Vietnamese beauty queen rejects Korean TV sob story about her as untrue

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, 25. Photo by Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien Instagram

Its KBS Drama’s “Men Who Top The Chart” series recently featured Tien in a program in which it described her as a girl from a poor background succeeding in becoming Miss Grand International.

But its claims about her abandonment are untrue, Tien, 25, said yesterday.

Nevertheless, she is glad that Korean broadcasters and viewers are interested in her, she said.

Tien has in the past said she comes from an unusual family background, living with her aunt after her parents divorced when she was four, and only moving out after entering university.

But she did not say anything about being deserted by her parents.

Pham Thi Gam, 44, Tien’s mother, recently spoke about their relationship, saying despite not being physically with Tien, she had not abandoned her. After her divorce she had been unemployed and broke, and on occasions spent nights at Hoang Van Thu Park in Tan Binh District to save money.

KBS features Tien in their program. Photo by KBS

She had decided to leave her daughter with her former husband’s family so that she could have decent living conditions.

“I worked in the evenings as well so that I could cover the fees for Tien’s English classes. I would spend weekends with Tien and help her study.”

When Tien had graduated from high school, she had asked her to move in with her, but her daughter had refused saying she did not want to be a burden.

Tien had started working at an early age, and never asked her for money. Every time she had inquired about her, Tien would say she was fine and always be positive.

In 2021 Tien became the first Vietnamese woman to win the Miss Grand International pageant. She is now a jury member for the 2023 Miss Grand Vietnam contest.