More than 1,000 crown hopefuls have registered for Miss Viet Nam 2016 – the biennial national beauty contest, creating a lot of work for the judging panel.

The handcrafted crown of Miss Vietnam 2016 (Photo: tienphong.vn)

The figure was released at a press conference on July 5, which also unveiled that the northern qualifying round, where 140 selected local contestants will compete, is scheduled to kick off in Hanoi on July 9.

The round will narrow down the field to 40 participants in the region’s semi-final round in Quang Ninh on July 11.

Finalists selected from both the North and the South will vie for the crown in August. Each of them will be entrusted with a charity project, which they need to present to the jurors before implementing it. The entire process will be filmed and broadcast on various TV channels so that the public, too, can judge the contestants, together with the official jury.

According to the organisers, in addition to other traditional awards, a new award – Humanity Beauty – will be given to the contestant who comes up with the best charity project. The kind-hearted winner will be exceptionally promoted to the top five finalists.

The press conference also announced features of the crown this year, which was handcrafted from 63 pearls, which represent the country’s 63 cities and provinces, and 3,260 sapphires, which symbolise the national 3,260 km-long coast, by 40 artisans over three months.

The crown design was inspired by the prosperous and vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, which was once called the “Pearl of the Orient”.

After 30 years and 14 editions, Miss Viet Nam has emerged as one of the most prestigious national beauty contests that celebrates Vietnamese women’s beauty, appearance, spirit, lifestyle and talent.

VNA