Stories of arguments and violence between female stars have become more and more in the Vietnamese showbiz scene.

Diem Chau and Bao Truc

People still remember a fight between Xuan Lan and Anh Thu in the film “Long legged girls” in 2003.

In the film, Xuan Lan played a woman who slapped a new model played by Anh Thu. The performance seemed so realistic that public opinion believed that there was real life tension behind the scenes.

Later, Diem Chau’s slapping of Bao Truc in the film “Milestone 23” also raised questions about rivalries between female stars, with quarrels escalating into physical confrontations.

Bao Truc suspected Diem Chau of deliberately driving a car into her vehicle, an allegation that Diem Chau denied. But during a break on the set, Diem Chau attacked Bao Truc when she was sleeping, with the film crew having to stop the fight from escalating.

“These cases are quite common behind the scenes. It’s not as rare as many people think. I myself witnessed more serious cases than the dispute between Diem Chau and Bao Truc,” model Phi Thanh Van said. She said she had experienced similar challenges.

Other stars such as model Vu Hoang Diep, Miss Fashion Truc Diem and model Trang Tran have also faced similar situations as newcomers in the fashion industry. Hoang Diep revealed that she’d even seen stars tearing each other’s clothes off in physical disputes.

A senior model said cases where experienced stars bully newcomers are nothing new in the Vietnamese showbiz industry, and have become even worse. However, most of the incidents are confined to Ho Chi Minh City which witnesses strong competition among artists.

Some years ago, the Vietnam Model Association was launched to protect the rights of models. However, it collapsed after less than a year due to a lack of funding and inability to resolve disputes.

Thuy Hang, Director of Vietnamese Elite Model Management Company, said that young models were the worst culprits for resorting to violence. Many of them seek to become famous quickly and often lack company management. She believed the best way for models to protect themselves from being victimised was to employ a management company.

Xuan Lan and Anh Thu

Phi Thanh Van (in the middle)