Vietnamese singer’s racy outfit lands her in hot water with officials
September 2, 2014 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Huong Tram sings I Will Always Love You in the first (blind) round of The Voice in 2012. (YouTube)
Should you be female, keen on performing in public and hoping a racy outfit might expedite your rise to the top in Vietnam, think again.
Authorities in Hanoi are debating whether to fine and ban the winner of The Voice Vietnam 2012 after photographs of her performing in a skimpy dress circulated online and caused an uproar.
Singer Huong Tram, 19, is not the first to face such a threat as authorities attempt to clamp down on “distasteful” public performances across this conservative country, as more models emerge in scantily clad lingerie and pole-dancing singers stir up controversy.
Huong was performing in the Time Lounge bar in the capital late last month when various images of her attire – a short, open-backed, black mesh, crisscross number revealing her shoulders and sections of underwear – went viral, causing the city’s department of culture, sports and tourism to mull a 10m VND fine(£285) and three-month ban from performing in the city.
According to Vietnamese culture decrees, authorities can fine and ban performers deemed to be wearing clothing “inappropriate to the performing purposes” or “offensive to Vietnam’s pure tradition and fine customs”. A ban on lip-syncing and skimpy attire at fashion shows and beauty pageants came into effect earlier this year.
Huong’s manager, Hoang Tuan, said his client had not been aware that harsh stage lighting would reflect against her nude stockings and reveal her underwear, but added such incidents were part of showbiz.
“[Inadvertent exposure] is an occupational accident,” he told Thanh Nien News. “But she’ll have to apologise for her mistake.”
Huong, who hails from a family of singers, wowed judges and audiences two years ago when she performed “I Will Always Love You” on Vietnam’s rendition of The Voice, during which all four judges reportedly tried to woo her on to their team.
Huong ultimately chose female singer Thu Minh as her coach and seems to be following quite closely in her footsteps – Thu Minh was herself fined by Ho Chi Minh authorities for wearing a low-cut, diamante dress.
Thu Minh, however, was defiant in her attitude to authorities, telling reporters: “I don’t care about the fine or the decree. I will wear sexy clothes on stage because it is compatible with my music and because I feel comfortable doing so.”
More than half of Vietnam’s 92m population is under the age of 25 and their youthful exuberance often comes up against the Communist nation’s moral and cultural traditions.
