Members of California Fitness & Yoga, one of Vietnam's largest fitness chains, fear losing hundreds of millions of dong paid for their memberships. The chain's gyms are closing across the country, and people cannot use the services they have already paid for.
Bao Phuong, a 40-year-old from Ho Chi Minh City, paid 104 million dong (about $3,900) for a lifetime membership in August. She managed to attend ten training sessions before her club announced a temporary closure. On October 25, she was told the gym would suspend operations until October 31 for restructuring. Members were offered the option of visiting other clubs in the chain, but none were specified. After checking 14 addresses in the region, Ms. Phuong found that only two were operating, both far from her home. "I barely made it to ten classes. Now, when I try to call my manager or the hotline, no one answers," she said.
In Hanoi, Dang Le Anh Dung, 29, found himself in a similar situation. In late August, he paid an additional 20 million dong to extend his membership until 2031. Soon after, the club began scaling back services: fresh smoothies were replaced with bottled water, and in October it stopped providing towels and workout clothing and closed the pool. In mid-October, the gym ceased operations. Mr. Dung transferred to another club in the chain, but that one also closed on October 25. By October 28, as VnExpress journalists found, none of the nine California Fitness & Yoga gyms in Hanoi were operating.
On October 19, the chain's founder and CEO, Dane Forte, posted a video on social media apologizing to customers, employees and partners. He promised to restructure the business within 30 days and to announce what would happen to long-term memberships by November 19.
Employees say the company's financial difficulties had been evident for several months. Quoc Binh, a sales consultant in Hanoi, said that he and his colleagues had not been paid for five months, since June 2026. On October 25, staff were notified that they were being placed on unpaid leave. "An internal message said we were suspending work until October 31 for reorganization, but none of us knows whether the doors will open again," he said.
The situation is complicated by the fact that some customers bought memberships on installment plans through banks. The fitness club received the money upfront, while people were left with loan obligations, even though they had no opportunity to use the gym. Missed payments may damage their credit histories.
Since October 27, customers have begun forming online groups to prepare collective lawsuits. More than 600 people have joined such a group in Hanoi, and about 230 in Ho Chi Minh City. They are collecting contracts, receipts and bank statements.
Lawyers advise those affected to keep all documents confirming payment. A formal demand for a refund should be sent to the legal entity named in the contract, with a deadline for response. If the company does not respond, affected members can contact consumer protection organizations or file a civil suit in court.
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