Hate content and gendered shaming in Vietnamese social media: the case study of Trấn Thành

Few Vietnamese showbiz artists have enjoyed the same success as Trấn Thành, an entertainer with a thriving career in television and filmmaking. One of the most popular Vietnamese artists, Trấn Thành has also endured immense hate. In March 2023, at a press meeting, Trấn Thành bemoaned with tears the misery of being a high-profile figure, insisting that ‘being an artist is much more difficult than you may think’. Rather than garnering sympathy, however, he was subsequently met with criticisms from members of the public, who ridiculed him for his perceived lack of modesty and ingratitude towards his privilege as a successful entertainer. He also got derided for his failure to conceal emotions, thus failing to observe societal expectations of ‘tough’ masculinity. Through a discourse analysis of impactful Facebook posts discussing this press event and of netizens’ reactions to these posts, this paper identifies the discursive strategies used to ridicule and shame Trấn Thành. It reveals the reasons behind the backlash: an expectation for entertainers to remain humble and conform to norms. The paper contributes to the literature on digital hate content in Vietnam, which receives little scholarly attention, and the broader international scholarship on celebrity culture and online shaming.