Model’s barely-there Cannes dress arouses strong opinions

The 29-year-old appeared on the red carpet Sunday in a see-through black dress that left very little to the imagination. U.K. tabloid Daily Express called it the "festival’s most revealing look."

"The sheer fabric of her garment revealed she wasn't wearing any underwear underneath and flashed her braless breasts."

The dress and Ngoc Trinh, dubbed the "lingerie queen", attracted somewhat less polite language from Vietnamese. Photo by Shutterstock/Denis Makarenko

Australia’s news.com.au said her outfit was a "barely-there design that was guaranteed to turn heads."

"[She] stunned photographers as she stepped onto the red carpet [...] wearing a backless, beaded dress that showed off her bum in all its glory."

The dress, designed by Do Long, and the wearer, dubbed the "lingerie queen", attracted somewhat less polite language from Vietnamese.

"Sexually explicit," "weird" and "gross" were among the words used on message boards to describe the outfit.

"Wearing a revealing outfit does not mean you are classy," reader of VnExpress Pham Van Chung commented.

"Appearing in these places [like this] could make her a laughing stock."

Though Vietnam has integrated more than ever in the last few decades, publicly flaunting the body remains a no-no. Nguyen Thai Binh, spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Trinh’s outfit was "overdone and offensive."

"It goes against Vietnamese tradition and people should speak out against this uncultured behavior," he told the media.

But Trinh herself seems to be unfazed by the criticism. "I’ve got a lot of praise for my outfit. I don’t care if people criticize it because I felt pretty in the dress, which made a good impression on the Cannes red carpet."

"I cannot satisfy the whole world."

Her manager Vu Khac Tiep said that it is up to each person to decide whether Trinh’s dress was "offensive" or not.

"Our team is happy with the effect of the dress. We’re fine with the outfit as long as Trinh is happy and confident in it."

The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival is being held from May 14 to 25.