Story perspectives

Fraud Convict's Hermès Birkin Auction Nets $440K

5/22/2026

Summary

Story summary

The white size-25 Hermès Birkin bag seized from Truong My Lan sold for 11.67 billion dong ($440,144) at a Ho Chi Minh City government auction.
The size-30 Birkin bag received four bids and sold for 2.54 billion dong ($95,000).
Truong My Lan, convicted of a $44 billion fraud, has repaid over 12 trillion dong ($455 million) toward a $27 billion restitution order.
Three luxury cars—Mercedes-Maybach, BMW and Lexus—are scheduled for auction the following day.

History

Historical Context

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security’s 2008 Operation Golden Hand seized 12 fake Hermès Birkin bags, imposing a 500 million-dong fine on businessman Nguyen Van Thien. The same code name resurfaced in 2024 when Israel’s IDF launched Operation Golden Hand to rescue hostages in Rafah. Both episodes show authorities repurposing historic-sounding operation names for high-profile anti-crime actions.

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Story summary

The white size-25 Hermès Birkin bag seized from Truong My Lan sold for 11.67 billion dong ($440,144) at a Ho Chi Minh City government auction.
The size-30 Birkin bag received four bids and sold for 2.54 billion dong ($95,000).
Truong My Lan, convicted of a $44 billion fraud, has repaid over 12 trillion dong ($455 million) toward a $27 billion restitution order.
Three luxury cars—Mercedes-Maybach, BMW and Lexus—are scheduled for auction the following day.

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