VietNamNet Bridge – Twenty young women from nine cities and provinces in the northern region will compete in the finals of the Miss Vietnam Beauty Pageant 2012 from August 14- 25 in Da Nang City.

The beauties, aged between 18 and 24, were selected from a group of 40 contestants in the northern region finals held in Hanoi yesterday morning, Aug 9. The jury members included anthropometrist Dr. Tham Hoang Diep, film director Tran Luc, poet Phan Huyen Thu and journalists Nguyen Huy Loc and Vu Manh Cuong.

The northern contestants will compete for the Miss Vietnam title against 20 contestants from the south that were chosen at the region’s finals in Ho Chi Minh City on August 3.

The theme of this year’s pageant, ‘Confluence and Spreading Beauty’, aims to hounour the spiritual and intellectual beauty of talented Vietnamese women.

The crowning ceremony at the 5,000 seat Tien Son Sports Palace in Da Nang will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television Channels 1 and 4 on August 25.

Miss Vietnam 2012 will win the crown and VND 300 million. The first and second runners-up will receive VND150 million and VND 100 million, respectively. Awards will also be given for Miss Talent, Miss Beach, Miss Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional dress), Miss Beautiful Face and Miss People’s Choice.

Launched in 1988 by the Tien Phong newspaper, the Miss Vietnam pageant is held biennially and is always very popular with the public. The 2010 crown went to Dang Thi Ngoc Han from Hanoi.

VietNamNet/Nhan Dan