Elly Tran Ha is a Vietnamese model who decided that showing pictures of herself and her "distinct neckline" might help the internet readership of her blog… the blog that no one seems to be able to find. She was right, as she's now gained a surprise following on the interwebs and a network of eager picture-sharers to give her some free publicity. Even with her sudden fame, most people outside of Vietnam don't know the slightest thing about her. Does the mystery surrounding Elly Tran Ha make people more curious? Sadly, yes.

Biography

Elly Tran Ha grew up in Ho Chi Minh City and like many of us, her progression toward adulthood was more awkward, self-conscious and flat-out stressful than it was natural. According to her, she "developed" early and significantly, which led her to change her wardrobe to draw less attention to herself and try to proceed as a regular teenager in high school. Always the supporter, Elly Tran Ha's mother pushed her into other activities at school, like singing and public speaking, to give her the confidence that she could do as she pleased without fear or shame.

While her mother's support wound up giving Elly Tran Ha an interest in singing, it did only so much to alleviate her concerns about her body. At a certain point, shame gave way to confidence, especially when she began to consider the ways that Vietnam's pop culture was changing around her.

Once conservative by North American standards, Vietnamese web sites were now featuring so-called "hot girls," beauties who were using their own pictures to carve out entertainment careers. Chief among them was Thuy Top (coined by the locals as "The Vietnamese Paris Hilton"), who added two picture sets to her little-known blog and suddenly got MMA modeling opportunities and a television acting role.

With this in mind, Elly Tran Ha chose a similar path when modeling prospects approached her. Legend has it that she had a blog, but the simple truth is that the posting of her picture sets in the fall of 2009 on the popular photo site Flickr created near-instant pandemonium. Though the sets were strictly PG-13 in nature and ranged from classy indoor shots to bright outdoor photos, everyone wanted a piece of Elly Tran Ha's big smile and her formidable clothed figure.

Now the unofficial tour guide for Vietnam, Elly Tran Ha was an internet picture fixture, but she was careful to set her limits and expand her horizons. In the weeks following her pop culture invasion, she stated that posing for overtly sexy pictures or stripping all the way down was not part of her game plan. She did not want to be objectified. Instead, she continued modeling, but also pursued opportunities in singing. Now with a modeling deal with a plane company and Vietnamese television talent show victory to show off, the next phase of Elly Tran Ha's journey through the entertainment galaxy is well underway.

Sexiness

A woman like Elly Tran Ha could no doubt increase tourism rates in Vietnam for those men who find her attractive, but depending on who you talk to, she could be as old as 26 or as young as 16! Like some women out there, maybe this means that Elly Tran Ha is sometimes prone to lying about her age, or maybe this means that she sits alone atop the Celebrity Jailbait Throne that was most recently occupied by those notorious Olsen Twins. Oh, and just in case you're wondering, her blood type is A.

Since her pictures went public, there has been a concentrated effort by bloggers, pundits and everyone else with significant time on their hands to unearth more information about who she really is. In true Hollywood tradition, there are just as many rumors as there are facts, starting with the possibility that she has left Vietnam for Philadelphia or that she is working as a model on the MMA circuit. While the former might be true… or just wishful thinking on the part of a lonely blogger, we can tell you that the latter is incorrect. The Vietnamese model in MMA gear who is making the rounds "as Elly Tran Ha" is merely one of her brilliantly named mentors, Thuy Top.

Success

Elly Tran Ha's decision to post pictures of herself to win the internet's latest popularity contest is simple and ingenious. If you've got it, why not flaunt it? No doubt that Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson would concur.

While it remains to be seen whether Elly Tran Ha's decision to let her body do the talking will bring her a career to do the walking, she's not breaking new ground. She's merely following a cultural Vietnamese trend that began in her native country, and she's making the most of it, while leaving a lot of lingering questions scattered about, like is she old enough to know what she's getting herself into? Age questions aside, Elly Tran Ha has career plans that extend beyond just picture posting. If she can market those skills with the same cleverness that she has displayed so far, then who knows what's in store?