Judge says accused TV contest not rigged

Tu Anh was crowned the winner based on her performance on stage, and that organizers patently didn’t interfere with the result, Trang Le said. "It’s inevitable that the audience becomes biased toward their favorite contestant, which led to controversies about the final result. However, we are always fair in judging the efforts of the contestants."

The final round of The Face Vietnam 2023 took place last Sunday at Nguyen Du Gymnasium,
HCMC, and Tu Anh was named the winner.

Trang Le said as a judge for the final, it took her deep reflection and contemplation to choose the winner among four contestants Xuan Hanh, Phuong Vy, Tu Anh and Minh Toai because they were all equally and extraordinarily talented.

Judge Trang Le (C) and The Face Vietnam 2023 winner Tu Anh (R) and her mentor Anh Thu. Photo by The Face Vietnam

Vocal critics and many netizens said contestant Xuan Hanh deserved first place more than Tu Anh.

Le countered by saying that Hanh had immense untapped potential as she has a sought-after "commercial face," but her performance on the catwalk in the final round of competition was not convincingly confident and she still didn’t own the stage."

"Hanh's height is also something we considered. If I had to choose two winners, I would definitely have chosen Hanh as well," she said.

An hour before the winner was revealed, stylist Le Minh Ngoc congratulated Tu Anh on becoming The Face Vietnam 2023 winner via Facebook. Ngoc later apologized and explained that he had just landed after a flight and had come across a rumor that Tu Anh had won the contest. Viewers were skeptical because the official results had not been announced yet.

Le said Ngoc contacted the organizers to apologize for causing confusion and misunderstanding with his post.

"I completely sympathize with Ngoc," she said. "Maybe he’s too big a fan of Tu Anh, so when he saw information on social networks, he couldn’t contain his joy."

As the champion, Tu Anh will go on a trip to experience the world’s six most prestigious fashion capitals: Paris, Milan, London, New York, Tokyo and Seoul.

Tu Anh, 21, has been extremely popular since she began her career and is still a young up-and-coming favorite in the fashion industry.