Ho Thi Oanh Yen, winner of the Mister and Miss PanContinental 2015 has announced that she will refuse to pay a VND30m (USD1,300) fine for appearing without permission in beauty contests abroad, while the Performing Arts Department have responded by issuing a ban on her participation at any ‘art’ performances.

Ho Thi Oanh Yen

Yen claims she does not have the money to pay the VND30 million fine.

"I don't even know where the Department of Performing Arts is located and I have no connection with them. I'm not famous in Vietnam and don't perform much so the department doesn't have much to do with me. I only know that Mister and Miss PanContinental 2015 was an important opportunity that I didn't want to pass up. My usual payment is very low and I often do charitable work too so I don't have money to pay the fine," she said.

Ho Thi Oanh Yen wins the Mister and Miss PanContinental 2015

She also denied scurrilous rumours that claimed Yen had given up her Vietnamese nationality following a marriage to a US citizen.

"I have my own life to live and I didn't do anything bad to my country and my people," Yen said, "No one gave me money so why would they want to fine me? I travelled and attended the contest with my own money."

However, Nguyen Dang Chuong, head of Department of Performing Arts, said if Yen attended the beauty contest as a Vietnamese citizen then she must follow regulations in Vietnam.

"She's not the only one who has to ask for permission to attend a beauty contest. I know small beauty contests in other countries are mostly held by private organisations. But in Vietnam, no matter how small the contest is, contestants must have permission from state agency in order to attend it," he said.

Chuong said they asked the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the case. If Yen didn't follow regulations, they would not recognise Yen's title, which she won abroad, and would ban her from ‘performing’ locally.

Ho Thi Oanh Yen ranked in the top 10 at Miss Vietnam Global 2010. After that, she focused on raising her family before deciding to attend the Mister and Miss PanContinental 2015 event in the Philippines.