A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports announced this information at a socio-economic press conference on the afternoon of 17/7. The department reported that the mobile app of the milk tea brand Chagee used an image resembling the nine-dash line. Following the incident in March, the Department of Culture and Sports collaborated with the Ho Chi Minh City Police to summon Chagee Vietnam Co., Ltd. for questioning.

The company's violations included providing a link to the app displaying the image with the nine-dash line, infringing on national sovereignty on the "CHAGEE Vietnam" community page.

For this violation, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports Inspectorate imposed an administrative fine of 60 million VND on Chagee Vietnam Co., Ltd. Chagee Vietnam has complied with the administrative penalty decision.

Chagee is a milk tea brand established in 2017 in Shanghai. The chain has over 6,000 stores globally, mostly in China, and operates on a franchise model. In 2024, the company recorded a revenue of 29.5 billion CNY (equivalent to 4 billion USD). On 17/4, they raised 411 million USD in an initial public offering (IPO) in the US.

Chagee sought to enter the Vietnamese market through recruitment activities starting in October 2024. In March, they planned to open their first store at a prime location on the corner of Dong Khoi and Nguyen Thiep streets (former District 1), Ho Chi Minh City. At that time, the brand's fan page invited users to install an app containing an image of the nine-dash line, causing public outcry. Chagee Vietnam did not respond and decided to dismantle the construction site.

After 4 months of silence, the brand has just opened its first store in Vietnam at a different location in Tan Hung ward (former District 7), Ho Chi Minh City.

Le Tuyet - Vien Thong