Vietnam jails kingpins for trafficking 546 kg of gold from China

The Hanoi People's Court handed down verdicts to 11 defendants following a one-day trial that concluded on Wednesday night.

Tran Thi Hoan, 41, owner of the Hoan Hue gold shop in Lao Cai Province, which borders China, and Pham Tuan Hai, director of Thang Long Trading and Services Co., were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking.

Six other defendants, including Hoan's employees and hired couriers who transported gold across the border from China into Vietnam, received prison terms ranging from three to five years on the same charge.

In the same case, three executives of Vietnam Gold Company, Tran Nhu My, chairwoman of the board; Phung Thi Thuyet, deputy CEO; and Nguyen Thi Hop, chief accountant, were given suspended sentences of 30 to 36 months for "violations of accounting regulations causing serious consequences."

In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the two ringleaders to repay the full value of the smuggled gold. Hoan was ordered to pay VND708 billion, while Hai must repay VND499 billion. The court noted that Hoan has already paid VND400 million and Hai VND500 million.

Numerous real estate assets, along with bracelets, rings, and gold bars seized during the investigation, will remain frozen or impounded to ensure enforcement of the judgment.

The court described the defendants' actions as dangerous to society, saying they undermined public order and security, disrupted production and business activities, and caused losses to the state budget, warranting strict penalties.

Although the case involved coordination and role assignments among accomplices, the court ruled that the collusion was not tightly organized and was largely spontaneous rather than systematic. Several defendants acted as hired workers under instructions and did not profit from the crimes. As a result, the court did not require them to jointly repay the VND1.2 trillion, assigning that obligation solely to Hoan and Hai.

The crimes occurred in 2024, when a wide gap between domestic and global gold prices drove strong demand for gold in Vietnam.

In September 2024, a Chinese woman known only as "Ba Beo" (Fat Lady) entered Vietnam and approached Hoan's shop to sell gold. She exchanged phone numbers with Hoan and claimed to have access to 99.99% pure gold at prices below market levels.

Hoan agreed, and the two communicated via WeChat to arrange quantities, prices, delivery, and payment. After deals were finalized, Ba Beo hired couriers to smuggle gold through the Lao Cai border for delivery to Hoan. Prosecutors said she understood border security procedures, which focused mainly on scanning luggage rather than body searches, and instructed couriers to hide gold in their shoes to cross the border.

After receiving the gold, if the bars still bore foreign markings, Hoan's staff used blowtorches to remove them, then cut the gold into smaller pieces and sold them to customers in Hanoi for profit.

In addition to dealings with Ba Beo, Hoan also colluded with Hai to purchase gold in China and smuggle it into Vietnam. Hai sourced gold from a Chinese individual identified as Zhou and organized its transport.

Initially, Hoan collected the gold directly from Hai's home or other designated locations. When Chinese counterparts were unable to find couriers, Hai sent people across the border to collect the gold themselves, concealing it in fabric bags wrapped around their waists to bring it back into Vietnam.

Using these methods, Hoan, Ba Beo, and Hai smuggled a total of 546 kg of gold worth more than VND1.208 trillion, prosecutors said.