The Department of Performing Art said they may consider a ban on Diem Huong from performing if found to have lied about her marital status before competing in Miss Universe 2012.
Luu Thi Diem Huong
Many local newspapers reported that Luu Thi Diem Huong was actually married in 2011 and that her husband is filing for divorce.
Recently, organisers of Miss Universe sent a letter to Unicorp, the license holder of Miss Universe Organization in Vietnam, to ask whether Huong had married before she entered the contest. Contestants of Miss Universe must have never been married or had a child. The letter said that this scandal caused damage to the organisation's reputation.
Representatives of Unicorp affirmed that they would not have accepted Diem Huong as a contestant if they had known she was married. Meanwhile, Diem Huong has so far remained silent, avoiding media attention. Even her manager refused to comment, saying only that it is Huong's private problem.
However, Nguyen Dang Chuong, head of the Department of Performing Arts said they asked both Unicorp and Diem Huong to submit written explanations in the next few days. The department will also work with the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to verify the facts and find the best solution.
If Diem Huong is found to have been deceitful in the process, she will be fined in accordance with regulations and may be banned from the catwalks and programmes in performing arts.
According to Chuong, potential contestants are not required to submit certificates of marital status, and Chuong said they would not ask future contestant to submit their certificates because it would violate government current goal to reduce bureaucracy.