Singer Hong Nhung.

Currently Hanoi’s Chuong Duong Bridge, and famed ‘coffee street’, Hang Hanh are covered with advertisements for tattoos. Opinions on tattoos are still vary markedly.

In Vietnam, where they are still quite rare and unusual they are often considered as a symbol of gangsters or people involved in the underworld. Consequently celebrities often attract great controversy when revealing tattoos to the public.

Recently US Viet Weekly published pictures of Vietnamese singer Nguyen Hong Nhung, with a large tattoo on her stomach. Previously, the singer was surrounded by controversy due to a sex-scandal. After a period of time the scandal faded, and the singer went on to perform in the US, which is when her tattoo again pushed her to the press. Fighting the new ‘scandal’, Hong Nhung said her tattoo was a ‘great artwork’, made for herself as a precious symbol of her family and boyfriend.  However, the tattoo was discussed so vehemently on the internet, that it is rumored she has it removed

In another case, Nguyen Hong Ha created controversy recently at Miss Asia 2005 because of her tattoo. She shocked the jury and local press with a tattoo of a flying dragon on her back.

Before being sent to Miss Asia, no one knew the contestant had a tattoo, it was only revealed during the swimsuit round of the contest. Interestingly, many Hanoians knew about her tattoo, as she was very open in showing it.

Model Hong Ha.

Like singer Hong Nhung, Hong Ha said the tattoo was private; however in the final round of the contest she hid it with a specially designed swimsuit, but she failed to progress in the competition. Many people who previously voted for Hong Ha felt sorry for her, saying that without the tattoo she would have won a higher position.

 

Tattoos are not new in the west, and many celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, and David and Victoria Beckham have famous tattoos, however here in Vietnam, many people with tattoos are not trusted.

 

A Vietnamese businessman revealed that he would not trust a business deal with someone tattooed due to the association of tattoos with the underworld. That aversion seems to multiply when applied to local celebrities, begging the question in Vietnam as to whether tattoos are something stylish, or something disastrous for career? 

(Source: CAND)