Thơ Nguyễn, whose real name is Nguyễn Hồng Thơ (born 1992), currently lives and works in Bình Dương. This popular YouTuber has attracted a huge following across social platforms, boasting nearly 400,000 likes on her Facebook fanpage, over 8.7 million YouTube subscribers, and close to 950,000 TikTok fans. However, her fame has often come with controversy, as she has faced repeated backlash and online boycotts that have taken a toll on her mental health.
Once dubbed a “saintess,” she faced criticism over an 18+ video clip
About three years ago, a clip from Thơ Nguyễn’s video titled “Making a Gelli Baff Jelly Bath” was criticized for containing inappropriate sounds that were deemed unsuitable for children. This incident led to her being labeled as a “saintess” by the online community. Thousands of offensive and insulting comments flooded in, seriously affecting her personal life.
The production team clarified that the sounds were caused by a mouse during filming, which was completely normal, and blamed adults’ imaginations for the controversy: “Many adults claimed this video was inappropriate for kids, but it’s unclear what they imagined. Thơ Nguyễn wasn’t dressed provocatively, didn’t use bad language, and didn’t act inappropriately. Maybe adults pictured something terrible…”
Thơ Nguyễn also shared online that she felt upset because some people edited and manipulated her videos for cheap views.
Dangerous content
Later on, her channel faced more criticism for videos featuring risky experiments. Although she warned viewers not to try these at home, parents were still upset because the content was inappropriate for children.
Experiments included putting dry ice in sealed bottles causing explosions, and heating beer or soda on the stove, which led to similar dangerous situations. Thơ Nguyễn’s excited and enthusiastic attitude in these videos seemed to overshadow her warnings, especially since her audience was mostly young kids who couldn’t fully grasp the risks.
After strong public backlash, these videos were removed from YouTube.
Asking for good luck from a doll
The most recent controversy involved a short clip where Thơ Nguyễn hugged a doll called Cư Ma Mập, asking for good luck in school for students. This sparked heated debate online.
She explained that the video was just entertainment meant to make viewers laugh, but many still saw it as a weak excuse for creating careless content that promotes misguided ideas.
Unlike previous times, this boycott hit her hard enough that she appeared to be hospitalized due to stress. She confirmed this would be her final video and announced she was ending her video-making career.
Earlier, when talking about her passion for making videos, she shared: “If I was making YouTube just for myself, I would have quit long ago because I’m financially stable and have a university degree that could open other career paths. But I thought, since I have the ability to earn money, why not do it to pay taxes and support kids and the elderly? But from now on, I won’t do it anymore. I’m taking a break, please don’t boycott me, I’m stopping on my own.”
It’s unclear how long it will take for Thơ Nguyễn to recover from this setback.
