Vietnamese celebrities: Arriving late to show class?

Controversy surrounding Vietnamese celebrities arriving late has once again erupted after the press conference for The Face 2017. Is this a sign of unprofessionalism or a deliberate act?

"The Thai coach arrived on time, the Vietnamese coach was two hours late" was the headline of numerous news articles reporting on the press conference launching the second season of The Face - Brand Face, held on the morning of May 23rd in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the invitation sent by the organizers to media outlets, the press conference was scheduled for 9:30 AM. Guest Lukkade Metinee, a judge on The Face Thailand, arrived a few minutes early, impeccably dressed. However, she had to wait two hours for the three young coaches of The Face Vietnam to arrive.

Immediately afterwards, the coaches all spoke up to explain and try to salvage their image. Some asserted that they arrived on time according to the schedule sent by the organizers, while others asked for understanding as they had just been hospitalized for intravenous fluids. However, this was not enough to appease the audience's anger.

Right after their debut, the three coaches of The Face 2017 were embroiled in controversy for their irresponsible behavior.

Don't blame the audience for being picky.

Instead of the sympathy that the three coaches of The Face Vietnam were hoping for, many viewers and netizens criticized them as "unprofessional," "disrespectful," and "shameful"...

Don't be quick to blame the audience for being too critical or demanding; this reaction is understandable because they've heard too many apologies and explanations like this. But then, every few days, the same apology comes from someone else's mouth, but the explanation is nothing new: "I was busy with personal matters, traffic jams, I live far away, health reasons..."

Audiences still haven't forgotten the story of Dong Nhi being involved in two "scandals" for being late during the filming of The Voice Kids season three. At the press conference, she arrived more than an hour late due to an unexpected matter that needed to be addressed.

On the final night, the singer of "Vì ai vì anh" (For Whom, For You) once again caused a panic among the crew when, 10 minutes into the live broadcast, she rushed onto the stage. This time, Dong Nhi explained it was due to "traffic jam."

Take Miss Vietnam 2014 Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, for example; her tardiness has become commonplace. Some even call her the "Miss Vietnam who's always late" because of this bad habit that's hard to break.

Kỳ Duyên rushed into the press conference for the Northern regional final of Miss Vietnam 2016, held in Hanoi in July 2016, because she was late.

Amidst the recent controversies, viewers haven't forgotten the story of Mai Ngo being harshly scolded by Lan Khue for being late to The Face season one. But this time, the same thing happened to this model. She was the earliest among the three coaches to arrive, but she was still late for the scheduled time.

For this reason, many viewers question what coaches can teach their students when they themselves often make mistakes. Or, consider a famous singer with influence over millions of fans, or someone chosen as Miss Vietnam; who will they set an example for when they themselves have poor performance?

Being late to show class?

Besides the common excuses like traffic jams, unexpected work commitments, or hospitalization, a celebrity's tardiness can have other meanings in many cases.

In mid-2016, Ngo Thanh Van took to social media to express her frustration at having to wait nearly two hours at a fashion show. She wrote: “I’m no longer suited to being an artist. Because being an artist means spending time on makeup, dressing up, attending dozens of events, and arriving nearly two hours late just to get attention, just to be considered A-list. I could be doing other important things that are more meaningful to my life with that time.”

At that event, two of the last artists to arrive were Angela Phuong Trinh and Miss Ky Duyen.

Ngo Thanh Van once spoke out frankly about celebrities arriving two hours late to a fashion event, including Angela Phuong Trinh.

Ngo Thanh Van, with her many years of experience in the industry, has a very accurate assessment. More specifically, the timing of each person's appearance at the event will vary depending on their importance.

For example, at a film press conference, the supporting actors always arrive first, while the most sought-after star arrives last. Once this star is present, the press conference can begin immediately.

No one can explain where or when this came from, only that it has become an unspoken rule in Vietnamese showbiz. Because of this, a rather "funny" incident occurred at a recent press conference.

The two female judges, both wanting to be the last to arrive, waited in their car even though they had already reached the event venue. With this mindset, everyone wants to be the last one to leave.

Ironically, at the press conference for The Face 2017, the person with the highest status and reputation was the one who had to wait. Later, when asked about having to wait two hours for her three younger colleagues, the female coach said: "I'm a professional, so whatever time the show schedules, I'll arrive earlier."

Despite being the most famous figure, the coach of The Face Thailand was the first to arrive at the press conference and waited... for two hours.

It was just a simple comment, but many believe that coach Lukkade Metinee cleverly gave many Vietnamese stars a fundamental lesson on how to do the job.

But it's not just about being late; audiences have also witnessed countless other hilarious and embarrassing incidents involving Vietnamese celebrities, such as withdrawing from roles via text message, leaving because they weren't welcomed, not attending rehearsals, and canceling shows...

Year after year, Vietnamese showbiz continues to harbor the dream of elevating its standards, but professionalism remains consistently lacking.

According to Zing