On 24/8, the Investigation Police Agency of Lao Cai Provincial Police initiated legal proceedings and temporarily detained Hai Sapa TV on charges of deceiving customers.
At the investigation agency, Hai stated he owned popular Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube channels. As he specialized in selling products from the Tay Bac mountainous region, the defendant imported spicy dried buffalo meat from Hoang Nam General Production and Trading Joint Stock Company for resale.
"I then rebranded it as Tay Bac buffalo meat to gain public support," Hai confessed, admitting his wrongdoing. He apologized to his followers and requested to rectify the consequences.
According to the police, the products Hai sold were manufactured by Hoang Nam Company using frozen buffalo meat imported from India. Hai is accused of leveraging his social media influence and instructing his wife, Bui Thi Kim Tuyen, to sign product distribution contracts.
Hai and his wife then advertised on social media platforms that this was "Tay Bac specialty dried buffalo meat," printing the Hai Sapa TV logo for market sale.
Initial investigations by the police agency determined that from 2022 to 2025, Tuyen purchased spicy dried buffalo meat products from Hoang Nam Company for a total of 30 billion VND for resale.
In connection with the same case, Ms. Tuyen, 38, and Pham Van Ha, 44, Director of Hoang Nam General Production and Trading Joint Stock Company, were temporarily detained on charges of violating accounting regulations, causing serious consequences.
Authorities are expanding the investigation.
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Hai Sapa TV with his wife and Pham Van Ha (from left) at the investigation agency. Photo: Police provided |
From tourist driver to YouTuber with millions of followers
Hai Sapa TV, 40, previously worked as a tourist driver in Sa Pa. Starting in 2011, Hai began filming videos about cuisine and highland life, posting them on YouTube via the Sapa TV channel, which currently has over 1,9 million subscribers.
Hai's other social media accounts also boast millions of followers, including 5,2 million on TikTok. Hai is also known as one of a close "trio" alongside Huan Hoa Hong and Phu Le.
In early 2025, Hai established Sapa TV Group Joint Stock Company, headquartered in Lao Cai ward.
Recently, several other TikTokers, YouTubers, and "internet gangsters" have also been indicted in various cases, including Huan Hoa Hong and his wife, Phu Le, Co Giao Huong, Pham Tuan, Vua Quat, Khanh Sky, Ho Van Khoa, and Te Dien.
