The PMU 18 scandal is a multi-million dollar political corruption scandal that involved accusations of embezzlement, bribery, nepotism, and gambling at the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport (Bộ Giao thông Vận tải, GTVT) at the beginning of 2006. The scandal received extensive press coverage in Vietnam, a rarity in the one-party state. It generated a great public outcry in Vietnam and controversy in other countries and at organizations that provided Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the country. Due to the scandal, Transport Minister Đào Đình Bình was forced to resign and his deputy was arrested. The scandal became a major issue leading up to the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, when the government leadership was being reviewed.
In the aftermath of the scandal, the Vietnamese government clamped down on journalists reporting on the case. Two prominent journalists were tried and convicted of “abusing democratic freedoms” and propagating “false information”. Two police officers involved in the case were also convicted of “disclosing work secrets”.