Mr. Do Van Kien (40 years old, from Phu Tho) came to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a worker in My Phuoc 2 industrial park (Ben Cat ward) for more than 10 years. In 2018, he and his wife saved more than 300 million VND and decided to sign a contract to buy a land plot for a project in Bau Bang commune of Binh Duong City Land Investment and Construction Service Trading Joint Stock Company (abbreviated as Binh Duong City Land Company).
Mr. and Mrs. Kien's desire is to buy a plot of land to build a house and stabilize their lives. Binh Duong City Land Company promised to hand over the land use right certificate for one and a half years. In early 2020, Mr. and Mrs. Kien came to the company to get the red book and saw the company director arrested by the police. At this time, the dream of settling down of the couple collapsed.
In 2023, Nguyen Thanh Hung, the General Director of this company, was tried and sentenced to life imprisonment and forced to return the money to Mr. and Mrs. Kien.
Our hometown only hopes to buy a plot of land to settle down and do business, but now we don't have land, and the money has not been returned. My husband and I work as workers, living in rented houses saving every penny to pay off debts" - Mr. Kien shared.
In the same situation, Mr. T.V.T (39 years old, Thanh Hoa) - working as a worker in Tan Uyen - said that he bought land from Binh Duong City Land Company in the Phuc Long City project in Phu Giao, and so far, he has not had land to build a house, and the money has been appropriated.
My husband and I worked as workers, gathering hard for many years, getting 240 million VND to buy land to settle down and work, but being appropriated by subjects. Up to now, after 7 years of buying land, we still have to live in rented houses, in debt" - Mr. T shared.
Similarly, Ms. Vo Thi Kieu (49 years old) - working as a worker in Hoa Loi ward - is also one of the people who bought ghost project land.
We are in difficulty, we heard people advertise cheap projects for workers, so we bought them. Up to now, there is no land and the money has not been recovered. The 300 million VND for buying land, my husband and I have to borrow from brothers and sisters, and now the debt repayment is still not finished" - Ms. Kieu sadly shared.
Seizure of assets to compensate victims
Previously, Lao Dong Newspaper reported that in 2023, the Binh Duong Provincial People's Court (formerly) brought the case of fraud and appropriation of assets at Binh Duong City Land Company to trial. This is a scandalous fraud case caused by the leaders of Binh Duong City Land Company and accomplices creating 7 "ghost projects" and then advertising them for sale to people. The Binh Duong Provincial People's Court sentenced Nguyen Thanh Hung - General Director of Binh Duong City Land Company - to life imprisonment, and 4 other defendants were sentenced from 12-20 years in prison.
In the case, there were 388 victims (mostly workers far from home) who were appropriated 163 billion VND by Hung and accomplices. The court requested Hung and accomplices to compensate for damages to the victims.
In early January 2026, the Civil Judgment Enforcement Department of Zone 19 - Ho Chi Minh City is re-inventorying assets in the case to compensate the victims.
It is known that the judgment enforcement agency has seized many land plots in Ho Chi Minh City with a total area of more than 104,000 m2 and temporarily seized assets of over 3.4 billion VND for judgment enforcement.
Representatives of the Civil Judgment Enforcement Department of Zone 19 said that they are continuing to verify other temporarily seized assets to have directions for seizure and coordinate with the Land Registration Office of Zone 2 of Ho Chi Minh City to identify assets, restore, measure, and survey seized land use rights.
