NewJeans' Hanni receives mixed reactions from Vietnamese fans due to her alleged family background

NewJeans member Hanni received criticism from some citizens in Vietnam due to her alleged family's controversial background. Fans wonder if the group will be able to perform in the country or not.

By Inaas Fatima Khan

Updated on Aug 27, 2023 | 07:33 PM IST | 1.9M

NewJeans' Hanni (Photo Courtesy: ADOR)

NewJeans' Hanni, who is an Australian-Vietnamese member of the group, has been receiving mixed reactions from some citizens of Vietnam. Despite a huge fan following and the love the group received, a controversy arose due to Hanni's family background. One of the biggest online community groups of Vietnamese K-pop fans shared posts that allegedly showed her family's political affirmation.

Hanni's alleged family background

Ever since the posts swirled around the online community platforms by a group of netizens in February this year, Hanni has been receiving a lot of criticism from the people in Vietnam. Hanni (real name: Pham Ngoc Han) was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 2004, and her parents and grandparents hail from Vietnam. The posts included multiple photos and pictures of her family pointing out symbols and elements that allegedly supported South Vietnam. South Vietnam or the Republic of Vietnam existed from 1955 till 1975 following the conclusion of the Vietnam War. The state was backed by the United States of America, however since the Communist Party governs the country now, the speculations around the NewJeans member's family's support for South Vietnam has led to massive backlash towards Hanni. Many netizens claimed that her family was the "Boat People", a group of refugees who fled the state on a boat after the war ended. However, the boat people controversy is also one of the speculations that has become a subject of hate towards the ETA singer.

Will NewJeans not be able to perform in Vietnam?

Due to these allegations, some netizens pointed out that it would be difficult for the Super Shy singers to be able to get a permit to perform or hold a concert in the country. A fan shared their thoughts that the pressure from the ongoing criticism is leading many of them to not support the group. Although NewJeans and Hanni are widely known in the country, a netizen points out that it has become difficult for many fans to like the group openly. Some fans said that she is not the one to blame in this situation and that she will most likely not confirm a political stance. However, the group continues to receive love from the fans as the songs that were dropped in 2022 like Attention, Hype Boy, and Cookie entered Spotify's Daily Top Song Charts and the album also made it to the top of iTunes charts in Vietnam.

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