The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports recently summoned several singers for a meeting, reminding and correcting them regarding the use of provocative costumes during performances and posts on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. Specifically, these singers wore costumes and performed songs in wartime settings that evoked negative emotions in the audience and were heavily criticized. Previously, singer Dam Vinh Hung publicly apologized to the audience after being reprimanded by authorities for his costumes for a solo show that were deemed inappropriate for the program, inconsistent with Vietnamese cultural values, easily evoking sensitive issues, and creating negative public opinion.
Another recent incident that caused public outrage involved Objoff Co., Ltd., based in Thu Duc City (Ho Chi Minh City) – the organizer of the "New Traditional" fashion show by designer TD. The company was fined 85 million VND and suspended from operation for 18 months for violating Government Decree No. 38/2021/ND-CP dated March 29, 2021, on administrative penalties in the fields of culture and advertising. The reason was that the show, organized by the company, lacked strict control, allowing models to wear revealing, modernized ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and pose in vulgar and offensive ways.
Many argue that the controversial and offensive outfits worn by the artists in the aforementioned cases demonstrate a lack of historical accuracy, political awareness, and cultural standards, negatively impacting public perception, especially among young people. Furthermore, these outfits unintentionally offend the feelings of the people and their fellow citizens. Following strong public backlash, these singers deleted the clips and pledged not to repeat similar offensive behavior; however, the content of these clips has already been disseminated and shared on social media, meaning the consequences cannot be completely prevented.
Artists will be fined if they wear costumes, makeup, or costumes that do not comply with regulations, or if they arbitrarily change approved costumes.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the examples above partly demonstrate the limited awareness of some performing artists, who have violated regulations on performing arts and the Code of Conduct issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is regrettable that these artists, in their pursuit of trends and excessive focus on novelty, views, and likes, disregard cultural and ethical standards, neglecting the noble and core values of national culture and forgetting their social responsibilities. From another perspective, it also reveals shortcomings in the artistic quality and organization of many current performances, requiring stronger action from management agencies to ensure a healthy and civilized artistic environment.
Some argue that the artists' costumes don't reflect the quality of a performance. This is a biased view and somewhat deliberately ignores the seriousness of the issue, justifying the artists' violations. After all, for a fashion show, costumes are the main focus. The áo dài, áo bà ba, conical hat, and checkered scarf are not just simple garments; they are symbolic representations of the nation's traditional culture, associated with the image of the loyal and capable Vietnamese woman.
No matter how innovative or stylized a design may be, if it fails to preserve the essence of national culture and deliberately displays nudity in an offensive way, it will be unacceptable. Similarly, in music programs, although the main content is music, the artists' costumes have never been taken lightly. Government Decree No. 144/2020/ND-CP dated December 14, 2020, regulating performing arts activities, stipulates in Article 3 that prohibits: “Using costumes, words, sounds, images, movements, means of expression, or performance forms that are contrary to the national customs and traditions, negatively impacting morality, public health, and social psychology.”
Artists will be fined if they wear costumes, makeup, or costumes that do not comply with regulations or if they arbitrarily change approved costumes. Decree No. 38/2021/ND-CP dated March 29, 2021, of the Government on regulations for administrative penalties in the fields of culture and advertising, in Clause 5, Article 11, clearly stipulates a fine of VND 25 million to VND 30 million for any of the following acts: Performing arts, competitions, or festivals with content that incites violence; negatively affecting foreign relations; using costumes, words, sounds, images, movements, means of expression, or performance forms that violate the national customs and traditions; negatively impacting morality, public health, and social psychology; infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals. In addition, the organizing unit may face an additional penalty of suspension from operations for 12 to 18 months, depending on the severity of the offense.
In cases where the performance is not live but is uploaded to radio, television, and online platforms, Article 8, Clause 4 of Decree No. 144/2020/ND-CP clearly states that "the person who uploads or broadcasts is responsible." Therefore, it can be said that anyone participating in performance activities and uploading their work to the internet will naturally be subject to regulations in the field of information and communication, along with other relevant regulations.
Despite such strict legal regulations, the question arises: why have violations related to performing arts regulations been on the rise recently? Are current penalties too lenient and not deterrent enough? Besides fines, shouldn't there be additional penalties such as longer performance bans than currently stipulated? We all see that performing arts activities are increasingly spreading across many different spaces, both in real life and online, with various forms of performance, both direct and indirect…
Therefore, from a management perspective, detecting violations and issuing warnings, corrections, and penalties are necessary, but not sufficient. Because with behaviors and phenomena that show signs of violating the law on performing arts, if not handled early, quickly, and promptly, their impact on society is immeasurable. There have been cases where artists are willing to accept penalties to disseminate their products on social media to gain views and likes. It is also possible that some individuals, under the guise of artists, spread distorted and misrepresented historical content and propagated false information about national culture through products uploaded to social media, causing public unrest. The issue is the need to strengthen the monitoring capabilities of relevant authorities and cultural management units. It is necessary to recognize that early detection of violations will limit negative consequences on social sentiment, especially among young people.
Of course, even the most proactive cultural management agencies find it difficult to control all content that violates regulations on performing arts, especially on social media platforms. Solving this problem requires the involvement of the entire community. Every citizen participating in social media can detect and report inappropriate or unsuitable content, providing authorities with timely information to handle violations according to regulations. To achieve this, it is necessary to strengthen the dissemination and education of laws to the public. The goal is to ensure that people understand the legal regulations related to various forms of performance, thereby enabling them to quickly identify inappropriate content, promptly report it to authorities, and warn cross-border service providers.
In reality, the voices of social media users, through comments on posted content or direct reports to service providers, can create strong waves of support or opposition, helping managers identify, assess, and address issues more promptly.
An important aspect that cannot be overlooked as an effective solution to limit violations of regulations on performing arts is raising the awareness of individual artists and performance organizers. The issue of artist responsibility is emphasized once again here. Artists need to clearly understand their mission and their influence on the public. The artist's culture is reflected in their products and the way they convey it to the public, from their attire, speech, behavior, and expressive content. Creating something new and unique must be based on an understanding of their national culture and history, and must not allow for the devaluation of the beautiful values that our ancestors have built over generations. Not only artists, but also performance organizers need to thoroughly understand the legal regulations when implementing artistic programs.
Adherence to codes of conduct ensures the success of a program, protects artists from public opinion, and contributes to building and preserving cultural and ethical values. Nowhere and in any place can the awkward and uncivilized behavior of artists be accepted by the audience and the public.
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