Part 3/11:
By the mid-1990s, Hạnh transitioned to the real estate market, founding the F Tín Phát Group during a significant economic transformation in Vietnam. The country was opening up to private enterprise, and through strategic connections and her inherent negotiating skills, she prospered, marrying an investor from Hong Kong and building an empire across various industries.
The Fraud Scheme
Hạnh's turn towards crime began around 2010 when she became a key player in the country's banking sector, acquiring control over the Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB). Initially trusted due to her influential status, she was soon orchestrating a complex scheme that would allow her to siphon vast amounts of money—up to $44 billion—from the bank, a sum amounting to around 3% of Vietnam's GDP.