A powerful message from the durian case.
The news of the indictment and temporary detention of Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung and three other defendants for investigation into acts of bribery and forgery in official duties has been highly noteworthy in recent days.
This is one of the cases of violations related to "sub-licenses" that have been dealt with strictly and thoroughly recently. "Sub-licenses" are the term used by the business community to refer to conditions or procedures that are created arbitrarily, illogically, unnecessarily, and negatively impact the business environment.
According to official announcements, Mr. Hoang Trung and other defendants abused their positions and authority to issue illegal policies, with indications of creating "sub-licenses" to serve group interests and profit from exceptionally large sums of money. The defendants also interfered with and directed subordinates to issue fraudulent inspection certificates and planting area codes; and illegally bought and sold planting area codes and packaging facility codes for durian.
The prosecution comes amidst a recent situation where hundreds, even thousands, of container trucks carrying durian for export are frequently stuck in traffic jams. Meanwhile, in 2025, Vietnam's durian exports are projected to reach a record high of $3.86 billion, the highest among all fruit and vegetable sectors.
Considering the events of the past period, it can be understood that some individuals have created unnecessary "sub-licenses" to restrict the area of durian cultivation for export, even though in reality these orchards or durian growing areas could fully meet the export conditions – not just formal conditions, but genuinely necessary conditions regarding safety and quality.
Specifically for China – the largest market for Vietnamese durian – durian must have a planting area code, a packaging facility code, and a certificate of quality for Yellow O and cadmium, recognized by the Chinese Customs authorities.
The motives behind these violations are clear and easy to understand: The burdensome "sub-licenses" force many legitimate businesses to resort to bribery and corruption. Conversely, when the door closes for legitimate businesses, opportunities open up for those engaging in unscrupulous practices: They can obtain fraudulent inspection certificates, planting area codes, or illegally buy and sell planting area codes and packaging facility codes.
This means that high-quality durian shipments may be held up, while shipments of unknown origin or low quality may pass through customs and reach consumers.
"These actions seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of durian growers and export businesses, causing exceptionally large losses to the state budget, and negatively impacting the reputation and brand of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market," the investigating agency stated.
But the story is not just about Vietnam's highest-value export sector, the fruit and vegetable industry. It needs to be placed in a broader context, as the Party, State, Government, and agencies are undertaking unprecedented institutional reforms and improvements to the legal system, moving towards transparency, meeting international standards and practices, enhancing the safety and attractiveness of the investment and business environment, and thereby contributing to the country's growth and development.
In particular, in a very short period of less than 3 months after its establishment, the new government has decisively directed and its agencies have reduced and simplified thousands of business conditions and administrative procedures, estimated to save society tens of thousands of days in processing procedures and tens of trillions of dong in compliance costs each year.
As General Secretary and President To Lam, Head of the Central Steering Committee on Institutional Improvement and Law Enforcement, stated, every unreasonable business procedure and condition that is eliminated is a barrier removed and an opportunity for development opened up.
The General Secretary and President of the Republic demanded strict control over the issuance of new administrative procedures and business investment conditions; they should only be issued when truly necessary, legal, reasonable, when the compliance costs are lower than the management benefits, and when there is no better solution. It is crucial to prevent situations where administrative procedures are streamlined in one document but new conditions, licenses, or requirements arise in another document or during implementation.
"Fundamentally, the people and businesses must truly benefit from tangible advantages such as reduced time, cost savings, and expanded development opportunities; at the same time, arbitrary actions, favoritism, harassment, and corruption must be truly eradicated," the General Secretary and President stated.
And most recently, in Central Committee Regulation No. 207-QD/TW dated July 26, 2026, on what Party members are not allowed to do, there is a completely new regulation: Designing criteria and conditions that are specific in nature to create advantages for one or more organizations, businesses, or individuals in accessing resources, thereby causing unfair competition.
The case involving the export of durian to China is a prime example of what Party members "are not allowed to do," and on July 28, the Party Central Committee decided to discipline Deputy Minister Hoang Trung by expelling him from the Party for ideological and political degradation, moral decay, and lifestyle issues; violating Party regulations and State laws; and violating the rules that Party members are not allowed to break and their responsibility to set an example.
Prior to the durian-related case, former Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan was also prosecuted for accepting billions of dong in bribes related to creating "sub-licenses" to hinder and profit from labor export businesses.
For a smooth flow of business, a high level of entrepreneurial spirit, and the mobilization of resources for development, obstacles such as "sub-licenses" or corrupt and unethical officials must be resolutely eliminated. The strict handling of the aforementioned cases sends a concrete but powerful message, not only about the determination to prevent and combat corruption and negative practices to purify the system, but also about the goal of building an institutional foundation and strengthening social trust for double-digit growth, leading the country to rapid and sustainable development.
