The thousand-dollar confrontation involving former minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and the 5% kickback scenario.

Amidst the recurring 5% kickback mechanism and the constant exchange of cash, public attention is now focused on the tens of billions of dong discrepancies between superiors and subordinates.

The unspoken rule: 5% and the "passport"

At the two mega-projects, Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital's second facility, there was no room for chance. According to the investigation's conclusions, a tightly established "rule of the game" was in place: To win the construction bid, businesses were forced to "cooperate" by paying a 5% advance or pre-tax payment.

This wasn't just an empty promise; it transformed into a real flow of money passing through the hands of the "gatekeepers" at the Key Healthcare Project Management Board. A total of 10 bidding packages were affected by this mechanism, creating a "gold mine" of bribery amounting to tens of billions of dong.

"The main character" and the suitcases worth billions of dollars.

Nguyen Chien Thang – former Director of the Management Board – has been identified as the initiator and operator of this scheme. The actual revenue from Thang's 10 contracts amounted to over 88.5 billion VND. After Thang safely "landed" (retired in 2017), his successor, Nguyen Huu Tuan, did not disrupt the operation. Tuan continued to maintain the 5% mechanism and collected an additional 12 billion VND from "close" contractors.

However, what shocked the public wasn't just the enormous sum of money, but the ultimate destination of that money.

The "mismatched" confrontation: 20 billion or 7.5 billion?

The case file records a dramatic confrontation of testimony between former Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and her close subordinates.

Subordinates "accused": Nguyen Chien Thang confessed to "giving" Ms. Tien 12.9 billion VND along with 100,000 USD (approximately 2.6 billion VND). Nguyen Huu Tuan also contributed an additional 5 billion VND to this list. In total, the amount that the subordinates admitted to transferring to their "boss" amounted to over 20 billion VND.

Ms. Tien's side countered: The former Minister maintained her differing stance. She only admitted to receiving a total of 7.5 billion VND (2.5 billion from Thang and 5 billion from Tuan). Specifically, she asserted that she was completely "naive" about the source of the money, and that there was no agreement to share or bribe the funds.

The investigating agency organized a direct confrontation, but the result was a prolonged silence as neither side was willing to compromise on the actual figures.

A different ending for the characters.

Despite being caught in the same cycle of wrongdoing, the legal fates of these individuals differed significantly:

Nguyen Chien Thang and Nguyen Huu Tuan: They are recommended for prosecution on a "combo" of two charges: accepting bribes and violating regulations on the management and use of state assets causing losses and waste. Former Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien: She is only recommended for prosecution on the charge of violating regulations on the management and use of state assets causing losses and waste. The charge of accepting bribes does not appear in the list of recommended charges against her.

This case is not only a wake-up call regarding medical ethics but also a costly lesson about transparency in public investment management. While the figures for kickbacks remain unclear and inconsistent, the public is still awaiting a final verdict from the court to shed light on all the hidden aspects behind the walls of these multi-billion dollar hospitals.

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