Call Me Duy caused controversy because of unsubtle comments about Miss Cambodia contestants

Call Me Duy was entangled in controversy when commenting on Cambodian contestants at Miss Universe 2025. Although he declared his support for his country, the way he expressed himself was considered unsophisticated, hurtful and offensive to the international community.

Social networks are "making waves" after TikToker Call Me Duy posted a video commenting on the Cambodian contestant's dress at Miss Universe 2025. In the clip, he criticized the star symbol on the dress as "6677" – a way of saying that refers to messiness and lack of aesthetics. It is worth mentioning that when the Cambodian contestant himself commented to thank him for being praised, Call Me Duy responded with the phrase "See 6, always support Cambodia, so beautiful", causing the online community to debate fiercely.

The phrase "See 6" is interpreted by many as an ironic way of saying, not as complimentary as the appearance of the answer. The use of foreign languages mixed with Vietnamese slang in sensitive contexts makes the reaction from the international community even more negative. Some international social media users have started resharing the clip with critical comments, saying that this is disrespectful behavior and inconsistent with the spirit of cultural exchange at a global beauty pageant.

Call Me Duy has repeatedly shown support for Vietnamese representatives in the international beauty arena. However, the way he shows his support is often accompanied by demeaning the contestants from your country – which many people consider offensive and lacks the spirit of fair-play. Calling Cambodia a "Combodia", sharing screenshots of the contestants' thanks with a mocking attitude, and declaring that they are "cooking Cambodia" on their personal Facebook pages caused a wave of criticism to spread. Some people also think that the use of the phrase "cooking" – which has an offensive implication – is a deliberate act of creating drama to attract attention, despite the feelings of insiders.

On beauty forums, many people question the status of a beauty KOL when they constantly make controversial statements, disrespecting the culture and people of other countries. Some opinions say that if you really want to support your country, Call Me Duy should show the spirit of civilized encouragement, instead of creating content that is ridiculous, misleading and hurtful. Many beauty fans in Cambodia have also spoken out, expressing their disappointment and calling for respect for their country's contestants.

This is not the first time Call Me Duy has been involved in a scandal related to unsubtle statements. Previously, he was criticized for dressing fashionably to attend the funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, then filmed a clip reviewing cosmetics and advertising products right at the event. Despite apologizing, many people think that he still has a "disability", constantly taking advantage of hot events to create attention-grabbing content. Some social media users also recounted a series of times Call Me Duy was entangled in controversy, from commenting on other people's appearance to shocking statements in livestreams.

Currently, many social media users are calling on brands to reconsider cooperating with KOLs with controversial behavior, arguing that this tolerance is "dirtying" the media environment and affecting the image of the brand. Several major cosmetics brands that have partnered with Call Me Duy have also been named in posts calling for a boycott, forcing them to give a clear response to their views on their representatives' behavior.

Before the wave of criticism, Call Me Duy posted a clip explaining, saying that the content he did was only humorous and did not contradict the Cambodian contestants or the contest organizers. However, this revelation did not soften the reaction from the online community, especially when his previous actions were said to be deliberately creating drama to attract attention. Some people think that if there is really no intention to offend, Call Me Duy should directly apologize to the Cambodian contestants instead of continuing to post justified content.