Vinfast is hoping to make a big splash in America this year with the VF8 and the VF9. Part of getting its name out there is with reviews from automotive media but YouTuber Matt Farah says the company took that a step too far when it offered him $10,000 to come to drive its new cars in Vietnam.

Vinfast models began arriving in the USA in December with disappointing range estimates. On top of that, they’re priced right alongside cars that have a lot more range and legacy brand power behind them. In an effort to sway buyers, Vinfast invited a number of journalists and influencers to Vietnam last year to test pre-production models.

According to Matt Farah, the automaker sent him a message promising $10,000 in addition to paying for travel expenses and lodging on a private island. “I said of course not, that sounds f***ing shady,” says Farah of his reaction. The story came up during one of his podcasts as he’s discussing a piece over on Jalopnik that highlighted just how strange of a press launch Vinfast put on.

More: VinFast VF 8 Gets U.S. Sales Approval, Offers Dismal EPA Range Of 179 Miles

As first reported by TireMeetsRoad, Vinfast did a lot more than most automakers in an effort to control the way that the press experienced the car.

Interestingly, Farah might not be the only journalist who received a similar cash offer. Kyle Connor of the YouTube channel Out Of Spec Reviews claims that he had a similar experience. In response to a comment on Twitter, he said “Yup. I got a message asking “what’s your price”. Nooooope.”

Even if these claims ended up being false, and we have little reason to suspect they are, it sounds like Vinfast isn’t producing a very competitive product, to begin with. Connor says that the VF8 is so bad that it makes the Mazda MX-30 feel great and that he saw new production cars break down at CES in Las Vegas. We’ve reached out to Vinfast’s press department regarding Farah’s comments but have yet to hear back. We’ll update this story if we do.

Update: Vinfast did indeed get back to us and their response warranted this report.