The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Operational decision · 2017–2023
Tuấn Hưng Watch sold Chinese-made watches as German — then it was fined and dissolved
A singer-founded Vietnamese watch chain sold Chinese-made watches labelled 'German' until an exposé and a 147.5 million VND fine dissolved the brand.
Tuấn Hưng Watch (Công ty CP Đồng hồ Tuấn Hưng) · 2023-05
What happened
Tuấn Hưng Watch was a Vietnamese watch retail chain founded in 2017 by singer Nguyễn Tuấn Hưng. It grew on the strength of his name, promising customers premium timepieces from Europe.
In January 2023 an exposé showed the chain had been selling watches made in China — the Bonest Gatti brand, owned by Guangzhou Ni Heng Technology — as 'German' products. In May 2023 Vietnamese authorities fined the company 147.5 million VND: 30 million for failing to file its e-commerce notification, 27.5 million for incorrect origin labels, and 90 million for trading smuggled goods, with eight watches confiscated.
The trust break was terminal. The company entered dissolution, and its stores were rebranded as 'Thế giới đồng hồ' under a new entity, Công ty CP Thương mại và Dịch vụ Thế giới đồng hồ, established on 10 March 2023.
Why it happened
- The chain misrepresented Chinese-made watches as German — a deception that turned its celebrity brand into a liability the moment the exposé ran.
- It traded smuggled goods: eight watches were confiscated and the company fined 90 million VND for the offence, exposing supply-chain corners cut to keep margins.
- Basic compliance was missing — no e-commerce notification on file (30 million VND fine) and false origin labels (27.5 million VND) — so the regulators had a full file to act on.
- The new entity and rebrand show the owners could trade again, but the original brand, built on the singer's name, was unsalvageable.
The lesson
A celebrity brand is trust on credit. Tuấn Hưng Watch sold Chinese-made watches as German until an exposé and a 147.5M VND fine ended it — the name was worth only as much as its products.
Aftermath
The company entered dissolution and its stores were rebranded under a new entity, Thế giới đồng hồ, established in March 2023.
Sources
- Thương Hiệu Công Luận — Đồng hồ Tuấn Hưng bị phạt gần 150 triệu đồng (May 2023)
- Công Thương — Đồng hồ Tuấn Hưng bịp người tiêu dùng: Có thật là hàng Đức? (January 2023)
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