The actions of Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien (beauty queen Thuy Tien), Nguyen Thi Thai Hang (also known as Hang Du Muc, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company), and Pham Quang Linh (also known as Quang Linh Vlogs, Member of the Board of Directors) were outlined in the investigative conclusion of the Ministry of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency (C01). The C01 has recommended that the Supreme People's Procuracy prosecute them for the crime of defrauding customers under Clause 2, Article 198 of the Penal Code.

Related to the case, Le Tuan Linh (Director and legal representative of Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company - CER) and Le Thanh Cong (Member of the Board of Directors) are accused of the same offense.

Regarding other defendants previously prosecuted in the same case, including Nguyen Phong (Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asia Life Joint Stock Company), the C01 decided to separate the charges to continue the investigation and prosecution for the crime of producing counterfeit food products under Article 193 of the Penal Code.

Beauty queen Thuy Tien (second from right), Hang Du Muc (center), Quang Linh Vlogs (left) during a promotional visit to the "raw material area" for Kera candy. Photo: Video still.

According to the investigation's conclusion, CER was first registered in 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City with a charter capital of 5 billion VND, later increased to 15 billion VND. Among the 6 founding shareholders who contributed capital to establish the company were Quang Linh Vlogs and Hang Du Muc.

The SuperGreens Gummies (Kera candy) was a collaborative idea between beauty queen Thuy Tien and CER's shareholders. The group agreed to establish Kera Vietnam Joint Stock Company, with Thuy Tien contributing a 25% stake. However, due to time constraints in completing the procedures, starting in 11/2024, the group used CER's legal entity to hire Asia Life to manufacture the candy at a price of 32,452 VND per box to launch the product on time.

The profit distribution from Kera candy sales remained as previously agreed upon—Thuy Tien receiving 25% and the CER group receiving 75%.

To boost sales, CER promoted the candy and sold it on social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Beauty queen Thuy Tien, Hang Du Muc, and Quang Linh Vlogs visited the raw material areas and filmed videos about the candy production process. These promotional videos were posted on TikTok with verified accounts of Thuy Tien, Hang Du Muc, and Quang Linh Vlogs.

In the first livestream on 12/12/2024, the group sold 2,836 orders totaling 3,109 boxes of candy, even though the product wasn't yet available and customers had to wait 7-14 days. At a price of 129,000 VND per box, the livestream generated 400 million VND.

Seeing the high profits, beauty queen Thuy Tien requested to increase her profit share by 5-10%, corresponding to a 30-35% stake. Ultimately, the CER group agreed to give Tien a 30% stake (a 5% increase from the initial agreement).

Beauty queen Thuy Tien at the time of her arrest. Photo: Linh Dan.

Kera candy's 'digestive benefits' due to 70% Sorbitol

The candy consisted of 22 ingredients, including 10 types of vegetable and fruit powders, accounting for 28.13% of the production ingredients, such as spinach, gotu kola, moringa, houttuynia, celery, green banana, and carrot powder. The product's trademark was registered at the National Office of Intellectual Property.

Beauty queen Thuy Tien and CER shareholders, as the owners of Kera candy, were fully responsible before the law and consumers for the quality, ingredients, and composition of the product. However, throughout the production and sales process, the group neglected the candy's quality and paid little attention to the actual ingredients used.

The police assessed that the group, including Thuy Tien, Hang Du Muc, and Quang Linh Vlogs, only focused on the appearance, design, layout, logo, images on the label and packaging, and naming the product "Kera." In reality, the production, testing, and documentation processes were self-declared.

The C01 stated that the suspects were aware that the test results accompanying the self-declared documents showed a very low fiber content—only 0.935%—which provided little benefit in supplementing fiber for those who avoid vegetables.

They were also unaware of the ingredients Asia Life used to produce the candy, whether they were from 10 types of natural vegetables and fruits sourced from VietGap-certified areas or pre-made powders from suppliers; and whether the ingredients and proportions of vegetable powders printed on the label matched reality.

Quang Linh Vlogs and Hang Du Muc at the time of their arrest. Photo: Linh Dan.

However, the group of "celebrities" continued to share information and promote the benefits of Kera candy to consumers in 5 livestreams on social media in early 2025. According to the investigation, these key opinion leaders (KOLs) misrepresented the product to increase sales and profits.

They claimed: "Kera candy is made from 10 natural fruits and vegetables, sourced from VietGap-certified farms of Asia Life Company in Da Lat. The candy uses no sugar but has a natural sweetness from stevia, and it helps supplement fiber and is good for digestion."

Quang Linh Vlogs even stated that "one candy is equivalent to a plate of boiled vegetables" to attract customers.

In reality, Asia Life did not have its own farms but purchased pre-made powders and additives to produce the candy. The content of fruit and vegetable powder was only 0.61% to 0.75%—significantly lower than the self-declared content (28.13%). Furthermore, the candy contained 70% Sorbitol (accounting for 35%) and Sacharose sugar (accounting for 12%) instead of the "stevia extract" listed in the self-declaration.

Trusting the misleading advertisements by celebrities, many consumers purchased Kera candy. In reality, the "digestive and laxative benefits" were due to the 70% Sorbitol content.

The investigation revealed that from 12/2024 to 2/2025, Asia Life sold 160,127 boxes of Kera candy to CER for a total value of 5.6 billion VND. CER then sold nearly 130,000 boxes to the market, earning 17.5 billion VND; 5,700 boxes were donated to charity and given to individuals for product promotion; and 24,800 boxes remained unsold.

The C01 concluded that beauty queen Thuy Tien, Hang Du Muc, and Quang Linh Vlogs falsely advertised to deceive consumers into buying Kera candy, earning an illegal profit of 12.4 billion VND. Thuy Tien received 6.8 billion VND from CER, Quang Linh Vlogs received 182 million VND, and Hang Du Muc received 177 million VND.

As of 28/8, CER has refunded 1.3 billion VND to nearly 3,800 customers who purchased over 9,600 boxes of candy.

Pham Du