It is known that according to the Resolution of Vietnam’s National Assembly, from July 1, the base salary for cadres, civil servants and public employees will be increased to VND1.8 million/month – equivalent to an increase of 20.8%. Thus, the salary of the policemen is also increased. So the question is, with the rank of general, how much salary does Minister To Lam receive a month?
According to statistics, the salary coefficient for the rank of General is 10.4 times the base salary, equivalent to VND18.72 million. This salary is equivalent to 634 British pounds. A starving salary, but Mr. To Lam is able to send his daughter to study in the UK at a cost of £60,000 a year. An unbelievable number, it is unclear how many months Mr. To Lam took to be able to send his child to study in the UK.
Perhaps, the most prominent mark of Minister of Public Security To Lam is the image of eating gilded beef at an expensive restaurant served by the Salt Bae. Surely, Mr. To Lam never informed the media how much he ate the gold-plated beef party, but only the people could find out for themselves.
In Hanoi, a serving of gold-plated beef costs about VND9 million. Thus, a month’s salary of Mr. To Lam is only enough for 2 meals. If you use more drinks, you will be charged extra, but usually, eating gold-plated beef must drink expensive Western wine, but no one has ever drank mineral water. So, if you eat gilded beef with a suitable drink, you can even spend a month’s salary of the General, with only a luxurious meal for 1 person. It’s like that in Hanoi, how about in London of the UK? Definitely more expensive.
In 2021, at that time, when the social network was flooded with clips of Mr. To Lam opening his mouth to eat a piece of gold-plated beef, at that time, his salary was only VND16.64 million/month. It is known that the price of gilded beef in London where Mr. To Lam eats, is not less than 850 pounds per serving. Thus, a month’s salary of the current Minister of Public Security, despite the increase in salary, is still not enough for him to eat a meal of gilded beef in London.
The salary is three bucks, but spending money like water, that means, the income of the head of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security is not from salary, but from undisclosed revenues. It is known that every year, the Party Central Committee approves a huge budget for the Ministry of Public Security. In 2022, the National Assembly approved spending nearly VND100 trillion for the Ministry of Public Security, equivalent to $4.2 billion. To get this huge expenditure for the Ministry of Public Security, the Communist Party has to squeeze the cost of welfare for the whole people and pour it into it. In Vietnam, central spending on health and education is very low.
There is no other country that pays low salary for state officials like Vietnam. However, to get a position in the government apparatus, it is not uncommon to spend billions. In order to become a traffic policeman standing in places that are easy to get bribery from traffic violators, ones must pay several billions of dong. As for positions such as directors or deputy directors of provincial police, it is normal for them to give bribery of millions of dollars.
Previously, former National Assembly member Chau Thi Thu Nga admitted that she bought the seat of National Assembly deputies for VND30 billion. In fact, the seat of the National Assembly deputies does not make money, but only creates chances for parliamentarians to do business. However, she had to spend up to VND30 billion. However, Vietnamese law only charges the one who give bribery, without mentioning the receivers of bribery. Perhaps, the receivers of bribery (who have decisive words in promoting the one who give bribery) is in a restricted area that the investigative agency is not allowed to touch?
These are mechanisms to create opportunities for officials, with starving wages to get rich. That is the nature of the regime, sucking people’s money in one way or another, to fatten officials.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
