‘Ba Tung’ closes Facebook page after nationwide ban TUOITRENEWS The photo showing her performing in a Ho Chi Minh City’s bar was spread among netizens on August 6, 2013. Ba Tung is seen wearing underware in a photo publicly posted on her Facebook Le Thi Huyen Anh, whose Facebook nickname is “Ba Tung” (Mrs. Tung), has closed her Facebook page after an August 8 ban temporarily prohibited her from performing nationwide, even in bars, for showing her breasts on the social network. According to some local newswires, Ba Tung feels regret for what she did and is now travelling to relax. In response to questions from a newswire, the 22-year-old said she will stop doing offensive acts like sexy videos or shocking statements and blamed the inappropriate behavior on her being young and frivolous. However, a number of netizens expressed doubt about her regret since she has a history of sensual acts before the ban. Ba Tung began as a normal Facebook user, and suddenly became infamous and attracted many followers after she posted a shocking statement, saying “if I receive 1,000 likes, I would post a video featuring me dancing [Psy’s] ‘Gentlemen’ without a bra.” She kept her word and created such a video after her status received more than 1,000 likes from netizens. The video received more than 30,000 likes within two weeks of being posted, making “Ba Tung” one of the most searched names on the Internet in Vietnam recently. In response to criticism that her braless act was offensive, Ba Tung called discarding the bra the right thing to do since “it could lead to breast cancer”. Ba Tung didn’t stop there. She continued to improve her “reputation” and obtained more followers, both lovers and haters, with another video in which she, braless again, played teacher and taught sex education to viewers. She also played a sexy nurse and kept posting sensual photos, one of which showed her an unworn condom in her mouth. Through such photos and shocking statements, the young woman has gained more than 300,000 followers on Facebook and has appeared regularly on local newswires. Internet - a double-edged sword It seems that Ba Tung has to thank many newswires and social networks, which have continuously posted news about her, for her reputation. The more photos and news that appears about her online, even the critical ones, the more followers she gets. After becoming widely known, Ba Tung revealed her plan to enter show business by becoming a singer. However, not only has Ba Tung become popular among the internet community, but she has also attracted the attention of the authorities. The August 8 ban was announced after a photo showing her performing in a Ho Chi Minh City bar surfaced online and then appeared on several newswires. The photos sparked protest from many people since earlier last month, two shows featuring Ba Tung in Hanoi and Khanh Hoa were cancelled. In Hanoi, the bar that was set to hold the show received a warning since it did not inform the department of the show, and it hung banners with the photo of the performer in scanty clothes. “There are a number of other talented singers and artists in Hanoi, why should we let a girl with a bad reputation be on stage?” To Van Dong, director of Hanoi’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism stressed.