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TikToker Fiona Wang posted herself crying for a woman who rowed her boat in Vietnam on May 6.
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The video went viral with over 6.7 million views, receiving criticism from many users.
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In response to the backlash, Wang told Insider that she was not looking down on Vietnamese people.
Travel TikToker Fiona Wang is facing backlash after posting a tearful travel video on May 6.
In the video, Wang is seen crying while her partner comforts her, with captions explaining that she was crying because the Vietnamese woman who rowed her coconut boat “tried so hard to make us happy.”
@heyfionawang Visiting vietnam turned out completely different to what i expected. I have never been so moved by the people in my life. I saw so much happiness here, children playing together, families spending time with each other and real smiles. But at the same time i saw so much poverty. People working from 5 years old to women like her doing such a physical job. It breaks my heart everytime i say no or when i have to rip a child whose begging for help off me. When i left this lady on the coconut boat i couldnt stop crying even though i had the best time ever. She was so beautiful so funny and she reminds me of how hard my mum worked when she first migrated to Sydney. We tipped everyone that we met but I wish i could do more for these people but i feel so helpless. When you guys visit SE Asia, please bring more cash with you, buy more fruit from locals, tip generously, say thank you and be kind and do more so the least we can do is appreciate them. I have so much to show you about my time here in vietnam because I thinks it’s important that we all try and see as much as we can so we can grow our perspective #vietnam ♬ Home – Edith Whiskers
The TikTok video, posted by Wang as @heyfionawang, has since gathered over 6.7 million views and 1.2 million likes as of May 8.
“It breaks my heart to see these people work so hard to make a living in Vietnam,” said the in-video captions.
And users are divided on her emotional reaction — some find it sweet, while others find it condescending.
“It makes me cry too,” reads a positive comment, “you have a good heart and that’s the important part,” read another.
Meanwhile, criticism littered the comments section. “Do you cry first then record it or you record it then cry? Do tutor on this please,” read one.
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 call her out on being “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,” said TikToker @doc.ho in a video with over 532,000 views.
Wang told Insider that 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 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,” said Wang.
The travel creator understands how the video may have rubbed people the wrong way, making it seem like she was “asking for attention,” but she doesn’t want her content to only be “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. Because I got an overwhelming amount of positive comments from people who appreciate seeing this side and understanding where my intentions were,” added Wang.
Read the original article on Insider
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