Pages have been opened on Facebook to generate support for the boycott of "Number One" and other products made by the Tan Hiep Phat company, with thousands of "likes" to date.

Tan Hiep Phat contacted police when a customer demanded the company pay VND500m in compensation to keep quiet after finding a fly inside a bottle of "Number One" soft drink.

Vo Van Minh, 35, was arrested on January 27 by police in Cai Be District, Tien Giang Province, for attempted extortion.

Minh, a restaurant owner, told the company he spotted the fly inside the bottle when serving a customer on December 3. A member of the company was sent to check the claim.

At that meeting, Minh allegedly asked for VND1bn, threatening to go to the media if he was not paid. A final sum of VND500m was agreed after negotiations.

The company then informed the police and Minh was arrested at a café as the money was handed over.

Several Facebook sites alleged customers who attempted to seek redress from Tan Hiep Phat for problems with its products have ended up in jail.

Vu Van Dung, of the Hanoi Lawyer Associaiton, said aggrieved customers are entitled to inform the media or complain to a producer to seek compensation if a product can be proven to be defective.

Whether Minh's actions, and the amount of compensation he demanded, constitute a crime will be up to the courts to decide.