After garnering mixed opinions as to whether contestants sing in English too much, the Vietnamese version of the singing contest continues to surprise with a result-fixing scandal.

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On September 9, after the third episode of the battle round was broadcast, an audio file featuring a conversation between three people thought to be the show’s music director, musician Phuong Uyen, its producer Tuong Vy and contestant Phuong Linh about the battle performance of Linh and another contestant, H'Zina Bya, has been spread among netizens at the speed of light.

In the conversation, the woman thought to be Phuong Uyen advises contestant Phuong Linh to choose kinds of music that her rival contestant can’t sing, like R&B or other English songs in order to confirm that no matter how well H'Zina Bya can sing, Linh will remain the person chosen to advance to the next round.

Moreover, the suspected Phuong Uyen reassures Phuong Linh that there’s nothing to worry about with her coach, singer Thu Minh, since Uyen is the one who has the right to decide everything.

The conversation soon caused an outcry among people, who called on everyone to boycott the show, calling it a cheat.

Besides, some opinions have also doubted whether the twist is only a PR trick for the show, which was recently criticized by those who believe that its contestants’ singing quality has decreased over time.

For its part, representatives of the show’s organizing company Cat Tien Sa told Vnexpress that musician Phuong Uyen has admitted that it was her voice in the audio and said that it was her fault.

This afternoon, the company will hold a press conference to explain the scandal.