Trương Mỹ Lan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Trương Mỹ Lan
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|---|---|
| Born | 13 October 1956 |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Years active | 1992–2022 |
| Title | Founder and director of Vạn Thịnh Phát Group |
| Spouse(s) | Eric Chu Nap Kee |
| Children | 2 |
| Criminal information |
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| Years active | 2012–2022 |
| Conviction(s) |
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| Criminal penalty | Death, commuted to life imprisonment |
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Date apprehended
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6 October 2022 |
Trương Mỹ Lan was born on October 13, 1956. She is a businesswoman from Vietnam. She started a big company called Vạn Thịnh Phát Group. This company builds many different types of buildings.
Trương Mỹ Lan was involved in a very large financial problem in Vietnam. She was found responsible for taking money that was not hers. She also broke banking rules. In April 2024, she was given a serious sentence. This sentence was later changed to life in prison in 2025.
In October 2022, she was arrested. This was because she used fake loan requests. She took a lot of money, over US$12.5 billion, from a bank called Sai Gon Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SCB). She controlled this bank through many people working for her. Her actions caused many people to worry about their money in the bank.
In March 2024, a trial began for her actions. This event was considered the biggest problem of its kind in Southeast Asia's history. She was found guilty the next month. Her sentence was changed to life in prison in 2025. This happened after Vietnam changed its laws about such actions.
Early Life and Background
Trương Mỹ Lan was born in Saigon, which is now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Her family came from a place called Shantou in China. They settled in a part of Ho Chi Minh City.
Her uncle started a business that moved goods by sea. This business was called Hòa Thuận Phát.
Her Business Career
Trương Mỹ Lan first had a business that sold hair accessories. Later, she used her connections to start working in real estate. This means she bought, sold, and developed land and buildings.
In 1992, she started her own company, Vạn Thịnh Phát Group. She was the head of this company. Her company built fancy homes, offices, hotels, and shopping centers. It also offered financial services.
Controlling a Bank
From 2012 to 2022, Trương Mỹ Lan controlled a bank called Sai Gon Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SCB). This was one of the biggest banks in Ho Chi Minh City. SCB was formed in 2012 when three other banks joined together. These banks were having money problems.
Even though the banks had problems, Vietnam's central bank allowed them to merge. Trương Mỹ Lan kept control of SCB. She did this by using many people to hide her control. About 93 percent of the loans from SCB went to her company or other companies connected to her.
Her Family Life
Trương Mỹ Lan is married to Eric Chu Nap Kee. He is a businessman from Hong Kong. He also works in real estate. In March 2024, her husband was called to the trial. Her niece, Trương Huệ Vân, was also called. She is 34 years old and runs a property management company. Her husband is a singer named Thanh Bùi.
Trương Mỹ Lan's family is known as one of the richest families in Vietnam. Some of their money has been used to help projects in their family's old hometown in China. The amount of money Trương Mỹ Lan took, $12.5 billion, was about three percent of all the money Vietnam made in 2022.
In March 2024, her niece said that she had created many companies. These companies were used to get 155 loans from SCB.
See also
In Spanish: Trương Mỹ Lan para niños
- List of fraudsters
- Corruption in Vietnam
- Capital punishment in Vietnam
