HCMC beauty clinic offers unauthorized training, barricades itself upon inspection

Tang Chi Thuong, director of the HCMC Department of Health, on Tuesday said inspectors came to the Chaewon beauty clinic in Phu Nhuan District after discovering that the clinic has been advertising study courses on how to perform different beauty procedures. Besides HCMC, the facility also posted advertisements in Hanoi and Thai Nguyen Province in northern Vietnam, Thuong said.

Authorities said there were two closed rooms on the second floor of the facility in HCMC. The woman who rented the office at the establishment refused to open the doors, saying there was no one present. After three hours of persuasion, the facility’s owner was willing to open the doors.

At that point, nine women wearing "Chaewon" uniforms came out from the second floor. They said they were people who came to study the courses on skincare procedures, which cost them VND23-30 million ($903-1,178). There were office chairs in the room, along with other skincare equipment and boxes containing used syringes. Inside the trash bin were used syringes, gloves and cotton balls.

Inspectors have requested the facility to stop advertising and organizing study courses on filler and botox injections when it is not authorized to do so. It must also remove advertisements, both online and offline.

Thuong said this has been the second case where the department found facilities without medical licenses but still advertising training courses for skincare procedures. Last week, authorities also found the Green Skin Center facility in Tan Binh District with similar violations.

Advertising healthcare services without approval may result in a fine of up to VND40 million.