Commentary 25/05/30 The dark side of social media stardom

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Education seems to fail in teaching psychological resilience, ethical judgment, and media literacy

Vietnamese beauty queen, Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, wears her national costume during the Miss International Beauty Pageant final in Tokyo on Nov 9, 2018. (Photo: AFP)

By Alex Hoang

Published: May 30, 2025 07:34 AM GMT

Updated: May 30, 2025 08:37 AM GMT

This month, Vietnamese netizens were stunned by the news that beauty queen Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien — Miss Grand International 2021 and once celebrated as a symbol of intelligence, kindness, and empowerment — was prosecuted for her involvement in a massive commercial fraud related to the vegetable candy brand "Kera."  

Just days later, two other social media celebrities — Quang Linh Vlogs and Hang Du Muc — were also arrested. All three had been widely admired as successful, inspirational young figures who received national honors for their contributions to society.

Their sudden downfall raised a sobering question: Is instant fame on social media a reward — or a trap?

This month marked a significant turning point for the influencer world. Content creators and social media influencers across various platforms were investigated for promoting Kera, a vegetable-based dietary supplement that claimed to detoxify the body, aid in weight loss, and stabilize blood pressure — all without scientific evidence to support these claims.

Thuy Tien wasn't just the face of the product — she was a 30% shareholder in the distributing company. She publicly claimed that she and her family used Kera daily, prompting tens of thousands of fans to follow suit. Quang Linh Vlogs and Hang Du Muc also promoted the product heavily through livestreams.

In reality, the product’s composition was misrepresented. Some ingredients lacked clear origin, and several users reported adverse side effects. Over 30,000 consumers were recognized as victims.

This came as a shock precisely because these individuals had previously been role models. Their influence, once used to inspire and uplift, had become a vehicle for deception.

Sales through religious imagery

Le Viet Hung gained popularity through videos addressing traffic violations and public misconduct. Many viewed him as a digital vigilante speaking the truth to power. However, by May, Hung had been indicted for extortion.

Investigators accused him of using his platform to coerce businesses and individuals into paying him money to avoid negative publicity. His case illustrates a broader trend: when digital influence isn’t grounded in ethical responsibility, it can devolve into manipulation.

Mai Van Duong, popularly known as Duong Duong Duong, gained fame on TikTok with his comic takes on feng shui and spiritual topics. His videos attracted millions of viewers, leading him to sell "fortune-enhancing" products.  

Beneath the humor were misleading claims, superstition, and emotional exploitation. In April, he was arrested in Quang Nam for allegedly using religious imagery to engage in unlicensed business activities. While investigations are ongoing, this incident has raised concerns about the monetization of belief systems.

The moral gap 

Many social media stars rise to fame in a matter of weeks, without the psychological or ethical preparation that public influence requires. They gain a platform, but not necessarily the character to manage it.

In the cases of Thuy Tien and Le Viet Hung, initial goodwill transformed into entitlement, and over time, ethical boundaries became blurred or were ignored altogether.

The fear of irrelevance is real. To stay in the spotlight, influencers feel pressured to produce constant content, stir drama, or pursue lucrative endorsements — even if it means promoting unsafe or dishonest products. Kera was a case in point: the money was tempting, and due diligence was ignored.

Social media likes, shares, and followers can create the illusion of invincibility. Some influencers come to believe that they can dictate narratives or bend the truth to their will. Without moral guardrails, such perceived power becomes a weapon.

Vietnam’s current regulatory landscape for influencer marketing is still limited. Placing greater emphasis on personal ethics isn’t enough to check misleading endorsements.

Platforms, managers, and regulators must also contribute.

Broken trust, culture

Thuy Tien, once a recipient of Vietnam’s Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit and named "Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face of 2021," has been stripped of her title following her prosecution. Quang Linh, previously honored by the Nghệ An Youth Union, now faces a criminal investigation. Reputations built over the years have collapsed in just a few days.

Tens of thousands of people who trusted them and bought a product lost money; others suffered health issues, and everyone felt betrayed. Worse still, young fans watching their idols fall from grace may lose faith not only in the individuals, but also in the values they once believed in.

Many of these influencers once added significant value to public life. Their downfall isn’t solely personal — it deprives society of once-powerful voices that had the potential to make a positive impact.

The recent string of influencer scandals should not lead us to cynicism, but to caution. Not every loud voice deserves trust. Not every viral face is a leader. We must remember that fame is a privilege and always a responsibility.

A missing piece in education? 

As we watch more young people aspire to online fame, perhaps it's time to ask: Is there a gap in Vietnam’s education system — one that fails to teach psychological resilience, ethical judgment, and media literacy? 

If so, shouldn’t society and the government pay more attention to cultivating strong inner foundations, not just outward success?

Without a foundational education in ethics and emotional resilience, we may witness this tragedy repeating itself time and again, with new faces and new victims.

The downfall of the three social media idols was not due to misfortune, but rather a failure to pause, reflect, and appreciate what they already had. If they had known where to draw the line — if they had prioritized integrity over impulse — their story could have ended quite differently.

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.