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Saphi Nguyen – Russian beauty
Saphi’s real name is Saphi Lina. She was born and grew up in Moscow but now she is working in Vietnam, which is very far from her home country.
The girl with yellow hair, blue eyes who can speak English very well, said that she traveled Southeast Asia many years ago. She worked as a model in Malaysia and South Korea before going to Vietnam.
Saphi likes studying foreign languages. She speaks Japanese, Korea very fluently. After breaking up with a Vietnamese man, she wanted to visit his country. She came to Vietnam in November 2010, to study Vietnamese at the HCM City University for Social Sciences and Humanity. After two months there, she was introduced to work as a model for Elite Vietnam.
Saphi said that there are many opportunities for foreign models like her because competition is not fierce. Though payment is not high but life is not expensive in Vietnam.
“In Russia, modeling is very competitive because there are many beautiful and young girls. The Asian market is different and Western models are more favored. In Vietnam, the media seems to pay more attention to models. In South Korea, the press only focuses on actors or singers. In Vietnam, newspapers have many articles abut models. It is a big difference,” Saphi said.
Saphi stayed in Vietnam for six months and then went to South Korea but she has returned. “I love this city (Saigon) because everything has become so familiar to me. Every morning, I wake up in my small room in District 1, where I feel the flavors of daily life from street sounds. This is also the place where I have many friends, most of them are Vietnamese. If I do not have my parents and brother in Moscow, I would have not had to fly to Moscow often because Saigon is my home.”
Vietnam’s fashion industry is developing quickly but in it is tattered, Saphi commented. Most of Vietnamese designers want to open their own shops or develop their brands while their expertise is limited. As a result, their products cannot compete with imported products nor be exported.
Holding a no-brand bag, wearing usual high-heeled shoes and having no make-up on her face, Saphi still looks pretty and confident.
Asking her why she does not take advantage of her beauty to seek a rich boyfriend, Saphi said: “It is a lie to say that I do not like a beautiful house, expensive outfits and belongings but they are not the goal of my life. I’m independent in thinking, lifestyle and I’m confident enough to live here alone. Certainly, I’m young and I’m a woman so I always dream of a good life but I do not exchange myself for it”.
The talk was interrupted because Saphi got a phone call from a client. In the noise and animated life in Saigon, Saphi gently and moderately passed the street. For her, that’s enough, peaceful and life.
The strange wind from Spain
Andrea Aybar Carmona, the beauty from Spain, who can speak Vietnamese very well, is a fresh wind of Vietnam’s fashion circles.
Carmona was born and lived in Valencia, Spain for seven years. She went to Vietnam with her family eight years ago. The Spanish girl is now a quite famous model in Vietnam.
An’s childhood did not have the presence of her mother. When An was 4, her parent divorced. Her father, a businessman, decided to invest in Vietnam.
“My father took me and my younger brother to Vietnam to begin a new life. In my eyes, Vietnam was a peaceful country. Vietnamese were very friendly and mild,” An recalled.
An was very keen on fashion and stage when she was a little girl. Instead of watching TV shows for kids, she spent hours to watch fashion shows or read women’s magazines. Her passion for fashion is satisfied in Vietnam.
“I unexpectedly know Ms. Ha Vy, director of Venus Modeling Company’s northern branch through a friend of my father. I asked my father’s permission to learn modeling. After nearly half of a year in practice, I had the first show at the German Embassy in Hanoi. My family was there to support me. Until now, I always has two loyal fans at every show – my dad and my brother,” An said.
Andrea Aybar Carmona is 1.74m tall, 50kg, 84-59-90. She has worked as a model for over one year. She has performed for famous brands like Adidas, Levi’s, Bally, Mango, BCBG… An is also the host of three TV shows on Real TV channel. She is a loyal fan of Barcelona FC.
She said she has many memorable memories as a model but she admitted that she is a young mode and she needs to learn more.
At Chu Van An high school, where An is a 9th grader, she is the only foreigner. “I’m only different with my classmates in physical appearance. I never feel that I’m a western girl. I ought to have been an 11th grader but I spent two years to learn Vietnamese, so now I’m a 9th grade student.”
An has two close Vietnamese male friends. She said she is still small to think of love but it is better to have a Vietnamese boyfriend in the future because she would have closer attachment to Vietnam, her second home country.
She looks premature on the catwalk but in the real life, An is a teen girl who is mischievous and springily. During her free time, she watches movies, loiters in the street, tasting Vietnamese food with her friends.
Good at Vietnamese, An is an efficient assistant to her father. She often helps him to reply customers’ emails in the morning. After leaving school on the afternoon, she works as a model. The young girl can also play piano, guitar and sing.
An said her family likes the summer in Vietnam. She has been to many Vietnamese cities like Hue, Da Lat, HCM City, Ha Long, etc.
“My love to my second home country is very deep. I see myself as a Vietnamese girl. Whenever I went abroad, I wished to return to Hanoi quickly. I think I cannot live any place in the world, except for this country,” she said.
An is waiting to be granted the Vietnamese citizenship to participate in local beauty contests. She dreams to represent Vietnam at international beauty pageants.
TN
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