Former model Thuy Hang: 'Beauties have the right to make money from their beauty'

Thuy Hang and Thuy Hanh were once the impressive twin models of Vietnamese fashion. Leaving their careers at the age of twenty, retreating behind the scenes to establish a model training company, Thuy Hang understands better than anyone the hidden corners behind the luxurious lives of beauties.

Women are always jealous of each other about cars and luxury goods.

- In the past 10 years, the image of models and showbiz beauties has always been associated with luxury cars and branded goods. As someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for a long time, what do you know about the darkness behind that lavish life?

- I see that women are always jealous of each other and want to be better than others. For example, if that girl has a car and branded goods, I must have those things too. And work is like a cake, there are only so many pieces. The more people compete, the more the cake is divided. That is why people find ways to escape by doing other jobs, outside of their profession.

Beautiful women will be pursued by many people and have many opportunities to approach other jobs. It is obvious that models date rich men, attend events, and go to parties to get rich, and everyone in the profession can see it.

While men get rich with their strength, intelligence and courage, beautiful women have the right to make money with their beauty.

- Making money by what people say about models is selling sex, signing sex-money contracts with rich men, going on sex tours or simply throwing parties that cost thousands of dollars?

- It's not just models who are scandalized. As I know, beauties in general, including actors, singers... beautiful girls entering showbiz all have certain scandals.

Beautiful girls will always have many pursuers, many temptations, many traps. It is the nature of most men to want to conquer many beautiful women. Kings in the past had five wives and seven concubines. Men with a lot of money today are the same.

- A former model from Hanoi once revealed that just by dressing up to go to parties and sitting next to rich men, the fee could be up to 1,000 USD (since 2008). How much money do your company's models receive for attending parties?

- My company currently does not sign exclusive model contracts because I know I cannot control your lives. Before, you were afraid of me, so you hid many things, making management very difficult.

The partying trend has only been popular in the past few years due to the influence of Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. In Thuy Hanh's and my time, models going to parties was almost non-existent.

-At that time, what was the main source of income for you when there weren't as many fashion shows as there are now and the pay was only about 70-80 thousand VND/show?

- Luckily, Thuy Hanh and I have never received such a low salary. We usually receive at least 500,000 VND for a show and it is still the same after 20 years.

I also participated in a few shows at the disco. There were also shows of Ao Dai, evening gowns, and office fashion. Maybe because in the past we weren’t too pretty or didn’t have hot bodies, so we couldn’t perform in sexy, provocative outfits.

Many parents want their children to marry rich men to become rich.

- In your 20 years of working, what are some stories about beautiful women and rich men that you know?

- To me, rich men are not bad people, I admire them. They have to be brave and talented to make money. It is natural that they seek out beautiful women to conquer. Whether they can conquer them or not depends on the girls.

Some of my colleagues have confided in me why they chose a rich man and accepted a life without status. For them, it was a man who could take good care of them and was not tied down. They thought it was the best choice for them at that time.

Those young girls think very simply. They once loved wholeheartedly and sincerely a poor boy during their college years, but in the end it went nowhere and they got nothing.

Now suddenly a rich man appears and can provide them with a comfortable and wealthy life, why wouldn't they agree?

I think every experience brings lessons, even expensive lessons. Those who are smart and know when to stop will have a good ending. But those who are too greedy and affect other people's families will not get good results.

- You don't condemn models dating rich men, even when the man already has a wife and family?

- Everyone has their own reasons for their actions, surely the people involved have thought carefully before starting a relationship.

I think people should have a conscience. If the people involved do not feel guilty, then I cannot feel guilty for them. I personally do not like this way of life, but it is really powerless. I cannot shout or forbid anyone because it is their privacy.

There are girls who choose short-term happiness, just making money in a short period of time and then enjoying it. But there are also friends who choose the long path, even though it is more arduous.

Many others do not choose their own path, but are guided by their parents and family. Parents want their children to have a luxurious life like beauties, beauty queens, and runners-up. I cannot advise them on what to do or not to do. Each person has a different life and we should respect that.

In cases that I know or are my students, I only confide in them like two sisters. I often remind my friends that good fortune comes from the mother, that everything is subject to the law of cause and effect, and that they should not fall too deep. Problems like sexual abuse are the downside of choosing the short-cut!

- Your point of view is not to judge right or wrong, but sometimes silence is complicity?

- Like going to war, there are direct ways of fighting, guerrilla ways. I like guerrilla ways, I want to play the role of an older sister, sharing my own experiences with the younger ones. You know, there are many people who choose the path of roses, going in the opposite direction is not necessarily effective, it is just like a drop in the ocean.

Maybe because I'm a softie. Besides, the more something is forbidden, the more people want to do it.

- There was information that a model in your old Elite company was involved in a prostitution ring that was discovered?

- We have been wrongly accused many times. Many people go out and claim to be models from Thuy Hang company, but in reality they are not. This affects my reputation. But thanks to working in the profession for many years, I have a certain calmness.

Before, Thuy Hanh and I used to tell each other that if we were determined to pursue this career, we would have to face it because we couldn’t explain it to everyone. I also told everyone honestly that I didn’t set up the company just to make money.

My greatest passion is to pass on my skills to the next generation. Therefore, my students are sometimes disadvantaged, but in return, I guide them to other careers to further develop.

- Having worked as a model and now being associated with many beautiful women, do you often receive rude messages, solicitations, and invitations?

- It's not true to say there weren't any, but in our time (around 1997, 1998) there weren't as many rich men as there are now. Back then, Hanh and I were strong-willed, independent girls who liked to express ourselves.

Not only modeling, we also make a living from many other jobs such as makeup, teaching, acting, and MCing. The path we have chosen may be a bit arduous, but I am satisfied and content with what I have./.