Charity is not just about helping people
TikToker Pham Thoai's livestream to statement a statement of support for a child patient is a story that has been of interest for many days. Pham Thoai was not only criticized for his unclear information, not being close to the situation of the person receiving the charity money, but also had to cancel some schedules to avoid rumors. The incident also put the patient's mother under great pressure.
In Vietnamese showbiz, the upheavals related to charity activities have caused many celebrities to struggle. In 2021, a star storm demanding transparency caused a stir in public opinion...
In May 2021, a businessman of Hoai Linh "soaked" more than 14 billion VND to support floods in the Central region. The comedian then asked the crew to go to the provinces and cities in the Central region affected by natural disasters since... last year, disbursing the entire amount of 15.2 billion VND in just 6 days.
After that, Hoai Linh sent a video to the media to fully publicize documents such as clips, photos and documents to prove the transparency and affirmation "not making a single penny of the public". The scandal caused Hoai Linh's career to decline, and he was criticized by the audience for a long time.
When Thuy Tien arrived, she also caused controversy by calling for a large sum of money but only announced the disbursement on A4 paper. Although the authorities have confirmed that they are not "preventing" charity, the scandal still greatly affects the reputation of the couple.
Charity needs to be slow
From the noisy statements and charity calls of celebrities, media expert Nguyen Ngoc Long commented: "This is not the first time that celebrity charity has caused a stir. Pham Thoai's incident is like a rock thrown into the lake, and then it will sink, and people will support money for those in difficult circumstances. However, the incident is also a lesson for people to support more intelligently and more slowly, while those calling for support need to have a systematic and professional plan".
In recent years, Vietnamese stars have realized that the amount of money donated from each charity round is very large, especially from influential celebrities, and that is also the time when the public has expressed skepticism, division, and opposing opinions.
If there is only enthusiasm, the simple thought that when you reach the place to hand over, it will be a big risk for both the calling person and the contributor. Therefore, many Vietnamese stars and celebrities choose to directly send personal donations or call on the audience to send them to charitable funds and reputable social organizations.
In 2024, when storm No. 3 hit and caused damage to the northern provinces, a Vietnamese artist such as Dai Nghia, Kieu Anh, Bang Kieu put his own money into bags to buy items and food in flooded areas to support people. Tung Duong, Lan Ngoc, Soobin Hoang Son chose to support with family, close friends or the fan community.
Experts say that when artists send directly or through reputable charity funds, the money will be allocated in a transparent and clear way, helping artists reduce the risk of having to explain the revenues and expenditures.
MSc. Le Dinh Quyet - lecturer at Hanoi Law University, senior advisor at LVI Law Firm - emphasized that charity calling must comply with regulations on procedures and public reporting to ensure transparency, avoiding profiteering. If there is an act of "impeding" charity money, in addition to administrative sanctions, the violator can be prosecuted for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" or "Abusing trust to appropriate property" under Articles 174 and 175 of the Penal Code 2015, with a penalty of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment, accompanied by additional penalties such as fines, ban on practice or confiscation of property.
