Football star Nguyen Quang Hai's wife under investigation for unauthorized South Korean cosmetics sales

Chu Thanh Huyen during a business trip in South Korea. Photo by Facebook/Chu Thanh Huyen

The Drug Administration under Vietnam's Ministry of Health in early April received a citizen's complaint dated March 25, accusing Huyen of selling South Korean-branded cosmetics sets without proper Vietnamese sub-labels, not providing sales invoices and potentially distributing smuggled or tax-evading products.

After reviewing the matter, the Drug Administration determined it was outside their jurisdiction and forwarded the case to the Hanoi Market Management Department. The results will be made public upon completion of the investigation.

Huyen, 24, from Hanoi, is the wife of Vietnamese star midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai, a key player in Vietnam's national team's international successes. She has a significant online following, particularly due to her business activities, selling cosmetics through livestream sessions.

Her livestream sales often attract thousands of simultaneous viewers, largely because she claims to sell high-end South Korean cosmetics at drastically reduced prices, from millions of dong to just hundreds of thousands of dong (VND1 million = $38.5). This pricing has resulted in large numbers of orders.

Huyen has recently faced multiple controversies related to her business practices and personal life. In March, she received criticism for reportedly using her less-than-1-year-old son to advertise a milk product that was allegedly inappropriate for the child's age. She has also faced accusations from a business partner regarding unpaid debts amounting to billions of dong.

She has not responded publicly to the latest allegations involving the sale of cosmetics without proper invoices and potential tax evasion. She is working in South Korea and continues to regularly hold livestream sessions promoting her products to customers.