The sophisticated scheme of a multi-level marketing ring with nearly 200,000 participants.
By the time it was shut down, this network had sold millions of products through its multi-level marketing system and had not been granted a certificate of registration for multi-level marketing activities.
Wandering from city streets to rural areas
The multi-level marketing scheme known as "Bitney" has just been dismantled by the Phu Tho Provincial Police, with nearly 200,000 members, of which more than 100,000 are Vietnamese. This is the largest multi-level marketing network ever discovered and prosecuted.
Once a major player in Nghe An province under the name "Bitney Group," this network sold a range of products such as Multi Juice mixed fruit juice and Lucenta deer placenta, falsely advertised as cures for all ailments. In 2023, Nghe An Newspaper published numerous articles exposing the unusual activities of this system.
In Vinh City, the sign that used to read "Bitney General Office in Nghe An" on Phuong Hoang Street has now been removed. Previously, this location frequently hosted large gatherings, mostly attended by elderly people, promoting the product with claims of "curing diseases" and "making money." Some individuals even claimed to be doctors or leaders of major hospitals, exaggerating the product's miraculous effects.
In addition to organizing face-to-face meetings, the Bitney system also established numerous chat groups on social media. In these groups, many individuals claiming to be "witnesses" regularly shared personal stories, asserting that they had recovered from illnesses, even cancer, thanks to using Bitney's products.
Bitney also lured participants by promising a return on investment in Bitney Coin digital shares. According to the advertisements, by participating in a product package, members would receive digital shares monthly, which they could sell back to the company for Vietnamese currency. In 2023, 1 Bitney Coin was worth over 20,000 VND and was promised to increase a hundredfold when the "corporation went public".
Furthermore, Bitney also offered various commission schemes such as direct sales commissions, group commissions, 9-generation commissions, leadership bonuses, etc., ranging from 24.5% to 39.5% of the order value. The more products purchased and the more people recruited, the higher the commission. A box of Multi Juice cost approximately 1.5 million VND, while Lucenta deer placenta extract cost over 7 million VND.
To become a member, customers must purchase a minimum of 6 boxes of Multi Juice or 1 box of Lucenta (equivalent to a 1-star membership), and will be issued a code to access the system. Higher-level membership packages such as 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star require purchases amounting to tens or hundreds of millions of VND, in exchange for a corresponding number of electronic shares.
This scam isn't limited to cities; it's infiltrating rural areas as well. In Thanh My commune (Thanh Chuong district), a group approached elderly women, initially using the pretext of taking ID photos, then shifting to introducing products and luring them into a path to wealth. Many residents were enticed into joining Zalo groups like "Bitney Nghe An Billionaire 1199 Global Development" or "Bitney Product Usage Results," where members constantly exaggerated the product's effectiveness and boasted about their wealth.
Warning from authorities and the consequences for the ringleader.
In 2023, the Nghe An Department of Industry and Trade issued a warning about Bitney's illegal multi-level marketing activities. The document stated that recently, in some localities, groups, conferences, and seminars have appeared introducing Bitney's Multi Juice – mixed fruit juice – and Lucenta – deer placenta products, which are touted as having numerous benefits.
In addition to exaggerating the benefits, these individuals also recruit new members, developing a system to earn commissions and benefits through a multi-level marketing model. Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has not granted a certificate of registration for multi-level marketing activities to any enterprise or organization named Bitney as mentioned above, in accordance with Decree 40/2018/ND-CP dated March 12, 2018, of the Government on the management of multi-level marketing business activities.
Representatives from the Nghe An Department of Industry and Trade
The Department of Industry and Trade requests that relevant departments, agencies, localities, and units direct grassroots levels to strengthen propaganda efforts down to the village and hamlet level, reaching the people, absolutely prohibiting participation in activities that show signs of disguised multi-level marketing schemes or those that have not been licensed, in order to minimize material and legal risks and losses. People are advised not to participate in or encourage others to use products based on word-of-mouth recommendations for treating illnesses, as disseminated through mass media and loudspeakers in villages and hamlets.
Recently, the Phu Tho Provincial Police arrested four individuals involved in this network for violating regulations on multi-level marketing. The two ringleaders are Tat Van Hao (48 years old, from Ho Chi Minh City) and Lim Choon Foong (aka Nick Lim, 43 years old, Malaysian nationality).
This network had nearly 200,000 members worldwide, including over 107,000 Vietnamese. Bitney's products were priced ten times higher than their import costs and showed signs of exaggerating their effects, even containing banned substances that affected users' health. By the time it was dismantled on May 14, 2025, Bitney Vietnam had not been granted a multi-level marketing registration certificate, but had sold millions of products and illegally profited trillions of VND.
