Vũ Thế Phiệt, chairman of Airports Corporation of Vietnam, has been detained in a bidding violation probe. — Photo courtesy of ACV

HCM CITY — Việt Nam has detained the chairman of state-controlled airport operator Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), Vũ Thế Phiệt, as part of an investigation into alleged serious violations of bidding regulations, the company said in a disclosure on Friday.

ACV said it had received notice from investigators under the Ministry of Public Security that Phiệt and Deputy General Director Nguyễn Tiến Việt had been placed in temporary detention.

Authorities are investigating the two men for alleged violations of bidding rules causing “particularly serious consequences”, including accusations that they accepted money to help contractors win tenders, according to the notice cited by the company.

The investigation involves the operator of most of Việt Nam’s airports and comes as the country pushes ahead with large aviation infrastructure projects to support fast-growing air travel demand.

Nguyễn Tiến Việt is a board member and deputy general director responsible for overseeing ACV’s executive operations. He also heads the project management unit for the construction of Long Thành International Airport, a major national infrastructure project east of HCM City.

ACV manages and operates 23 airports across Việt Nam, including major international gateways such as Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, Nội Bài International Airport and Đà Nẵng International Airport.

The company is the main investor in the Long Thành airport project, one of Việt Nam’s largest infrastructure developments. The airport, covering about 5,000ha, has a total planned investment of about VNĐ336 trillion (US$12.8 billion).

The first phase includes two runways and a passenger terminal designed to handle 25 million passengers annually. Several components were completed in late 2025 and the airport is expected to begin commercial operations in mid-2026.

Phiệt, 53, has worked in Việt Nam’s aviation sector since the mid-1990s. He served as director of Nội Bài International Airport from 2012 to 2017 before becoming deputy general director and later general director of ACV in 2018. He was appointed chairman of the company in September 2024.

ACV has charter capital of more than VNĐ35.8 trillion ($1.36 billion). The Vietnamese state holds roughly 95.4 per cent of the company through the Ministry of Finance. The company’s shares have traded on Việt Nam’s UPCoM market since 2016.

The probe comes as Việt Nam accelerates investment in aviation infrastructure to support rising passenger demand and economic growth, with Long Thành airport expected to become one of Southeast Asia’s largest aviation hubs once fully completed. — VNS