Miss Universe Organizing Committee may be fined for holding the contest despite storms

The Ministry of Culture is waiting for the inspection results to handle the semi-final of the contest that took place during the natural disaster and storm in Nha Trang.

The semi-finals of Miss Universe Vietnam took place on November 4 amid storms and floods, causing public uproar. On the afternoon of November 7, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the organizing committee to stop all activities..

On the evening of November 7, discussing the responsibilities of the units in the incident, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Mr. Vuong Duy Bien - said:"Currently, I only know that the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee has requested to stop the semi-final night. As for whether the provincial Department of Culture has issued a document directing the organizing committee or not, I do not know yet.",Deputy Minister said.

According to Mr. Bien, the Ministry of Culture has fulfilled its responsibility in licensing the contest, while the main responsibility for closely monitoring and managing the activities belongs to the Department of Culture of Khanh Hoa province."If the Department can prove that after receiving a warning from the Provincial People's Committee, they directed the competition to stop but the competition night still took place, the final responsibility belongs to the organizing committee.In this case, the organizer will be fined. If the violation is too serious, the company will even have its license suspended for future activities," said the deputy minister.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is waiting for the report results from relevant units and agencies as well as the inspection results of the Department of Performing Arts and the Ministry Inspectorate.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Mr. Vuong Duy Bien.

Mr. Vuong Duy Bien affirmed that in the face of natural disasters and floods, the locality is completely allowed to stop entertainment activities because this is stipulated by law. The initial direction of the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee was very reasonable, but the implementation from the provincial Department of Culture to the competition organizing committee was not smooth.

"The Department should have proactively proposed to the Provincial People's Committee to stop the contest, not the other way around. Or if it had reacted more quickly and promptly, the Department of Culture could have avoided causing public displeasure and misunderstanding. All the incidents reflect the lack of sensitivity of this agency," the Deputy Minister commented.

Deputy Minister Vuong Duy Bien somewhat sympathized with the organizing committee as well as the local management agency because suddenly changing a plan that had been outlined a long time ago was not simple.

"On November 4, I was in Dong Nai and also heard that the storm had passed. Those involved may argue that holding the contest after the storm is reasonable. But they do not understand that overcoming the consequences of natural disasters is important, which is the main reason why the public is complaining," said Mr. Bien.

The Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 pageant held its semi-final night amid storms and floods, causing public outrage.

Previously, the Department of Performing Arts, the People's Committee and the Department of Culture and Sports of Khanh Hoa requested to stop organizing the Miss Universe Vietnam semi-finals due to storms. The Department of Culture responded that the Miss Universe Vietnam contest is licensed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, so the province does not have much authority to intervene.

Semi-finals still take place, one hour late due to incidentpower outagedue to the impact of the storm.When the organizing unit learned that the semi-final round was still being held, the Provincial People's Committee asked the organizing committee to explain.

The representative of the organizing committee - Mr. Tran Ngoc Nhat - said that before and during the semi-final night, the organizing committee received a request from the Khanh Hoa Department of Culture to stop entertainment activities to prevent storms and floods. They canceled activities on November 3 and the morning of November 4. At noon on November 4, the locality no longer had any rain or wind, so the semi-final round took place.

According to VNE