Ninh Thi Thu Huong, 23, grew up in a rural farming family in Ninh Binh. At the age of three, she developed a tumor under her ear. Although doctors diagnosed it as malignant, the chances of success with surgery were low.

Despite numerous warnings, Ho Chi Minh City's hospitals continue to see between 200 to 500 cases of cosmetic procedure complications annually, largely due to unregulated beauty treatments at unauthorized spas.

Not only celebrities but ordinary people as well also have demand for upgrading their beauty. Many men have had breast augmentation surgeries, buttocks padding or abdominal liposuction.

After becoming "guinea pigs" for unlicensed cosmetic surgery centers, many people have paid a heavy price for unsuccessful operations and have ended up hospitalized with dangerous complications.

Beauty contests have expanded to include those for married woman. It is tough for older women to retain the looks they had when they were much younger. In this situation, would it be unfair for them to beautify themselves with cosmetic surgery?

The HCMC government has told leading hospitals in this city to send their doctors to postgraduate programs so as to make them meet international standards to provide medical check-ups and treatments for foreigners.

 VietNamNet Bridge – More Vietnamese teenagers are choosing to get cosmetic surgery to imitate the "hot boy" and "hot girl" look they see in magazines and movies.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The qualifying round for the Miss Jewelry 2013 pageant will take place from May 19 to June 21.