Before it could open, the milk tea brand Chagee had to quietly delete its app.

"Chagee should withdraw from the Vietnamese market because the problem is not related to the product or service - things that can be fixed and fixed" - Mr. Le Minh Vu, operations director of FnB Academy, told Tuoi Tre Online about the fact that Chagee's mobile application is said to display a map with an image similar to the "cow tongue line".

Since the evening of March 14, posts on social media in Vietnam have called for a boycott of the Chagee milk tea brand, stemming from the company's mobile application displaying a map suspected of containing the illegal "cow tongue line", violating Vietnam's sovereignty.

Specifically, social media users shared that they downloaded the app to receive free milk tea at the opening, but discovered that the map had dashed lines similar to the "cow tongue line".

This information immediately attracted the attention of the online community. The official fanpage of Chagee Vietnam was flooded with angry comments, with thousands of angry reactions.

Currently, the Chagee app is no longer available on app stores.

When searching on the Android app store, users in Vietnam will receive the message: "Chagee is not available on Google Play in your region".

Many posts on forums and consumer groups call for a boycott, even though Chagee has not opened any stores in Vietnam.

All posts on the Chagee Vietnam fanpage from June 2024 to present have faced a wave of outrage from the online community.

Up to now, Chagee Vietnam has not given any official response to the incident.

According to those working in the F&B industry, the incident certainly caused great damage to Chagee's brand image, not just a business issue.

"When doing business in Vietnam, any individual or organization must comply with the law and respect Vietnam, otherwise we recommend revoking their license," said Mr. Vu.

According to the business registration, Chagee Vietnam Co., Ltd. was established in February 2025, with Mr. Nguyen Anh Duy as the legal representative. Chagee Vietnam's main registered business lines are restaurants and mobile catering services.

Previously, many other products and services have encountered similar controversies in Vietnam and most recently, the Chinese brand Baby Three was called for a boycott by consumers because it was suspected of having the "cow tongue line" printed on its face.

Chagee is a famous milk tea chain in China, founded in 2017 in Yunnan, with more than 6,000 stores globally, has expanded to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the US.

The brand positions itself as the "Starbucks of the East" and has big ambitions in the international market.