Vietnamese livestreamer arrested for dodging tax on $2.7M in online sales

Tran Thi Le Thu, 40, was taken into custody in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, police said. Authorities allege that from early 2020 to May 2025, she earned more than VND72 billion ($2.76 million) from selling goods online, without declaring a single dong in taxes.

Thu operated two Facebook accounts, "Tran Thu" and "Shop Tran Thu Vung Tau," which had a combined following of about 7,000 users. She livestreamed twice daily, at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., hawking cosmetics, clothes and household items.

Despite her significant income, she never registered her business or filed tax declarations, investigators said. Tax authorities estimate she evaded over VND1 billion ($38,000) in personal income tax and value-added tax.

An investigation is ongoing.