Ngoc Trinh and Le Thi Huyen Anh

In an exam, 12th grade students were asked to write a critical essay on the following topics: "Model Ngoc Trinh said in an interview that no money equaled no love." And, "Recently, Le Thi Huyen Anh or Ba Tung also said, 'I want lots of rich men care for me and give me money.'" They were required to write a maximum of 800 words about social progress and luxurious dreams of young girls in modern society on these prompts.

After the question was publicised, it attracted much attention. Ngoc Trinh and Le Thi Huyen Anh are both well-known on the web for wearing scanty outfits and making shocking statements about their fame. 

Many people have come out and said these two names should have no place in a literature exam. The headmaster of Luong The Vinh High School in Hanoi, Van Nhu Cuong, also objected to the question. According to him, the two statements alone have already caused so much opposition that teachers will find it difficult to mark the tests if the students side with the Vietnamese celebrities. 

Meanwhile, Truong Thi Ngoc Bich, former literature teacher at Kim Lien High School in Hanoi, said that Ngoc Trinh and Huyen Anh do not represent for the young generation and that the question should not associate 'social progress' with a 'luxurious lifestyle'. 

"These two girls will only get more famous after this exam. Students who did not know them before will look them up, and who knows, some young students may mimick their bad habits," said one teacher. 

On the other hand, many people said the question was creative and realistic. The negative or bad habits such as materialism or lack of morals in life could be criticised in students' exams. They say that it allows students to express their opinions on modern society.

Nguyen Thi Hoang Mai, teacher of literature in HCMC, thinks that this is a good question. According to Mai, Ngoc Trinh and Huyen Anh are just very specific examples of a certain lifestyle. "It's a decadent lifestyle. But using a negative phenomenon in an essay on criticism is normal because, negative or not, it's still a part of our society." she said.

Dang Dinh Dai, Deputy Head of Board of Studies of Wellspring International School, has taught literature for 50 years. Dai agreed that the question was good. "Students will have an opportunity to show off their abilities with these types of questions," he said.