Pharmacist Tien Coming out of a male contest, he then invested in making many shows, web dramas, MVs, and movies where he played the male lead, host, and judge.
Not outstanding in appearance, voice, no background in MC, media, art… but Pharmacist Tien suddenly became a familiar face, covering Vietnamese showbiz. This is actually very difficult to understand.
Why is Pharmacist Tien famous?
Pharmacist Tien (real name Pham Minh Huu Tien, born in 1989) is a pharmacist, graduated from Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy. In 2017, he won the highest title in the rather unfamiliar contest, Mr. Vietnamese World 2017, held in the US.
At that time, the quality of the contestants was not highly appreciated and there were also many articles saying that Pharmacist Tien causes controversy when crowned. Also in this year, Pharmacist Tien joined the aesthetic professional council of Miss Universe Vietnam 2017. Since then, he has gradually entered Vietnamese showbiz.
For about 7 years, he and Huong Giang invested in producing many programs such as The New Mentor, The Next Gentleman… In those programs, Pharmacist Tien often served as the host, even having the right to eliminate contestants. He also invested in making the movie Blood Happiness, some web dramas, MVs and is currently a producer and judge of Miss Universe Vietnam 2024… However, what makes the public remember Pharmacist Tien the most are his controversial statements, actions or wearing outrageous outfits in the programs and events he participated in. Currently, the incident between Pharmacist Tien and Hoang Thuy is still the center of controversy on social networks.
| Pharmacist Tien participated in a series of programs as a host despite not having enough expertise. Photo: FBNV. |
Not coming from the MC field, not really having a good voice, or an outstanding appearance, Pharmacist Tien has hosted many programs. Going beyond the professional requirements, he has also ventured into film production (playing the male lead), MVs, and reality shows. That makes many audiences wonder why Pharmacist Tien has existed in Vietnamese showbiz for so many years, playing the male lead in movies, sitting in the judge’s position, and holding the “power of life and death” in many programs.
The first reason that many people explain is that Pharmacist Tien always dares to spend money, which he explains he has earned from researching and selling cosmetics. In an interview in early 2023, Pharmacist Tien said that he has spent no less than 50 billion VND on art.
Previously, at the end of 2022, when the movie Bloody Happiness was released and was said to be extravagant and have nothing but money, he replied: “If everyone says Tien has nothing but money, then Tien would like to argue that besides money, Tien also has feelings. Because if there were no feelings, he would not dare to spend such an amount of money to do this.”
Besides, the explosion of many social networking platforms while a part of Vietnamese audiences easily support and encourage regardless of noise and professional controversy is also part of the reason why cases like Pharmacist Tien still exist, even taking on important roles in programs, competitions, and dominating showbiz.
The image of Thanh Hang having to listen to Pharmacist Tien comment and control in a fashion show or people with many years of expertise in the beauty pageant world silently sitting below listening to him coordinate and answer the press about a beauty contest caused a lot of concern.
Media expert Phan Vinh Phuc commented that investing money to create a “brand” has been done by many businessmen, doctors, pharmacists… but usually in terms of deep expertise instead of doing shows. Or as investors, sponsors of shows, entertainment products, these people will stand behind instead of appearing like Pharmacist Tien.
“Pharmacist Tien should pay attention to his specific role as an entrepreneur, investor or sponsor to clearly distinguish between emotion and reason when speaking, and should consider the correlation in the context of speaking, especially when speaking on camera or in response to the press. Currently, Pharmacist Tien’s brand positioning is not clear, so expressing personality is a bit instinctive,” the expert said.
According to Mr. Phan Vinh Phuc, if not well positioned, the Pharmacist Tien’s program will be more inclined towards social media communication and less valuable and functional than mass media communication, meaning it will be less prestigious.
Chinese and Korean showbiz has no place for scandals.
Buying fame in showbiz is not uncommon in any entertainment market, from Vietnam to Korea, China, or Hollywood. However, harsh celebrity markets like Korea or China do not accept celebrities who are not talented enough but only have scandals and tricks.
According to Eastday, the China Performing Industry Association even issued Self-Disciplinary Management Measures for Performers in the Performing Industry to discipline those working in the entertainment industry.
The article stated: “Learn ethics first, be a human being first. As people working in the entertainment industry, especially those with higher reputations, they must be strict in self-discipline and set a good example. Once you play with fire, it will cause bad consequences and you will have to pay a heavy price. People working in the arts must ‘pay attention to aesthetic taste, respect artistic ethics, preserve the truth of history, and promote virtue’. People working in the entertainment industry are required to improve their self-cultivation and pay attention to their behavior. If they work in the performing arts industry, they must comply with industry standards and pursue both ethics and art. Only then will the path to performing arts become more and more open.”
Angelababy was banned from social media for 3 months just because she went to see Lisa’s strip show abroad. Recently, her face was blurred when she appeared on TV. Angelababy has no way to return to showbiz.
In Korean showbiz, even scandalous stars have a hard time surviving, let alone becoming famous and appearing on television. After every controversial action or statement, they must quickly apologize and then sincerely express their remorse to appease public anger.
For example, Jennie was recently criticized for blowing cigarette smoke into an employee’s face, comedian Park Dong Geun faced a wave of criticism for making inappropriate comments about a young idol, and Kemy was also boycotted for using many lyrics to disparage her senior Park Bom’s appearance…
The harshness applies not only to actors and singers but also to Internet celebrities. At the time when many BJs (broadcasting platform operators) were involved in controversies, Chosun commented: “The Internet world is inherently tolerant, so moral standards are also shaken. However, because they (PV: BJs) are becoming more and more famous and wealthy like stars, it is clear that they have the responsibility to bear social standards. It is time for them to be more responsible in their words and actions.”