At an early 2026 corporate event featuring dancing mascots and pyrotechnics, the CEO of HTV Network, Ngo Anh Tan, proudly displayed a Vietnamese sign that read “Doanh Thu Đột Phá,” translating to “Record Revenue.” The occasion marked a significant milestone for the company, which had grown to over 100 employees since its inception as an international media firm dedicated to authoritative journalism.
However, a recent investigation by CBC’s visual investigations unit and Radio-Canada’s Décrypteurs has revealed a stark contrast between HTV’s public image and its actual operations. Behind the façade of a reputable media company, Ngo and his team clandestinely operate an AI-driven empire from Hanoi, Vietnam, disseminating fake news and sensationalized stories on social media platforms worldwide.
The investigation uncovered nearly 200 Facebook pages with a collective following of over 55 million, linked to around 50 HTV-associated websites that profit from advertisements displayed alongside misleading or politically charged content. Experts, like Fenwick McKelvey from Concordia University, have condemned these practices as deceitful and harmful.
The model employed by HTV involves mass-producing AI-generated content, such as fabricated news stories like the “U.S. losing its main city to a Russian attack,” shared on Facebook pages to attract users. These posts contain hyperlinks redirecting users to HTV’s websites, where ads from various companies are prominently featured. The investigation found that some Facebook pages were also monetized, contributing to the revenue stream of the operation.
Despite evidence connecting Ngo to HTV’s online presence, he denied any knowledge of the company’s websites or pages when approached for comment. Following inquiries from CBC/Radio-Canada, the HTV website was promptly taken down, and digital traces linking Ngo to the network vanished.
Aengus Bridgman, from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, criticized Facebook for incentivizing the proliferation of low-quality, clickbait content like that produced by HTV. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, did not respond to queries regarding its role in allowing such deceptive practices to thrive on its platform.
The investigation’s findings were a result of diligent research using a combination of corporate documents, field investigations in Vietnam, and specialized software. The report built upon a previous study by the Media Ecosystem Observatory, which highlighted the prevalence of fake news networks managed from Vietnam.
HTV Network’s operations, characterized by the mass production of misleading content and monetization through ads, underscore the challenges posed by AI-generated content and lax enforcement of platform policies by tech giants like Meta. The investigation sheds light on the intricate web of misinformation that continues to impact online audiences globally.
