Nguyen Nang Manh - Director of MegaPharco Company - was accused of spending money to "grease" many leaders and staff of the Department of Food Safety (Ministry of Health), in order to legalize documents, ignoring violations in the production and trading of fake functional foods.
Former Director Nguyen Thanh Phong stated that he had received 5 envelopes for a total of 250 million VND from his subordinates after each post-inspection visit. "When I went after the inspection, Mr. Cao Van Trung - Deputy Head of the Poison Control Department - gave me an envelope worth 50 million VND, saying that the enterprise thanked me" - Mr. Phong stated. The expenses are made for 4 GMP certification sessions and one post-inspection session.
Thanks to this assistance, Nguyen Nang Manh and his accomplices have produced more than 100 tons of fake functional foods, licensed to 207 products of 9 companies and granted 4 GMP certificates to 2 factories. More than 900 brands were forged, targeting the psychology of consumers such as the elderly, children and pregnant women. Although advertised as imported from the US and Europe, most of the actual raw materials are from China.
The total amount of money this group spent on officers and leaders of the Department of Food Safety was nearly 3.2 billion VND, aiming to reduce errors in post-inspections, inspections and create favorable conditions in the process of applying for a license.
The case was announced by the Ministry of Public Security at the end of April 2025, causing public concern because of the serious damage to public health and the scale of nearly 10 years. The subjects established 6 companies, closing all aspects from import to consumption nationwide.
Fake products have "disappeared" from cyberspace. Companies such as MegaPharco and Mediusa only exist on paper, with the tax code displayed as working. In reality, the website and all business activities have stopped. MegaPharco headquarters is located at 77D5 Dai Kim - Dinh Cong Urban Area, Hanoi; legal representative is Nguyen Nang Manh.
According to regulations, the production of functional foods must be granted a GMP certificate, and when consumed, the product must be validly declared by the Department of Food Safety. However, the licensing and re-supervision process is too loose.
The Law on Food Safety stipulates that when products are in circulation, they must have a report on the testing of their effectiveness. However, the product registration file did not require this report. The product is therefore still sold on the market, even though there is no basis to prove the effectiveness as announced.
