A budget airline company from Vietnam recently received flack for welcoming the local national soccer team with a risqué in-flight performance by their bikini-clad flight attendants.
Vietjet, the airline which gained international attention for featuring a flight staff wearing two-piece bikinis, apologized after receiving backlash online, Reuters reports.
Vietnam’s under-23 men’s soccer team, which suffered a loss against Uzbekistan in an Asian tournament, was returning from China when they were welcomed with the sexually suggestive performance inside the plane.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
The team was celebrated as heroes back home despite the loss, which is why many Vietnamese netizens found it inappropriate to involve the young players in the “performance” itself.
Vietjet founder and CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, who became Vietnam’s first female billionaire in 2016, issued an apology on her Facebook page on Sunday.
In her post, she also explained that the show was not intended as a company publicity stunt, but rather “an improvised performance by the logistics team that was not part of the company’s program.”
Model and DJ Lai Thanh Huong also apologized for participating in the show, but claims Vietjet representatives instructed her to take pictures with the athletes.
Netizens were enraged and many vowed to boycott the airline after viewing the now-viral images of the players looking awkward as the sexy bikini-wearing flight attendants interacted with them.
“Vietjet’s move was so rude, cheap, and offensive to the team, the fans and even its passengers,” another commented.
“Despite the fact the Vietjet event didn’t jeopardize the safety of the flight, it could still have posed a safety risk,” the local aviation agency said in a statement.
Feature Image via Vanhien.Vn
