Lao Cai police investigate influencer Hai Sapa for fraud

Lao Cai provincial police, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security’s Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department, have launched an investigation into Vu Hoang Hai, widely known as ‘Hai Sapa’ or ‘Hai SAPA TV’. The investigation focuses on allegations of “deceiving customers” and “violating accounting regulations causing serious consequences” in Lao Cai province.

Hai Sapa is a prominent social media influencer with over 1.9 million subscribers on YouTube and 5.2 million followers on TikTok. He leveraged his online presence to expand into the business of selling Northwest Vietnamese specialty foods, such as dried buffalo meat and honey.

Public attention has also focused on his lifestyle and assets, including a five-story, 1,000-square-meter luxury villa in Lao Cai city, which he showcased on social media in late 2023.