From The Guardian
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.
Huong Tram performing at the Time Lounge in Hanoi on August 25. (Thanh Nien News)
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.
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