Lai Thai - Cambodia's 2025 'Lè khe' King: unexpectedly judged by home fans?

The beauty contest "Miss and Mister Majestic Cambodia 2025 - Mister Cambodia 2025" has officially entered the launch phase. On March 15, 2025, the organizing committee announced the official list of contestants for the two male and female categories.

The event attracted special attention from the media and public in Cambodia as it brought together many young faces. Social media platforms began to widely spread videos and images recording the performances of the male contestants. These contents quickly received a large number of shares and comments, not only in Cambodia but also in neighboring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam.

However, not only was there curiosity about the contest, but it also brought about many conflicting opinions, especially the controversies surrounding the appearance of some male contestants. Many posts from foreign fanpages used the contestants’ images in the contest with satirical content, mainly aimed at the appearance of those who made it to the top 10 of the Mister Majestic Cambodia category. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, public opinion in the country was also divided into two streams of opinion.

At the center of the controversy, contestant Lai Thai (Lai Rathai) - one of the representatives of the Mister Majestic Cambodia 2025 contest - has attracted strong public attention. Not only impressing with his bold performance style, Lai Rathai also became a topic of discussion because of his unique appearance. However, instead of avoiding it, he chose to face it directly and gave a courageous response.

Some people expressed dissatisfaction with the selection criteria, saying that the quality of this year's contestants was not worthy of representing the country's image in the regional beauty pageant. Others said that judging people based solely on their appearance was one-sided, unfair, and contrary to the spirit of openness and encouraging diversity in modern beauty contests.

In the face of criticism, Lai Thai publicly expressed his feelings and personal opinions through a post on social media. In the shared message, he frankly admitted his sadness at being the target of criticism, but affirmed that he would not let the criticism discourage him from pursuing his dream. Lai Thai's quote "There is no word 'give up' in my dictionary" quickly spread widely, becoming a source of inspiration for many young people.

Lai Thai impressed with his unique beauty and style. Many people jokingly called him the "sít rít" (Vietnamese pronunciation of "secret", expressing unbelievable luck or irony) of this year's contest.

Lai Thai also shared about his personal circumstances, when he was a poor student, had to drop out of school and work to help his family. Despite facing many difficulties, he always maintained an optimistic spirit and constantly strived to pursue his passion. With his resilient spirit and positive message, Lai Thai not only won over the judges but also won the hearts of many audiences.

TNAOT newspaper published Lai Thai's words: "If you ask me if I am sad, I am very sad. But if you ask me if I will stop, I would say: never. There is no word "give up" in my dictionary. My dream is not in the mouth of others. Miss and Mister Majestic Cambodia M63". This strong message shows the resilient spirit and intense passion for art that Lai Thai is pursuing, despite harsh judgments from public opinion.

On his personal page, Lai Thai also shared many words of encouragement from those interested in the "Miss and Mister Majestic Cambodia 2025" contest and himself. Netizens believe that beauty is not something people can choose, so be confident in being yourself like Lai Thai.

In a recent interview, the show's representative called on the public to stop making superficial judgments, while emphasizing the role of words in causing emotional harm to others.

The hottest contestant of King of Cambodia sings a cappella, leaving netizens speechless Nguyễn Tuyết11:02:49 22/03/2025Despite the controversy, Mister Majestic Cambodia 2025 is still dominating social media, even the media has to report on it. Currently, the most noticed face in this playground is Lai Thai.