Before the shocking arrest of Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, several Vietnamese beauty queens have been entangled in criminal investigations involving charges from fraud to prostitution brokerage.

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien: From international beauty queen to customer fraud suspect

Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien (born 1998) was recently arrested and prosecuted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security on charges of "deceiving customers," as a co-conspirator in a criminal case involving the Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company.

The case centers around a dietary supplement branded as Kera vegetable candy, a product developed and promoted by Thuy Tien in partnership with company shareholders. Tien held a 30% stake and received profits accordingly.

Investigators found the company sold over 135,000 boxes of the Kera candy, earning nearly 18 billion VND (approximately 720,000 USD). Thuy Tien herself received nearly 7 billion VND (around 280,000 USD) in commissions.

Vo Thi My Xuan: Former beauty queen turned high-end prostitution broker

In 2012, the public was stunned when Vo Thi My Xuan (born 1983), crowned Miss Nam Mekong 2009, was arrested for "prostitution brokerage." She was identified as one of the leaders of a sex trafficking ring involving models and beauty queens, with transactions reaching thousands of US dollars.

During her 2013 trial, My Xuan told the court that financial hardship had pushed her into the illicit business, and she later recruited friends and colleagues. The court sentenced her to two years and six months in prison.

Truong Thi Tuyet Nga: The million-dollar real estate scam

Truong Thi Tuyet Nga, crowned Successful Businesswoman Mrs. Vietnam 2009 (born 1961), was once viewed as the ideal female entrepreneur. However, in 2013, she was arrested and prosecuted for "fraudulent appropriation of property."

In a 2016 trial, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court ruled that Tuyet Nga had defrauded a victim named L. out of 3.1 million USD through a real estate scheme. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to compensate the victim after deducting a partial reimbursement made during the investigation.

In 2017, the High People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City upheld the original verdict after dismissing Tuyet Nga’s appeal.

T.H.P.N: A fallen Miss Vietnam in Russia entangled in scandal

Miss Vietnam in Russia 2007, T.H.P.N (born 1987), was at the center of a sensational “romantic contract” controversy. Along with her associate D., she was accused of defrauding a man named M. out of 16.5 billion VND (around 660,000 USD) in a 2012 real estate deal.

Both were detained by Ho Chi Minh City police in March 2015. During the first trial in 2016, N. claimed that the money had been gifted to her as part of a mutual relationship.

In 2019, police officially dropped the case after the investigation failed to prove the fraud allegations. However, the scandal effectively ended her career.

Tien Dung