The Vietnamese version of the well-known Dutch-origin reality singing contest “The Voice” concluded over a week ago; however, it remains a debate among netizens over the look of the winner.

During the finale night in Ho Chi Minh City on September 20, Duc Phuc, 18, from Hanoi, was seen bursting into tears as he was named the winner of the competition “Giong Hat Viet” (The Voice of Vietnam).

He won the award after defeating his rival finalists Hoang Dung, To Ny, and Yen Le.

In June, in the blind audition round of the contest, Phuc left an impression of a young man with a little anxiety onstage after all four coaches turned their chairs to choose him, thanks to his sweet performance of Sam Smith’s hit “I’m not the Only One.”

Vietnamese pop star My Tam on that day beat the three other coaches, singers Dam Vinh Hung, Thu Phuong and Tuan Hung, to win Phuc on her team.

Since the young man emotionally enjoyed his victory, there has been a ‘keyboard fight’ between those supporting and opposing his win.

A number of people said Phuc did not deserve the trophy due to his weaker and shakier voice, as well as lack of confidence compared with the other competitors.

They attributed Phuc’s victory to a huge number of his coach’s fans, who voted for him in the final round.

Phuc shares a hug with his coach My Tam while the two enjoy the victory in the middle of the stage. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The conjecture has been protested by Phuc’s fans, who claimed his voice is full of emotion and has touched their heart.

However, another major reason for the fight is his look.

After Phuc was named the winner, numerous comments, photos, and posts have been spread widely on the Internet, saying Phuc’s face is not fit for the entertainment industry.

Many people have also decried Phuc as “fat and short,” and called him “ugly.”

“No matter how sweet and melodious a singer’s voice is, no one will spend money buying tickets to his concert if he looks ugly,” a YouTube user commented, saying Phuc has a big minus because of his face though admitting he deserved the title.

The hardcore hater even compared Phuc’s face with pig’s, as well as advised the young singer to release only his voice and avoid showing his face in visual musical works.

The extreme way of thinking from haters has sparked fury among those in the other camp, who said “The Voice of Vietnam” is a competition which seeks for voices, not for faces.

Phuc has a voice and that is the only thing that matters, they underlined.

In response, the winner admitted that he is not good-looking and it is a disadvantage for him.

“But I don’t think about it too much,” Phuc told newswire VnExpress in an interview.

“I simply want to sing,” he added. “When I reached the later stages of the competition, I did not imagine that people would talk about my look that much.”

Duc Phuc and his coach My Tam perform a duet during the show’s gala night on September 20, 2015. Photo: Tuoi Tre

He also explained he was not very confident on the stage, which was the result of the sense of inferiority over his look.

The winner of the 2015 season of “The Voice of Vietnam” said he once felt hurt hearing people describe how ugly he is. 

“I was shocked at first but am getting used to it now,” he said, adding his coach has kept supporting him to believe in himself and ignore those words.

“I feel relieved and has become more mature,” Phuc stated.

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