What did Miss Grand International Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien say during trial for deceiving customers?

Tien, who is on trial for deceiving customers, told the HCMC People’s Court Wednesday that she was asked by Chi Em Rot Group to promote the gummies, meant to help consumers increase daily fiber consumption.

Seeing that the product was "very interesting," she had business ideas to contribute and wanted to be more involved with it.

She had asked for 25% of profits from the product, which was approved, but was not a shareholder in the company. Prosecutors have claimed she owns a 25% stake.

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

Tien was surprised to learn that Kera gummies contained much less fiber than advertised.

"My father and I used this product because I don’t eat vegetables. This is a great lesson in my life, and I hope it is also a lesson for everyone."

She did not directly sell the product and was "only a brand representative."

She had a link to the product’s store page on her personal social media account, and received a commission for each sale.

In February this year, when customers started to question the fiber content in the gummies, Tien had asked the CEO of Chi Em Rot, Le Tuan Linh, to sign a backdated advertising contract with her management agency to ensure that she would appear to be an advertisement representative and not a shareholder.

Kera gummies were advertised as "one gummy replaces a plate of vegetables," but testing found that 100 grams of them contained only 0.51 grams of fiber and they had no detectable vegetable or fruit powders.

It also contained 33.8% sorbitol, not shown on the label. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol used to sweeten food that can cause diarrhea.

"I know that my false advertising greatly affected consumers’ health," Tien said.

"If I had known about the product quality, I would never have done it, because it has been extremely difficult to build my personal reputation."

Over 56,000 people bought the products, paying VND17.5 billion (US$663,000).

Linh and three other executives of Chi Em Rot are also facing charges of deceiving customers, typically slapped against people who falsify the measurement of goods or services or engage in other deceptive sale practices.