The chilling process of turning bamboo into cancer treatment medicine.

COn the afternoon of April 9th, a six-person task force from the Hai Phong Department of Health conducted a raid and witnessed the production of counterfeit cancer medication and functional foods in An Duong district.

Hong An Phong Co., Ltd. is located at the end of the canal, next to the Trang Due industrial park, and only displays a small sign that reads "Vinaca Group - Hong An Phong Co., Ltd."

Inside, the workshop was filled with dry bamboo, reeds, and firewood of unknown origin. Behind it were sealed blue plastic containers and dozens of sacks of charcoal. When the inspection team arrived, the company had more than 10 workers on duty.

The entire concrete road surface from the company to the edge of the Trang Due industrial park is used for drying materials. The chopping and washing of bamboo and firewood also takes place here.

Ms. Tran Minh H., who was washing bamboo here, said she was a local resident working here as a day laborer. Her job was to clean the bamboo and then stack it into piles.

Worker Nguyen Thi M. recounted: "This bamboo is chopped into small pieces, crushed, and then brought into the furnace to be burned into charcoal for people to grill meat."

All the bamboo was brought into a furnace to be burned into charcoal, then cooled, impurities were removed, and it was packed into sacks, each weighing about 30kg.

At the time of inspection, the facility had dozens of sacks of coal piled up, covered in thick black dust.

Unable to present legal documents.

According to the Kiến An District Police, the Hồng An Phong company, managed by Mr. Nguyễn Văn Tuấn, produces tons of charcoal from bamboo each month. From 1 ton of raw bamboo, the facility produces approximately 30 kg of finished charcoal.

This coal is transported to a processing and packaging facility located in the district that produces cancer medication and neurological supplements.

During the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan failed to present any legal documents related to the products being manufactured. The documents approving the cosmetic product registration issued by the Hai Phong Department of Health to the company were also not provided upon request.

In response to the inspection team's questions, Mr. Tuan gave only one answer: "I acted on the authorization and instructions of Vinaca."

Where is charcoal powder consumed?

On April 10th, the Kien An District Police announced that they had coordinated with relevant agencies to inspect a facility producing functional foods and cosmetics owned by Ms. Dao Thi Chuc (residing in Ngoc Son ward). They discovered workers pouring finely ground bamboo charcoal powder into empty capsule shells, packaging them for sale to cancer patients.

Authorities have determined that this facility has a direct connection with Hong An Phong company.

The products manufactured at this facility include: Vinaca Vi5 (874ml), Vinaca Cancer CO3.2, Baby Vinaca Vi6, Vinaca Activated Carbon multi-purpose, Vinaca trace elements (nasal drops), Vinaca multi-purpose, and several other unlabeled powders and liquids.

At the time of inspection, Ms. Chuc was unable to present documents, papers, or invoices proving the origin of the raw materials and goods.

According to authorities, Mr. Tuan did not manufacture cosmetics or pharmaceuticals, but instead lent his documents to Nguyen Xuan Thu, director of Vinaca Co., Ltd. and husband of Ms. Chuc.

After lending the documents, Mr. Tuan took on the task of burning bamboo and firewood to obtain ash, which he then ground into a fine powder to supply to Mrs. Chuc.

Each month, Mr. Tuan supplied Ms. Chuc's facility with 10 bags of ash, each weighing 30kg. From 2016-2017, Mr. Tuan received over 200 million VND in wages.

Mr. Tuan also acknowledged this information to the inspection team. However, he said that he only burned and crushed charcoal before transferring it to the facility in Kien An, and he did not know what was done there.

According to investigation documents, products from Vinaca Co., Ltd. have been widely distributed in many provinces and cities nationwide through its own system. These products are being sold online and in stores at prices ranging from a few hundred thousand to several million dong per prescription.

According to Nguyen Tien Son, Deputy Director of the Hai Phong City Department of Health, the Department has issued certificates of acceptance for the declaration of cosmetic products including: Vinaca Carbon multi-purpose; body odor remover; Vi3 cancer treatment; Vi4 body odor remover; baby Vi6; Vi7 alertness for driving, studying, and relieving stress and fatigue, to Hong An Phong Co., Ltd., headquartered in Hong Phong commune, An Duong district.

“However, Hong An Phong Company has not yet produced the products as registered on its license. On April 13th, we will request the company director to come in for questioning and present legal documents as well as the purpose of producing bamboo charcoal as they were caught red-handed. Authorities have discovered that Ms. Chuc's facility producing counterfeit medicines and functional foods is an illegal operation. The fact that this facility borrowed a license from another entity will not be recognized by law,” Mr. Son affirmed.