An award-winning Vietnamese pop singer Dam Vinh Hung has been fined and banned from performing for nine months for wearing an accessory resembling a former Republic of Vietnam medal, Vietnamese state media reported.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee sanctioned Hung, whose real name is Huynh Minh Hung, for a live show in May during which he wore a military-themed costume with a medal that resembled those issued by the South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, the major daily newspaper Tuoi Tre reported on Tuesday.
At the time, some Vietnamese criticized the singer for wearing the medal that they said looked like a Republic of Vietnam Special Service Medal. North Vietnamese forces and their southern allies defeated the U.S.-backed South Vietnam, officially known as the Republic of Vietnam, in 1975, reuniting the country.
Special Service Medals were often awarded to Vietnamese and foreign soldiers who had made outstanding contributions to the former Republic of Vietnam.
Dam Vinh Hung, 52, must now pay a fine of 27.5 million dong, or US$1,100, according to a decision signed by Tran Thi Dieu Thuy, vice chair of the People’s Committee.
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Hung, one of the country’s highly paid singers, also performs prewar tunes, songs by Trinh Cong Son — considered Vietnam's best songwriter — and yellow music — songs produced in South Vietnam, whose flag featured a yellow background with three red horizontal stripes, during the Vietnam War.
The committee accused Hung of "employing outfits, languages, sound, visual, movements, media or methods which go against tradition or affect moral, health and psychology of the general public negatively" under Article 3 on prohibited acts under a 2020 government decree on the performance arts.
Radio Free Asia was unable to reach the communications department of Tieng Hat Viet Entertainment Co., Ltd., established by Hung in 2005, for comment.
Hung wore the military uniform and medal during a variety night “The Day You Light the Stars” performance, sparking debate on social media.
The Facebook page of Vietnam People’s Navy, which does not have a blue check mark beside the account name to show other users that the account is authentic, but does have more than 20,000 followers, posted several photos of the Hung, criticizing him for wearing the Special Service Medal, calling it “the ghost of the puppet regime.”
Hung later said on his Facebook page that the medals he wore were fashion accessories “to make the outfit more eye-catching, with absolutely no political implications.”
He posted a close-up photo of the medal, showing it bore the words “High Quality Garment,” to prove that it did not look like a former Republic of Vietnam medal.
Translated by Anna Vu for RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.