Image of illegal "cow tongue line" on Chagee milk tea application
Since the evening of March 14, many social media accounts have been continuously sharing images of the login screen of the Chagee milk tea brand application, in which a map with dashed lines similar to the illegal "cow tongue line" appears. This is the area that China unilaterally and illegally claims sovereignty over in Vietnam's East Sea.
Previously, on March 7, the official fanpage of Chagee Vietnam posted the application link along with a promotional program for customers to download the software to their mobile devices before the opening. However, after the incident was discovered, this link was no longer accessible. The Chagee milk tea application was no longer available on the App Store (iOS), while on the Play Store (Android), some users could still download it, although others could not see it.
Chagee Milk Tea's Official App Contains Illegal "Cow Tongue Line" Image
Some users have used the region switching trick or installing APK files to download the APAC regional version of Chagee milk tea. At this time, the "cow tongue line" image still appears on the login screen.
Boycott wave on social media
As soon as this information spread, the Chagee Vietnam fanpage was flooded with opposing comments. Many posts on forums and consumer groups also called for a boycott of this brand before the first store in Vietnam officially opened.
Some users expressed disappointment, saying that they had been looking forward to Chagee’s appearance in Vietnam because the brand was quite popular in China and some Southeast Asian countries. However, after discovering the controversial image, they declared that they would not support the brand.
In response to the backlash from the online community, Chagee Vietnam has yet to make any official response to the incident. However, the fact that the app has been removed from download stores and related links are no longer available shows that the brand has made adjustments after a wave of protests from Vietnamese consumers.
Chagee, whose Chinese name is Ba Vuong Tra Co, is a high-end milk tea chain founded in 2017 in Shanghai, China. By focusing on milk teas made from fresh tea leaves, combined with the image of traditional tea culture, this brand quickly expanded its scale, by 2024 it had more than 5,000 stores across East Asia.
Vietnam is considered a potential market for milk tea chains, with the appearance of many big brands in recent years. However, before this incident, the ability to enter the market of Chagee milk tea is facing many difficulties as domestic consumers have a resolute attitude towards brands related to the illegal "cow tongue line".
Before Chagee, many foreign brands faced similar reactions when they let images violating Vietnam's sovereignty over its sea and islands appear in their products or online platforms.
Many experts in Vietnam have advised users not to use applications or programs that contain illegal "cow tongue line" maps because during the installation process, the developer always forces users to agree to the terms of use. If users agree to the embedded terms, including issues of sovereignty over islands or territories, they are unwittingly aiding the violation of Vietnam's sovereignty.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tra-sua-chagee-bi-keu-goi-tay-chay-vi-ung-dung-chua-duong-luoi-bo-185250315104959814.htm
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