Elly Kim Hong

Elly Tran Ha grew up in Ho Chi Minh City and like many of us, her progression toward adulthood was more awkward, self-conscious and flat-out stressful than it was natural. According to her, she "developed" early and significantly, which led her to change her wardrobe to draw less attention to herself and try to proceed as a regular teenager in high school. Always the supporter, Elly Tran Ha's mother pushed her into other activities at school, like singing and public speaking, to give her the confidence that she could do as she pleased without fear or shame.
While her mother's support wound up giving Elly Tran Ha an interest in singing, it did only so much to alleviate her concerns about her body. At a certain point, shame gave way to confidence, especially when she began to consider the ways that Vietnam's pop culture was changing around her.
Once conservative by North American standards, Vietnamese web sites were now featuring so-called "hot girls," beauties who were using their own pictures to carve out entertainment careers. Chief among them was Thuy Top (coined by the locals as "The Vietnamese Paris Hilton"), who added two picture sets to her little-known blog and suddenly got MMA modeling opportunities and a television acting role.