On April 27, actress Hoang Duong Dien Diem, through Weibo and an interview with the media, officially responded for the first time to the "ear piercings" scandal that has haunted her for nearly a year.
Facing the wave of controversy, she did not avoid it but frankly said that this is "the most profound lesson at the age of 18".
The incident started in May 2025, Dien Diem posted a photo wearing earrings at her 12th grade graduation ceremony, causing her to fall into the spotlight of public opinion.
Some netizens believe that it is a design of the luxury brand Graff, worth about 2.3 million CNY (more than 8 billion VND), thereby raising many suspicions about her family background, believing that her family has privileges or unclear income sources.
In fact, right from 2025, functional agencies have denied the rumors, but only now, Dien Diem has directly responded.
She said that the controversial earrings are not genuine luxury goods, but a simulation given by her mother's friend in 2016, the material is just ordinary glasses, worth about 300 CNY.
At that time, she only found it suitable for the blue dress, so she wore it for photos, completely not realizing that the design was similar to a famous brand, and also did not intend to show off.
The impact of this noise was much greater than imagined. When the incident broke out, there was only half a month left until the university entrance exam. She admitted that when she heard the news, she trembled, lost sleep, often secretly cried alone and had to memorize English vocabulary to reduce pressure.
What makes her even more heartbroken is that her younger brother is bullied at school because of these rumors, and the family also continuously receives harassing messages, disrupting life.
As an actress who has been active for many years, she also re-examines herself. She said that she underestimated her influence in the role of a public figure, did not realize her sensitivity when wearing earrings; and promised to be more careful in the future, taking responsibility for her words and actions.
In July 2025, authorities confirmed that the earrings were imitations, and investigated and concluded that her father had committed business violations, with an illegal profit of 30,000 CNY confiscated. However, authorities also affirmed that he was not involved in corruption or abuse of privileges.
However, the noise directly impacted Dien Diem's career. She was chosen to replace Trieu Le Dinh in the role of So Kieu in the movie "So Kieu Story 2: The Rise of Ice and Lakes". But the movie aired on 2 major platforms without any advertisements, the score on Douban only reached 3/10 points.
In the interview, Dien Diem almost burst into tears, she said this incident was like a catalyst for maturity.
On Weibo, the 18-year-old actress also posted an apology for causing such a large wave of controversy for herself, affecting her family, friends, work partners, netizens, and also making fans worried.
The actress said: “Over the past year, I have received all the criticisms. Thank you everyone for being willing to monitor and help me grow up.
I will seriously correct mistakes, make up for shortcomings. I have also received all kindness, and will try to become an adult worthy of everyone's trust.
