HO CHI MINH CITY — Truong My Lan, a 69-year-old businesswoman who previously operated in Vietnam's real estate sector, had her death sentence commuted to life imprisonment in 2025. In 2024, Lan was sentenced to death for embezzling approximately US$12 billion, with the penalty conditional on repaying three-quarters of the funds.

Vietnam abolished the death penalty for embezzlement and seven other criminal offenses in 2025. She also received two life prison sentences for her involvement in a scheme that diverted approximately US$44 billion through a Vietnamese bank, and a second life sentence for fraud, money laundering, and illegal cross-border transfers.

Lan currently owes approximately US$27 billion in restitution to fraud victims and has repaid about US$455,000 toward this obligation. The Ho Chi Minh City Judgement Execution Agency is processing assets linked to Lan for victim compensation.

In May, two Hermès handbags previously owned by Lan sold in an online auction for approximately US$539,000. One of the auctioned handbags was purchased in Italy, and the other was a gift from a Malaysian businessman. Lan had requested the return of the handbags to keep as family heirlooms prior to their sale.

Three luxury vehicles previously owned by Lan were also auctioned: a white four-seat Maybach, a blue five-seat BMW, and a black five-seat Lexus. The white Maybach had a starting bid of approximately US$265,000 and sold for approximately US$630,000. The blue five-seat BMW sold for US$36,700, and the black five-seat Lexus sold for US$29,000.

In early 2026, authorities attempted to auction a yacht owned by Lan, named The Reverie Saigon, with an initial asking price of approximately US$2 million. After multiple unsuccessful auction attempts, the opening bid was reduced by 18 percent. Two additional boats valued at approximately US$175,000 each failed to sell at auction. Lawyer Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang stated, "Los fondos recaudados se destinarán en primer lugar a la ejecución de la sentencia y a los gastos de la subasta, así como a los honorarios judiciales y legales."