Hoang Van Duc (Duc SVM): Bach Khoa guy, the fall after the empire of "Pretending to be poor president"

The People's Procuracy of Thanh Hoa province recently approved the decision to prosecute Hoang Van Duc (born in 1987, from Thuong Xuan commune, Thanh Hoa) or nicknamed Duc SVM for tax evasion of more than 120 million VND.

The news that Hoang Van Duc was "named" by authorities caused a stir in the online community, because Hoang Van Duc is not only a familiar face to young people but is also considered one of the pioneers in building the YouTube content ecosystem in Vietnam.

Journey from Polytechnic student to digital content "boss"

Hoang Van Duc was born in 1992 (according to many sources) and studied at Hanoi University of Science and Technology - one of the most prestigious schools in the country. After graduating, he got a stable job with a dream salary for many young people of his age. However, in 2015, Duc suddenly changed direction: quit his job to pursue his passion for creating content on YouTube.

Starting with amateur comedy clips, Duc gradually formed his own style. By 2017-2018, when YouTube became a popular platform in Vietnam, he quickly grasped the trend and exploited the video series "president pretending to be poor and the ending". The content revolves around a rich character pretending to be poor, being looked down upon, then suddenly "turning face", creating a feeling of glee for viewers.

Duc shared that the experiences of being looked down upon and disadvantaged in his own life and that of his friends were the inspiration for him to create this series of content. That "formula" hits the psychology of young audiences: the desire for justice, the dream of changing one's life.

In 2018, Duc established SVM Vietnam Technology & Media Co., Ltd., officially turning his personal passion into an organized business model.

10 years of building a million-view YouTube ecosystem

In nearly 10 years, Hoang Van Duc and his team have created tens of thousands of videos, attracting a huge number of viewers. Channels in the SVM ecosystem have continuously grown strongly, such as SVM School 1 (5.38 million subscribers), SVM TV 1 (2.4 million subscribers), Duc SVM 1 (1.88 million subscribers), Chairman TV (1.01 million subscribers). There are also satellite channels such as SVM Media (402,000 subs), SVM Pro (194,000 subs)...

The content is mainly aimed at high school students, college students and young graduates – the target audience who prefer simple drama scripts and are less demanding about film quality. Thanks to that, the videos easily reach the top trends, without the age barrier that YouTube strictly controls.

According to Socialblade, in just the last year, German channels have still brought in huge estimated revenues. For example, the German channel SVM 1 has a revenue of 5,700 - 92,000 USD/year; Chairman TV has a revenue of 2,500 - 40,000 USD/year; SVM TV 1 has a revenue of 18,000 - 281,000 USD/year; SVM School 1 has a revenue of 26,000 - 414,000 USD/year. Although these are only estimated numbers, but considering the "peak" period (2017-2022), when each video reaches a million views, the actual income is certainly much higher.

Rich life, from buying a Mercedes to a mansion worth nearly 50 billion

When the SVM brand took off, Duc did not hide his success. In 2017, he spent billions of dong to buy a Mercedes-Benz C200 Exclusive. By 2024, Duc's family built a magnificent mansion in Thanh Hoa, which is said to be worth nearly 50 billion dong, both as a residence and a film studio.

Some former colleagues revealed that Duc often rented apartment floors in Hanoi as offices and film studios in the early stages to save costs. After returning to his hometown, he took advantage of the mountainous landscape to create content and expand the theme. Being "based" in his hometown not only helped save money, but also created the image of a "countryside president" who was close to the audience.

Behind the halo is the circle of law

However, after all, the "president" halo on the screen could not save Duc from a real-life "ending". According to the authorities, from January 2021 to September 2022, Duc received a significant income from YouTube advertising but did not declare it honestly. He used many different bank accounts to receive money, did not present all necessary documents, leading to tax evasion of more than 120 million VND.

This behavior is prosecuted according to the law. This is not only a personal legal problem but also threatens the entire "SVM empire" that Duc has worked so hard to build.

At the same time, Duc's TikTok channel with more than 1 million followers suddenly locked or switched to private mode, causing further discussion in the online community.

Hoang Van Duc’s case is not an isolated one. As the digital creative economy booms, many YouTubers and TikTokers quickly become successful and earn tens, even hundreds of millions of VND per month. But along with that comes legal responsibility and tax obligations.

For a long time, many online content creators have taken tax declaration lightly, leading to serious consequences. Vietnamese law has repeatedly emphasized that all income from Google, Facebook or international platforms must be declared and fully taxed.

Duc's case is a wake-up call that the more famous you are, the more transparent your finances must be. Because the greatest "asset" of an artist or creator is not only income, but also reputation. When reputation collapses, villas, luxury cars or millions of views become meaningless.

The irony is that the very series that made Duc famous - "the president pretending to be poor and the ending" - has now become a metaphor for his life. From a young man who quit his dream job, tried to make clips on his own, built a digital content empire, and became the "president" image in the hearts of millions of young viewers... Duc now has to face a different "ending", where the main character no longer has the right to rewrite the script.

The prosecution does not mean a final verdict, but it is certainly a cruel milestone for Hoang Van Duc. Regardless of the legal outcome, this fall will inevitably have a lasting impact on his career and image.

Germany SVM with the series "Poor Fake Chairman and the End" locked the channel, reaching the top of the search Hải Dương11:40:20 09/09/2025Germany SVM is a familiar name. He not only owns many content channels with millions of followers, but is also considered one of the pioneers in the trend of producing entertaining short videos on social networks.