Artists advertise falsely: Some bow and apologize, others 'disappear'

The "most popular" vegetable and root candy on social media in recent days has been promoted by Miss Thuy Tien since December 2024 with the introduction that it has high fiber content, is nutritious, has many quality certifications, and is suitable for children and adults. However, recently, a consumer posted a video of this product being tested at the National Institute for Quality Measurement, the result was that a box of 30 candy pieces only had 0.51 grams of fiber, too little compared to human needs and compared to the advertisement "one piece is equal to a plate of vegetables".

This caused many viewers to criticize the beauty queen for false advertising, demanding that she take responsibility for the content she posted. About half a day later, Thuy Tien quietly deleted all posts related to the product. After that, the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) requested the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department to inspect the operations of the company that produced the above candy. Late on the evening of March 6, Thuy Tien apologized to the audience.

How is the quality of the vegetable candy that Thuy Tien introduced, whether the beauty queen advertised falsely or not, we need to wait for the official test results to confirm, but many audiences and netizens have expressed their disappointment with her. This is quite understandable, the public is upset and angry because the story of celebrities exchanging fame for income by advertising and exaggerating the effectiveness of the product is a reality that has been going on for many years.

When criticized for this, many Vietnamese stars had to apologize, while some remained silent.

Actress Cat Tuong

In 2023, actress and MC Cat Tuong apologized to the media for advertising a type of milk that could completely cure many disease symptoms. According to the Food Safety Department, this type of milk is only a health food and has absolutely no medicinal effects. The false advertising of the product's uses caused Cat Tuong to receive a lot of criticism.

In response to critical and controversial comments, the artist said she was willing to personally apologize to customers who used the product without any results (if requested) and take responsibility for compensating for some of the customers’ losses. Cat Tuong said this was a huge incident, beyond her control; a consequence of being lenient when accepting advertising contracts and not having clear commitments with the brand.

“I am well aware of my mistakes and have received enough consequences. I will stand up for my mistakes. I hope the audience will sympathize with my mistakes, so that I can continue to strive to work, contribute and pursue my passion for art. This is a lesson I will never forget, I will be more careful so that I can continue to introduce good products to consumers in the future."Cat Tuong confided.

MC Quyen Linh

In May 2021, MC Quyen Linh disappointed the public when he admitted to lacking restraint in introducing a functional food. Promoting this product, he said it supported the radical treatment of cancer cells, treated stomach ulcers, and was 70 times better than regular products - different from the content of the advertising certificate issued by the Food Safety Department.

Quyen Linh said he has never advertised a product without a clear origin. However, he made a mistake in providing information about the product's effects after use. The MC emphasized that this is a profound lesson in his more than 20 years of working and hopes that the audience will not misunderstand him for advertising regardless of money.

"It's unfair to say that I advertise recklessly. I have done many charity programs at hospitals, serving the poor, and understand the suffering of patients. Therefore, I am very restrained when accepting product advertisements."said the male MC.

People's Artist Hong Van

In early June 2021, People's Artist Hong Van bowed her head to apologize to the audience, saying that she had made a mistake in accepting the advertisement. She affirmed that before accepting to introduce the product, she had reviewed the business license and product certification meeting the standards of the Ministry of Health. However, the advertisement made consumers misunderstand about drugs and functional foods, making the audience angry.

The female artist emphasized that she takes note of everyone's opinions and will be more careful in her statements.

"I myself will be more careful with my statements and always try harder to become a perfect artist in both ability and professional ethics, worthy of the audience's trust. I sincerely thank everyone for helping me realize my wrongdoings."female artist shared.

Miss Mai Phuong Thuy

In July 2021, Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy apologized to fans after advertising a functional food that was administratively sanctioned by the Food Safety Department. She advertised the product as having a "rapid fat-reducing effect". In the commercial clip, the beauty queen said it helped her lose 5 kg in 1 month.

In the apology post, Mai Phuong Thuy wrote:"As a famous person, Thuy is aware of her responsibility for every statement and action. Looking back now, Thuy really sees that she was wrong! Thuy would like to send her sincere apology and is ready to cooperate with the authorities to help properly handle illegal acts that affect consumers."

Despite admitting her mistake, Miss Vietnam 2006 still received a lot of harsh criticism from the public.

Miss Transgender Huong Giang

Huong Giang appeared in the same product advertisement as Mai Phuong Thuy. However, when the incident became noisy, she did not apologize like Mai Phuong Thuy but chose to remain silent.

Many people think that Huong Giang needs to speak up and explain clearly about this issue. However, since then, the transgender beauty has "disappeared" in the face of the false advertising noise.

Van Dung, Thanh Huong

Artist Van Dung is said to be the character appearing in a VTV24 report in early April 2021 about a famous person advertising a drug product and using fake medical records.

Although the face was blurred in the report, based on the voice, the audience believed that this female artist was none other than Van Dung. Many people also found the origin of this clip to be a fanpage that clearly stated the name of the artist Van Dung.

Responding to the media at the time of the scandal, “Medical Apple” promised to have a specific response as soon as possible. However, from then until now, the audience has not received any response from her about this scandal.

Actress Thanh Huong has also livestreamed many times to advertise many products with exaggerated uses, even of unknown origin. It is worth mentioning that when she was "exposed" for false advertising, the actress chose to remain silent.