The Untold Story of the Director Behind a Ring Producing Over 200 Tons of Fake Rice Seeds Hai Duong

According to investigators, a fake rice seed production ring led by Nguyen Huy Vu sold products to hundreds of agents across many provinces nationwide, earning illicit profits of tens of billions of VND.

Dak Lak Provincial Police have provided initial investigation results into a case involving the production of hundreds of tons of fake rice seeds in the province.

After a period of surveillance, at around 4:15 PM on December 31, 2025, the Economic Police Department of Dak Lak launched inspections of several rice seed production sites suspected of violations.

At the warehouse of Asia Agriculture Investment Co., Ltd. (Quyet Thang hamlet, Ea Knuếc commune, Dak Lak province), managed by director Nguyen Huy Vu authorities discovered four employees packaging rice seeds into bags labelled ST24.

The warehouse contained various machines used for packaging. Notably, investigators also found a “collection” of stamps bearing labels such as ST24, ST25, ĐT8, OM5451, ML202, and others.

At the same time, another team inspected the warehouse of An Giang Rice Co., Ltd. (Ea Kly commune, Dak Lak province), led by director Tran Thi Lan.

During questioning, Ms Lan was unable to provide invoices or documents showing the origin of 113 bags of finished rice seeds. She stated that Nguyen Huy Vu directly supervised and controlled all production and business operations of An Giang Rice Co., Ltd.

Authorities seized all relevant documents, tools, and equipment.

Following his arrest, Vu admitted that he had purchased low-quality commercial rice from various local sources in Dak Lak, then instructed employees to process and package it into bags printed with well-known brand names.

Notably, the company backdated the production date by 15–20 days to make dealers believe the seeds had sufficient resting time after harvest, improving perceived germination and growth quality.

After being relabelled with famous brands, the low-cost rice was sold at prices ranging from 15,000 to 23,000 VND per kilogram.

Vu also revealed he was the director of Phuong Nam Plant Seed One-Member Co., Ltd., which operates a rice seed production facility in Dong Thap province. The same fake production process was carried out there.

He admitted that all three companies lacked licenses and documentation for producing rice seed varieties such as ST24, ST25, ĐT8, OM18, and had no official cultivation areas.

According to investigators, during 2024 and 2025, Asia Agriculture Investment Co., Ltd. and Phuong Nam Plant Seed Co., Ltd. sold rice seeds to approximately:

• 40 dealers in Lam Dong province

• 104 dealers in Dong Thap province

• 23 dealers in Dak Lak province

• 38 dealers across Gia Lai, Quang Ngai, Ca Mau, Long An, and Khanh Hoa

These generated illegal profits amounting to tens of billions of VND.

Testing results from the National Centre for Plant Variety Testing confirmed that the seized seeds failed to meet national quality standards for germination rate, varietal purity, and moisture content.

Authorities stated that releasing hundreds of tons of substandard seeds into the market constitutes fraud aimed at illicit profit, seriously affecting farmers’ rights and state management of plant varieties.

As previously reported, Nguyen Huy Vu has been prosecuted and detained by Dak Lak Police for “production and trading of counterfeit goods as plant varieties.”

Initial findings show that in 2025 alone, his companies produced and sold over 200 tons of fake rice seeds.

Disclaimer (Translation):

This English translation is provided for general informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and preserve the original meaning, the translation may not fully reflect nuances or contextual details of the source text. In case of any discrepancies, the original language version shall prevail.

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