Police seize 11 kg of gold and 100 property deeds from Mailisa Beauty Clinic owners

By Pham Du November 28, 2025 | 02:17 am PT

Police have confiscated 300 taels of gold (about 11.25 kg), 100 property deeds, and 12 luxury cars from the owners of the Mailisa Beauty Clinic chain as part of an ongoing investigation into large-scale cosmetic smuggling.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, officers also seized roughly US$11.9 million in cash, held in both Vietnamese dong and U.S. dollars, from clinic owner Phan Thi Mai, 50, and her husband, Hoang Kim Khanh, 40. The couple was arrested last week on suspicion of smuggling, and six other individuals are being investigated in connection with the case.

Phan Thi Mai and Hoang Kim Khanh pose for a photo. Photo courtesy of Phan Thi Mai

From 2020 to 2024, Mai and Khanh allegedly imported low-cost cosmetic products from Guangzhou, China, but falsified paperwork to change the origin to Hong Kong. Because the products did not meet China’s standards and were not eligible for a Free Sale Certificate, the couple allegedly fabricated contracts and invoices to obtain one under Hong Kong’s name.

A Free Sale Certificate verifies that a product is legally manufactured and sold without restrictions in its country of origin.

Using these falsified certificates, the couple notified Vietnam’s Ministry of Health that their products were made in Hong Kong. They then distributed more than eight million cosmetic units nationwide through their network of 17 Mailisa clinics.

The items included pigmentation removal creams, brightening products, dark spot treatments, and sunscreens marketed under the "Doctor Magic" brand. Labeled as Hong Kong-made, the products gained consumer trust and were sold at prices many times higher than their actual cost, generating illicit profits estimated in the trillions of dong (VND1 trillion = US$37.9 million). In reality, the products had been produced in Guangzhou for as little as VND30,000–150,000 each.

Vietnam’s Drug Administration has ordered local authorities to test Mailisa products, revoked 80 product notification receipts, and withdrawn 162 cosmetic items from circulation. Consumers have been urged to stop using the products due to risks such as skin irritation and infection.

Mai, also known as Mai Lisa, is a Ha Tinh–born businesswoman who started as a hairdresser and makeup artist. She and her husband have long drawn public attention for their fleet of luxury supercars and high-profile charitable activities. On her Facebook page, with over 1.7 million followers, Mai frequently showcases both her philanthropy and extravagant lifestyle.