"Monthly Sales of 16 Million Won" Vietnamese Beauty Model's Shocking Secret

[Financial News] In Vietnam's e-commerce market, "virtual models" created with artificial intelligence (AI) are generating economic value and driving change across the retail industry.
On the 4th (local time), outlets including VnExpress reported that fashion model Duong Thuy Linh, who has tens of thousands of followers on social networking services (SNS), was revealed to be not a real person but an AI virtual character.
A 23-year-old Hanoi resident, Quang Dong, developed this virtual model by combining generative AI tools with video-generation AI. He created an image with East Asian features, fair skin, and the refined look of a wealthy family's daughter, which observers say precisely targeted the preferences of his audience.
In the past, Quang Dong ran a clothing shop and struggled with the cost of hiring models and the uncertain impact of marketing. After introducing an AI model, he began seeing results within just one month.
He said, "In the very first month after introducing the AI model, sales exceeded 300 million dong (about 16 million won)." He added, "Content production, which used to take a lot of time, has now been cut to five to ten minutes, so I upload 15 to 20 videos a day."
Nguyen Thanh Nam, a 31-year-old marketing specialist in Ho Chi Minh City, is also generating income by training AI not just to create images but to write product reviews.
He emphasized, "The key is not just a pretty face, but breathing a 'soul' into it through subtle changes in facial expressions and mouth movements." Nam is reportedly earning 1 million to 5 million dong (about 50,000 to 270,000 won) per advertising project.
A new ecosystem has also emerged, including coaching services and agencies that teach people how to create AI virtual models. Duy, an AI instructor in Hanoi, said, "In January alone, 150 students signed up, and demand more than doubled compared to the previous month." He explained, "Most are shopping mall operators in their 20s to 40s who come to reduce costs."
The spread of virtual models that look "more real than real" has also sparked concern. Consumers have become increasingly wary of "clickbait" ads where the product differs from the image. More people are now asking for real-time live streams or unedited videos to check the actual material and shape of products.
One expert noted, "Vietnam is growing rapidly in the field of creative applications of generative AI." However, the expert warned, "We must be mindful of the ethical risks of training AI on other people's images without consent and the potential for copyright infringement." The expert added, "A system should be introduced that makes it mandatory to label content as 'AI-generated.'" Industry insiders predict that AI will replace around 70% of simple, repetitive modeling work.
hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter