VICTIMS OF "CHICKEN SCAMS"?
Over the past few days, news outlets and social media have been circulating information that many students have received university diplomas from Liverpool John Moores University, UK, but these diplomas are not recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training. A group of students involved have also filed a complaint with the authorities accusing London Fashion College - Hanoi Co., Ltd. of illegal activities.
In a statement dated December 12, LCDF School said it only "introduces" students to foreign partners.
PHOTO: QH SCREENSHOT
This group of students stated that, according to advertisements from the London College of Design and Fashion (LCFS), established by London College of Fashion - Hanoi Co., Ltd., after completing their college-level training program at LCFS (later, the students learned that the school's official name was London College of Design and Fashion, abbreviated as LCDF), they enrolled in a one-year university transfer program. The study location was the "academy" itself (address: 98 To Ngoc Van, Hanoi), and the university degree would be awarded by a partner institution in the UK (specifically, for the students who filed the complaint, Liverpool John Moores University). The tuition fee for the one-year transfer program was 289 million VND.
However, after receiving their diplomas from Liverpool John Moores University (received in Hanoi through LCFS), the students were shocked to learn that their diplomas were not recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.
In response to Ms. Ng.Th.Q (one of the students seeking diploma recognition), a representative from the Quality Management Department of the Ministry of Education and Training stated that the following noteworthy information was included in LCDF's response to the Ministry: Ms. Ng.Th.Q studied the online Fashion Design and Communication undergraduate program at Liverpool John Moores University through LCDF. However, the Ministry of Education and Training has not yet licensed Liverpool John Moores University to conduct an online Fashion Design and Communication undergraduate program for students residing and studying in Vietnam. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training does not recognize the university degree awarded to Ms. Ng.Th.Q by Liverpool John Moores University.
Ms. Le (another student) also shared with Thanh Nien newspaper a story about being scammed by LCDF. She was one of the first students to register for the one-year university bridging program, believing LCDF's advertisement that "study at a university in Vietnam, receive a UK degree."
TACTICS USED TO ENTICE STUDENTS
According to Ms. Le, the tuition fee collected by LCDF included 70 million VND for the cost of attending a graduation exhibition in the UK, but ultimately no one was able to go. After a long struggle (3-4 months), the school finally agreed to refund the estimated cost of the trip to the UK. Initially, LCDF tried to appease the students, saying that if they didn't go to the exhibition, they could attend the graduation ceremony in November 2023. Eventually, the school said that too few people registered to go to the UK, so they couldn't organize it. Later, the students learned that the school couldn't possibly organize a trip to the UK for them to receive their diplomas, as there was no graduation ceremony at Liverpool John Moores University in the last few months of 2023.
Ms. Le recounted: "Receiving my diploma was also very complicated. I don't understand what kind of business practices the 'partner' in England had, but LCDF University said the diploma was lost, and I only received it a year later. After receiving the diploma, I immediately sent it to the Ministry of Education and Training to process the recognition of the degree, but it was rejected. Therefore, to this day, I honestly don't know if the diploma I received was actually a university degree issued by Liverpool John Moores University."
Recalling another incident, Ms. Le said she felt she had been "scammed" without realizing it. According to the original schedule, her associate degree program was supposed to graduate around early 2023. However, LCDF had planned a one-year bachelor's degree program with Liverpool John Moores University starting in November 2022. Therefore, her associate degree class was forced to graduate early. Even worse, to keep up with the first "joint" bachelor's degree program with Liverpool John Moores University, she and her classmates had to attend university before completing their associate degree. "I should have realized then that this was a sign that the educational institution was operating improperly," she said.
Another former student recounted how they escaped a similar scam and got their tuition back: "After completing the two-year college program, we were told to pay for a one-year bridging program to university. After we paid, LCDF announced a postponement of the start date due to insufficient students. We agreed to wait another six months. Then LCDF pressured the next cohort of college students to graduate early. After the next cohort graduated and the school had gathered enough students, they announced another six-month delay due to a lack of teachers. When they finally had teachers, they couldn't open classes for various reasons, most recently because their partner school in the UK refused, but they still haven't refunded the students' money."
Recognizing signs of fraud in the organization of this one-year transfer program, the aforementioned former student fought to be removed from the class list.
The image shows a diploma issued by Liverpool John Moores University that is not recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training.
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT
APOLOGIES ARE NOT ACCEPTED
On the evening of December 12th, the Ministry of Education and Training officially announced the reason for not recognizing diplomas awarded by any foreign university to students at LCDF School: the school has never registered for any joint training programs with foreign universities in any field or profession.
On December 13th, LCDF School issued an apology to students regarding the incident, offering an explanation that blamed the "complex process" (in the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations on diploma recognition). The school stated that it is currently "working closely with the British Embassy and actively engaging with the Ministry of Education and Training and relevant authorities to find a solution."
However, many LCDF students involved in the incident did not accept the apology. According to the students, the fact that LCDF School did not have its students' diplomas recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training was not simply an administrative violation. The incident shows signs of violating a series of crimes such as "fraudulent appropriation of property," "deceiving customers," "forgery in work," and "negligence causing serious consequences." Furthermore, in their complaint to the authorities, the group of students even requested the police to verify and investigate whether or not the London Fashion College - Hanoi Co., Ltd. was involved in money laundering.
Inconsistency
According to Thanh Nien Newspaper's investigation, there is inconsistency and lack of clarity in the information provided by legal entities related to LCDF College. For example, in Official Letter No. 28.10.2025/LCDF sent to the Ministry of Education and Training by London Fashion College - Hanoi Co., Ltd., the company explained that "some students were transferring to a university in Liverpool John Moores, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were unable to travel to the United Kingdom." However, the students all confirmed that November 2022 was when LCDF launched its first university transfer class, at which time the Covid-19 pandemic had ended.
Alternatively, the students all claimed they received in-person instruction from teachers hired by LCDF (not teachers directly or online from Liverpool John Moores University), but when responding to the Ministry of Education and Training, LCDF stated that these were online training courses from Liverpool John Moores University.
Or, during the enrollment process, LCDF tells students that this is a joint training program with a university in the United Kingdom. The official letter dated October 28, 2025/LCDF sent to the Ministry of Education and Training also refers to students who receive degrees from Liverpool John Moores University as "transfer students." However, in the individual student records that LCDF provided to the Ministry of Education and Training, LCDF states that these are students who completed an online training program from a foreign university. In a press release, LCDF also stated that it only acts as an intermediary, referring students to its partners.
So, ultimately, what form of university education did the 49 students for whom LCDF received funding and foreign university degrees actually receive? Joint training, online training, or joint training conducted entirely online?
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vu-bang-dai-hoc-nuoc-ngoai-khong-duoc-cong-nhan-sai-sot-hanh-chinh-hay-lua-dao-185251214205642608.htm
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