Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has rebuffed a story published by a local news website that its minister owes a luxurious villa in Hanoi.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong on Friday morning sent an urgent dispatch to the Ministry of Information and Communications to complain about the wrongful information in a Thursday article of the Moi Truong va Do Thi Vietnam (Vietnamese environmental and urban) online newspaper.

The news story, meant to introduce several beautiful villas in the capital, includes a photo showing a five-story building with the caption that reads “the owner of this villa is currently Minister of Industry and Trade.”

The incumbent head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is Tran Tuan Anh.

“The information in the article is completely fabricated and untrue, aimed at slandering the minister, which also seriously affected the reputation and image of the industry and trade sector,” Deputy Minister Vuong asserted.

The Ministry of Information and Communications has been asked to determine suitable punishment upon the online newspaper.

On Friday afternoon, the news outlet said it had rectified the information and also issued a public apology.

The editorial board said that their reporter first heard the information from local residents but did not verify it before publishing.

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