Following the shocking arrest of Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien on charges of deceiving customers and involvement in the production of counterfeit dietary supplements, fans and media across the globe are questioning whether the former Miss Grand International 2021 will be stripped of her crown.

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Missosology reports on Thuy Tien's legal troubles. Photo: Missosology

On May 19, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security officially confirmed that Thuy Tien had been indicted and detained as a co-defendant in a criminal investigation related to the sale and false advertising of “Kera vegetable candy.” The case has drawn widespread attention, both domestically and internationally, particularly from beauty pageant circles.

Popular Facebook fan pages such as Malongdo Thailand, with over 100,000 followers, described the news as “shocking,” while Missosology, a leading beauty pageant media outlet with 3.8 million followers, quickly updated its followers about Tien’s arrest. The post garnered nearly 2,000 interactions within an hour. Sash Factor, another major platform, published a detailed article about the case.

Amid the outpouring of reactions, a recurring question has emerged: Will Thuy Tien lose her Miss Grand International crown?

As of now, Nawat Itsaragrisil, President of Miss Grand International (MGI), has not made any official statement on the matter. However, during a livestream in April - when Tien was first publicly linked to the fake goods scandal - Nawat clarified that “Thuy Tien’s contract with us ended two years ago.”

In fact, Thuy Tien's reign as Miss Grand International officially concluded at the end of 2022, when she passed the crown to her successor. Since then, she has only appeared at MGI events in a non-official capacity, similar to other former winners and runners-up.

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Thuy Tien crowned Miss Grand International 2021.

Born in 1998 in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien made history by becoming the first Vietnamese winner of the Miss Grand International pageant in 2021. Prior to her international success, she earned recognition in various national competitions, including First Runner-Up in the 2017 Southern Beauty Queen contest and a Top 5 finalist in Miss Vietnam 2018, where she also won the title of Beauty with a Purpose.

Tien’s path to stardom began early. After competing in Miss International 2018 without notable success, she stunned the pageant world in 2021 with her powerful final speech advocating peace and love. Her victory elevated her to icon status in Vietnam’s beauty industry.

However, her reputation took a hit in late 2024 when she began promoting Kera vegetable candy, a product introduced and distributed by Chị Em Rot Group (CER Group). The company’s key shareholders include CEO Le Tuan Linh, content creator Quang Linh Vlogs (Pham Quang Linh), and social media personality Hang Du Muc (Nguyen Thi Thai Hang).

Tien frequently promoted the product through social media posts and livestreams, claiming it was made from 10 vegetables and could supplement fiber intake for individuals aged three and up. But controversy erupted when a consumer had the product tested at a certified lab, revealing that each gummy contained only 0.017 grams of fiber - a fraction of what was advertised, and significantly less than the fiber in even a small banana.

The scandal has not only raised legal questions but also shaken the image of a once-celebrated beauty queen. While it remains unclear whether any formal sanctions will be imposed by the Miss Grand International organization, the consensus is that Thuy Tien’s reign has already ended, making it unlikely she will be retroactively stripped of her crown.

Tinh Le