Ho Chi Minh City police investigate massive fake invoice ring

Ho Chi Minh City police have expanded an investigation into a major tax evasion and illegal invoice trading ring. Authorities have added 25 more defendants to the case, bringing the total number of prosecuted individuals to 37.

Investigators identified Le Van Hien, born in 1984, as the alleged mastermind behind the operation. Between December 2021 and October 2025, Hien and his accomplices reportedly established or acquired 326 shell companies to facilitate the illegal sale of value-added tax invoices.

The group is accused of issuing 178,357 invoices to 17,612 businesses across the country. The total value of goods and services recorded on these invoices reached 18,328 billion VND, with corresponding VAT totaling 1,585 billion VND. While the scale of the transactions is significant, investigators are still clarifying the specific roles of the 17,612 recipient entities and whether they committed violations.