A TikToker traveling in Vietnam shared a video of herself crying over a local who rowed their boat and added the 'poverty' hashtag. She's getting accused of 'slum tourism.'
Reena Koh
Mon, 8 May 2023 at 1:46 pm SGT·3-min read
Fiona Wang posted a tearful travel video on Saturday.@heyfionawang/TikTok
- Fiona Wang posted Saturday a TikTok of herself crying for a woman who rowed her boat in Vietnam.
- The video went viral with over 6.7 million views, receiving criticism from many users.
- In response to the backlash, Wang told Insider she wasn't looking down on Vietnamese people.
In the video, Wang is seen crying while her partner comforts her, with captions saying that she was crying because the Vietnamese woman who rowed her coconut boat "tried so hard to make us happy."
As of Monday, the TikTok now-deleted video, posted by Wang as @heyfionawang, had gathered over 6.7 million views and 1.2 million likes.
"It breaks my heart to see these people work so hard to make a living in Vietnam," the in-video captions said.
Users were divided on her emotional reaction — some said they found it sweet, while others said it was condescending.
"It makes me cry too," a positive comment said. "You have a good heart and that's the important part," another said.
Meanwhile, criticism littered the comments section. "Do you cry first then record it or you record it then cry? Do tutor on this please," one said.
A couple of comments pointed out the hashtag #poverty in the video's captions, which has since been removed.
Some TikTokers have even stitched her video to say she's "voyeuristic and exploitative."
"This is called slum tourism. She's turning poverty and hard work of the people into entertainment, into a spectacle, something that can be momentarily experienced by her, but then she can escape it easily," the TikToker @doc.ho said in a now-deleted video with over 532,000 views.
Wang told Insider she posted the video "very spontaneously" and that it was a "very real and raw moment" for her, contrary to her usual carefully curated and edited content.
"Being Asian Australian, I know I am very privileged to have grown up in Australia, but I also understand the struggle. My parents are immigrants, and I spent many years in China," Wang told Insider.
She added that many took her video as looking down on Vietnamese people but that she "never said Vietnamese people were poor or unhappy."
"In fact, in my caption, I said I can see so much genuine happiness and the familial bond is incredible. But I did also see poverty and struggle, and seeing both sides really did hit me hard," Wang said.
The travel creator understands how the video may have rubbed people the wrong way, she said. It could make it seem like she was "asking for attention," she added, but she doesn't want her content to be only "highlights of fun and happy moments."
"It should reflect the other side, too, when I'm sad, making mistakes, or learning," Wang said.
"And I don't think I need to justify all of this to the people who leave negative comments," Wang added. "Because I got an overwhelming amount of positive comments from people who appreciate seeing this side and understanding where my intentions were."
Wang told Insider on May 9 that she has since taken down the video as her and her partner have been receiving harassing messages online.
May 9, 2023: The article has been updated with the removal of videos which have been taken down on TikTok, and a new statement from Fiona Wang.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/tiktoker-traveling-vietnam-shared-video-054635597.html
