Hong Dang said that on her way to the gym, she was harassed, then she asked people to use camera footage to find the culprit.
On February 23, on her personal page, runner-up Trinh Thi Hong Dang shared information that she was harassed on the street.
According to Hong Dang, the incident happened at 5pm on February 22nd, after she finished work and walked to the gym about 5 minutes away from where the runner-up lived. On the crowded road that Hong Dang walked almost every day, she accidentally saw a motorbike passing by and was molested.
“When we were near the gym, suddenly a motorbike passed by, and in a split second, something was wrong. I froze, then shouted ‘are you crazy!’, the motorbike sped away, and an elderly man coming from the opposite direction came up and asked ‘did he steal something?’. In a split second, my mind tried to understand what was happening, and then I answered: ‘No sir, it was harassment’ ,” Hong Dang said.
The runner-up added: “He said, ‘Why didn’t you scream?’ I screamed, so he heard me. We both looked after them, but the bike had disappeared. I was shocked, walked a few steps towards the gym, then ran after the motorbike that had disappeared. My mind was in a daze, and I started to feel angry. Angry at myself for not grabbing them, for not reacting faster. I should have let it go, or called the police. Finally, I got to the gym. On the way, as a reflex, I used my hands and hair to cover my chest.”
Hong Dang added that after calming down, she returned to the street where the incident occurred to ask for the camera footage to be extracted and handed over to the authorities. However, there, she also received many questions that blamed the victim.
Hong Dang added: "I decided to find out the identity of the perpetrator. I didn't want them to do this again and again. When I asked for the camera footage, I kept hearing: 'What were you wearing at that time?', 'Put on a jacket' (I was wearing a T-shirt and cargo pants). Or 'I always pass by this street and no one ever grabs me, I think you're pretty, that's why they do that. I don't want to be able to'. I didn't feel sorry for myself, but I saw the idea of 'putting the blame' on the victim. I understood that everyone wanted to lighten the atmosphere, so I replied: 'Don't wish like that, maybe it's true.' I explained to everyone that I didn't want a pervert to hang around this area, so I asked them to help me find the camera footage."
Hong Dang admitted that she was shy and that many people she knew were harassed but lived in fear, shame, and silence, while the bad guys got away with it. Therefore, she decided to pursue the matter to the end.
“After this incident, I realized a few things. I felt everyone's willingness to help, even though there were still prejudices deep in our subconscious. As humans, we will be full of contradictions, we will be afraid, shy, not wanting to be judged, not wanting to face. But, when faced with difficult choices, the decisions we make, at least, will show the person we want to become, ” Hong Dang shared.
Right after Hong Dang's sharing, Thuy Tien also spoke up about being harassed in the elevator. Similar to her colleague, Thuy Tien also had to listen to accusations and blame when the incident happened. That's why she kept quiet when the incident happened.
Trinh Thi Hong Dang was born in 1994 in Russia and then went to the US to study. There, she studied at Pennsylvania State University, majoring in Financial Risk Analysis and Real Estate. The beauty participated in Miss Universe Vietnam 2023 and won the second runner-up position. Hong Dang is highly educated and participates in many community and social projects.
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