The “Hiup fake milk” scandal serves as a brutal stress test for state governance in a consumer society where public trust is increasingly commercialized, manipulated, and ultimately betrayed.

The case centers on the infuriating courtroom defense of Z Holding Chairman Hoàng Quang Thịnh, who argued that his product was safe because “the milk contains no harmful substances.” He even claimed, “My children drink the milk I produce every morning and evening, as do friends, relatives, and even my own nieces and nephews.” [1]