A former Vietnamese beauty queen has been sentenced to two years in prison after a court found her guilty of misleading customers by falsely advertising fibre-rich gummies on social media. State media confirmed the ruling on Wednesday, marking one of the most high-profile influencer fraud cases in the country.

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, a past winner of the Miss Grand International pageant, was convicted of deceiving consumers after promoting Kera Supergreens Gummies as a product packed with fibre. Judges stated that Tien was fully aware the actual fibre content was less than one percent, measured at only 0.935 percent.

Tien, who had previously received a certificate of merit from Vietnam’s prime minister, marketed the product alongside influencers Pham Quang Linh and Hang Du Muc. Both were also handed two-year prison sentences for their involvement in the scheme.

The court noted that all three influencers acted deliberately to gain significant illegal profit. Their promotional campaign claimed that each gummy contained the equivalent of a plate of vegetables, a statement investigators later found to be entirely false.

According to the findings, Kera Supergreens Gummies was a joint business venture between Tien and a company formed by the two co-defendants, with Tien holding a 30 percent stake. Investigators discovered that the gummies contained more than 30 percent sorbitol, a sweetener known for its laxative effects, along with several undeclared additives.

The scale of the fraud was substantial. More than 129,000 packs were sold to over 56,000 customers, generating more than $650,000 in revenue. The influencers reportedly earned around $473,000 in profit from the sales.

Tien rose to national fame after winning the Bangkok-based beauty pageant in 2021 and had since secured multiple brand endorsements. Her conviction has sparked debate in Vietnam over influencer responsibility and the growing need for stricter regulations in online advertising.

The case has also highlighted increasing consumer concern about the authenticity of wellness products promoted by social media personalities, prompting authorities to put greater pressure on deceptive marketing practices.