government and state-owned enterprises, leading to the discipline and prosecution of thousands of officials, including high-ranking Politburo members and cabinet ministers.
The targeting of such senior figures in a major province like Thanh Hoa sends a powerful message that the anti-graft campaign remains a top priority. As authorities state the investigation is ongoing and expanding, further developments are expected, potentially implicating other officials and shining a brighter light on the complex cases unfolding in the region.
