Tuoitrenews names a few scandalous incidents in the local entertainment industry and show business that captured the most attention.
Problematic reality shows
The model search program Vietnam’s Next Top Model entered its second season with an encouraging start, scoring high ratings in early October, but was later rocked by scandals involving its young contestants.
The show, which crowned architecture student Hoang Thuy as the most promising new face in the local fashion industry on Sunday, caught media attention when its producers threatened to bring four of its contestants to court in November for leaking confidential information about the program.
The show’s producers thus threatened to sue each contestant for VND 5 billion ($238,000) for compensation, but no such legal action has been reported.
The season also saw troubled relations between contestants and judges when one model attacked the show and its organizers for unfair treatment. One of the judges fought back, leading to a nasty exchange.
Also starting in October, “Cap doi hoan hao” (Perfect couple) , which is the local version of the British reality show “Just the Two of Us” received harsh criticism for the controversial comments and “unfair” evaluations made by the judges.
Several questionable decisions regarding the scoring of the pairs performing on the show sparked anger among viewers.
Readers protested one of the last shows of the series, claiming that the outcome had been rigged. Viewers said they would boycott it if there was no change in the panel members, even though the following episode would be the last of the season.
Show producers denied any result rigging.
"Cap doi hoan hao" (The perfect couple)'s judges
Ambassador raises eyebrows
Famous actress Ly Nha Ky was named Vietnam’s first Tourism Ambassador in September by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a decision that received harsh criticism from the general public.
Ky raised doubt after her announcement that she studied at a university in Germany called Alexander Wiegand, nicknamed Real University, prior to her appointment.
The announcement was made after the media suspected that she was lying about her education background because readers in Germany said there is no such academic institution as Real University there.
The actress fought back, explaining that Real is just the nickname, and that the official name of the school is Alexander Wiegand, though readers in Germany again discovered that there is no such educational institution.
Ky refused to show a graduation certificate as proof.
The actress is known for exposing her body several times, including one instance in which she dressed scantily while playing a small role in the play “General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Symphony of Dien Bien,” which was broadcast live on Vietnam Television in May.
At the Nha Trang Sea Festival in June, Ky was also criticized for exhibiting 500 photos of herself in swimsuits and revealing clothes for a charity event.
Ly Nha Ky in her controversial outfit in the live-broadcast play "“General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Symphony of Dien Bien”
Suspended books
“Sat thu dau mung mu” (Hitman with Wounded, Swollen Head) , a controversial comic book which was published in September by Nha Nam Books and illustrated by artist Thanh Phong, was withdrawn from the market by central authorities in October.
The public was deeply divided over the book, which features a collection of humorous illustrations for 120 modern improvised proverbs or street slang mostly used by young, urban Vietnamese.
While many young readers expressed great interest in the publication, calling it “hilarious” and “creative”, the mainstream media heavily criticized it and said its language was too vulgar for a printed publication.
The Central Publishing Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism later suspended production of the book and took it off the bookshelves.
Another book, “A lung chung nhin xuong dam dong” by Nguyen Vinh Nguyen, was also suspended from production by the Ho Chi Minh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for containing too many salacious details.
One of the illustration in "Sat thu dau mung mu"
The cover of the controversial "Sat thu dau mung mu"