The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently gave its nod to the issue of work permits for local singers and models, and the Performing Arts Office who’s working on the specific plan said it won’t exceed US$48,077.

Nguyen Dang Chuong, the office head, told Tuoi Tre that the three recently-conducted opinion polls reinforced the plausibility of the permit issue.

Roughly 10,000 performing cards are expected to be printed. Evaluation of artists’ eligibility for the cards and the issue will be simplified to spare troubles and cut costs.

“Though we haven’t worked out a specific number, I think that the cost will total less than VND1 bil (US$48,077) or maybe only some hundreds million dongs.

The issue is an attempt to combat repeated violations among singers and models.

In recent years, there have been countless scandals and breaches of performance regulations involving local models and singers, including wearing overly revealing costumes on stage, lip-syncing and producing outrageous public statements.  

According to Chuong at an earlier workshop, the artists who have received the cards can have them suspended from six months to two years, or even recalled, depending on their violations.

The office also suggested that title-holding artists, or those who have earned the cards previously, are exempt from this round.

Many showed support for the card issue, however, some expressed reservation and doubts about its feasibility and effectiveness, dismissing it as a waste of budget and an administrative burden. A number of local singers and models also expressed their dubiety over the necessity of the card issue and the obscurity regarding the criteria they’re supposed to meet to be eligible for the cards.

The ministry issued similar performing cards to local artists in 1999, which was discontinued in 2002 due to its ineffectiveness.