An entertainment company has been fined 55 million dong by Hanoi police for running the "Hoa hậu Bản sắc Việt Nam 2026" beauty pageant (roughly, Miss Vietnam Identity 2026) without the required written approval. The police announced the fine on the afternoon of 22 October, according to Tuổi Trẻ. It was imposed on Son Entertainment and Media Company by the Internal Political Security Division of Hanoi police.

How the case unfolded

  • 8 October: Officers from the Internal Political Security Division and the Giảng Võ ward police carried out an unannounced inspection of the contest. The organiser could not produce a letter of approval from the competent authority.
  • After the inspection: The organisers were told to suspend the contest while the violations were examined.
  • 22 October: Hanoi police said the division had issued an administrative fine of 55 million dong against the company.

The breach cited is organising a beauty contest without written approval from the competent authority. The report does not name the decree applied, how far the contest had progressed or how many contestants took part.

Advice for would-be contestants

Hanoi police used the case to warn the public, especially people hoping to enter beauty or modelling contests, to check the organiser, the contest's legal status and its approval documents before signing up. They also urged caution towards events billed as reality television, award nights, online contests, training courses or meet-and-greets that are in substance beauty or modelling pageants, and towards fees charged in the name of training, publicity, sponsorship or services. People should not let anyone exploit their wish for a high placing, publicity or fame to make money from them. Anything suspicious should be reported to the nearest police station or relevant authority.

What comes next

The contest was ordered to stop after the 8 October inspection. Tuổi Trẻ does not say whether it may resume or whether the company faces any measure beyond the 55 million dong fine. Going by the police advice, the first thing anyone weighing a pageant entry should look for is the competent authority's written approval.