Government bans 'immoral' images on the internet

By Lam Le   March 16, 2016 | 11:02 pm PT
Entertainers, beauty pageant contestants and models must adhere to Vietnam’s cultural, moral and ethical values. Failure to do so may result in a title or prize being stripped.

The Vietnamese government is attempting to halt the circulation online of images from beauty pagents, concerts and other events that it deems 'immoral'. The decree, issued on March 15, stipulates that events must be suitable for the audience’s age and gender, while the participation of child performers requires consent from a legal guardian.

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Beauty pageant contestants have to keep a clean image. Photo by Maison de Bil

Additionally, media outlets are prohibited from recording and sharing images online of individuals and events showing behavior deemed inappropriate by Vietnamese values. Any titles obtained at illegal beauty or modeling contests may not be used.

Vietnam closely follows Confucianism, a system of ethical-sociopolitical teachings formed by Chinese philosopher Confucius. According to his teaching, a woman should be virtuous, polite, humble and conscientious.

In recent years, there have been numerous scandals linked to winners of beauty pageants in Vietnam. Notably in 2012, a high profile prostitution ring led by Miss South Mekong Vo Thi My Xuan was exposed. The ring recruited famous winners of beauty contests, models and actresses and charged clients thousands of dollars for their services.

 
 
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