Hanoi [Vietnam], February 6: The news that Bui Thi Phuong Linh, the runner-up in a beauty pageant, has been temporarily detained for investigation into pimping has attracted public attention.
As reported by Thanh Nien newspaper, on February 5th, the Criminal Police Department (PC02) of the Hanoi Police announced that they are temporarily detaining Bui Thi Phuong Linh for investigation into the act of pimping. This news has attracted attention from the online community because, before becoming embroiled in this scandal, this beauty queen had won the runner-up title in a beauty contest .
Phuong Linh is 22 years old and hails from Hanoi. She won first runner-up at the Miss Ao Dai Vietnam pageant in 2025. At that time, she impressed with her attractive appearance and bright smile. However, after the competition, the beauty queen has been quite quiet in the arts. It has been noted that she has also limited her activity on social media and has now locked her personal account.
Despite winning first runner-up in a beauty pageant, Phương Linh, lacking a stable job and income, became involved in prostitution and pimping. She used messaging apps to send pictures of prostitutes to clients as an offer. Once a client agreed, she would directly negotiate the price and arrange a meeting place for the prostitute to be sent as requested.
Netizens react strongly to the case of runner-up Phuong Linh.
Currently, information related to Bui Thi Phuong Linh is receiving a lot of attention from the online community. Many people are expressing their disapproval and criticizing the behavior of the 22-year-old girl. Furthermore, many netizens are suggesting that the organizers of the beauty pageant she participated in should take decisive action against Phuong Linh for failing to resist temptation, which has significantly impacted the competition.
One user commented: "After all, she graduated from high school, finding a job shouldn't be difficult, especially since she's beautiful. This is a lesson for young girls." Another user angrily added: "What matters is awareness, not blaming unemployment for breaking the law. Not to mention she was a runner-up in a beauty pageant; what kind of example is this?" A netizen expressed: "This is the price of not knowing how to behave; don't blame anyone else. I suggest the competition organizers take action regarding this case."
Recently, the fact that many beauty queens have been involved in legal troubles, coupled with the proliferation of beauty pageants, has left the public feeling fed up. Many believe that these competitions need to be regulated to avoid the current "oversaturation of beauty queens."
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
