Miss Grand International Contestant Faces Trial for Customer Deception

Miss Grand International 2021, Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, along with four other individuals, appeared in court on Wednesday. This marks six months since their arrest for allegedly promoting Kera vegetable gummies through false advertising to deceive customers.

Tien, Nguyen Thi Thai Hang, the chairwoman of Chi Em Rot Group, and Pham Quang Linh, a director of the company, were brought to the HCMC People’s Court at 7 a.m. Two additional executives from the company, Le Tuan Linh, CEO, and Le Thanh Cong, director, are also facing trial.

Miss Grand International Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien seen at the HCMC People's Court on Nov. 19, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

The accused are charged with defrauding customers, a legal offense typically applied to those who falsify the measurement of goods or services or engage in deceptive sales practices. According to the indictment released in mid-2024, Hang, Linh, and others established Chi Em Rot Group with the initial goal of livestreaming and selling various products on social media. The company later launched its own brand of vegetable gummies called Kera and enlisted Tien to promote the product. They agreed that she would receive a 25% share of the profits initially, which was later increased to 30%.

Le Thanh Cong, a director of the company, requested food manufacturer Asia Life to produce the gummies using a formula containing 10 types of vegetables. However, the leaders of Chi Em Rot were aware that the fiber content of Kera gummies was only 0.935%, or 0.03 grams per gummy, significantly lower than their advertising claim that "one gummy replaces a plate of vegetables."

Nguyen Thi Thai Hang, chairwoman of Chi Em Rot Group and a social media influencer, seen at the HCMC People's Court on Nov. 19, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

The company did not verify the origin of the ingredients or confirm whether the product actually contained 10 types of vegetables as claimed. Despite this, they continued to promote the product aggressively. Over 56,000 people purchased the products, generating VND17.5 billion (US$663,000). However, some consumers took the products to laboratories, where they discovered that the fiber content was much lower than advertised.

These findings were shared on social media, prompting health authorities to investigate the product in March of this year. As a result, the executives of Chi Em Rot were arrested in April, and the beauty queen was arrested in May.

The defendants now face potential fines ranging from VND100 million to VND500 million or imprisonment for one to five years. The case highlights the serious consequences of misleading advertising and the importance of transparency in product claims. It also underscores the role of consumer vigilance and the need for regulatory oversight in the marketplace.