Beauty queen denies prostitute allegations

Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien. Photo from Tien's Instagram

"The rumors are not true," Tien wrote on her Facebook on Tuesday. "The police have investigated and concluded that I’m not related to this [prostitution] ring."

Speculations about the beauty queen’s tie to a prostitution ring arose as makeup artist Huynh Thanh Thuan was indicted earlier this month for leading such a ring.

Photos of Tien and Thuan then surfaced on the Internet, prompting allegations that the two were acquainted in real life and that Tien might have been part of Thuan’s ring.

Responding to the claims, Tien said the spread photos were taken in 2019. She said using photos taken four years ago to accuse her of being part of Thuan’s crime was "groundless."

As a makeup artist, Thuan had worked with many celebrities including her, the beauty queen claimed.

She consequently warned those spreading rumors about the consequences of "manipulating the public," saying that she and her management agency have been working with authorities to solve matters regarding cyberbullying targeted at her.

Tien, 24, was crowned Miss Grand International 2021 in Bangkok, making her the first Vietnamese to win the beauty pageant.

She recently won an appeal suit against her, in which she was accused of owing VND1.5 billion ($62,000) to a local businesswoman.