Vietnam Country Profile
Environment, Natural Resources and Extractive Industry
Business Corruption
The demand for timber furniture from western countries has provided the growth for the furniture industry in Vietnam. According to the EIA 2008 report, the Vietnamese government tightened its control measures in the 1990s in order to preserve its remaining forests. However, there are reports of Vietnamese companies having stolen logs from Indonesia and exploiting forests in Laos. According to the same report, bribery and corruption are reportedly part of these illegal activities.
Political Corruption
According to a 2007 article from Vietnam News, during 2005-2006, a number of the Government Inspectorate (GI) officials were suspended in connection with corruption allegations related to the state-owned oil company, PetroVietnam. Supposedly, GI officials accepted bribes in return for preventing further investigations of corruption in PetroVietnam.
