Trieu Thi Ha

There was much speculation as to Ha's motivations after it was revealed she returned the crown, with many saying that it was mere ploy to attract attention. However, Ha said she wrote the letter explaining her reasons in April of last year and received no reply from organisers, so was quite surprised to see that it had recently appeared on the internet.

Ha mentioned health problems in her letter to the organisers. "This was part of the reason. The main reason, however, is that I believe the organisers have taken advantage of me for their personal gain. Sometimes, I didn't even know why I was made to do certain things. I, along with several other contestants, were made to act as receptionists to greet sponsors. In addition, the work schedule, from dawn to dusk, left me no room to rest or study," she said.

According to Ha, after she was crowned, she had only attended a few charity events, but many others that seemed to be for the organisers' personal gain. She also claimed that the organisers put little or no effort into promoting her image or name. Ha said, "Even if I were to be offered a contract for an ad campaign, the organisers would ignore it. Many of the pageant's queens have faded away. The organisers provide no career support and banned me from acting independently."

Ha ended her contract in December 2013. Even though Ha is now an independent agent, she says she feels more at ease than when she was being managed.

On being questioned about the cash prize for the pageant, Ha said she got VND100 million, of which 30% went to charity, income tax and costumes. She also donated to her former schools, other charities in her hometown.

Ha said she is aware that she may be opening herself up to later trouble by disclosing unpleasant details about the pageant, but was content to know that future contestants would know about them before entering. "I feel more relieved now that I have given a warning to other young girls," Ha said. "I was born in a mountainous area and participated in the contest when I was just 19. At that time, I only hoped to gain experiences and bring something home. I was shocked: life is not as simple as I thought."