Vietnam's Huong Giang was crowned second runner-up at Miss Grand International All Stars 2026, prompting an emotional reaction from fans during the grand finale held in Bangkok, Thailand, on the evening of May 30.
The MGI All Stars 2026 final brought together 56 contestants representing countries and territories around the world. Vietnam's representative, Huong Giang, stood out from the opening group performance and contestant introductions.
After the introduction segment, the Top 18 finalists were announced. Huong Giang was the fourth contestant called. However, due to the pronunciation of her name, she initially did not realize she had been selected and appeared surprised when the contestant standing beside her congratulated her.
The host also announced Vietnam as the winner of the World's Choice Award, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
The swimsuit competition produced one of the biggest surprises of the night. Huong Giang led the entire Top 18 with a total score of 7.83, far ahead of second-placed Vanessa Pulgarin of Colombia, who scored 6.85.
The publicly displayed scoreboard on Grand TV showed that the Vietnamese contestant received a perfect 10 from judge Abena, 9.68 from Jojo, along with high scores from Isabella (9.00), Natalie (8.70), and PSI (8.50).
Top 10 contestants.
The decisive advantage came from audience voting. Huong Giang received 32,860 votes from viewers, a figure that significantly surpassed most of her competitors.
Following the swimsuit round, the Top 10 rankings were: Huong Giang (Vietnam) - 7.83, Vanessa Pulgarin (Colombia) - 6.85, Tharina Botes (South Africa) - 6.84, Faith Maria Porter (Ghana) - 6.73, Gazini Ganados (Philippines) - 6.66, Gabriela de la Cruz (Venezuela) - 6.57, Fuscilla Londono (Ecuador) - 6.51, Mariana Beckova (Czech Republic) - 6.42, Yahilex Hernandez (Dominican Republic) - 6.42, and Suheyn Cipriani (Peru) - 6.25.
After entering the finale ranked 12th overall, Huong Giang staged an impressive comeback to rise to the top of the leaderboard.
A commanding evening gown performance
Huong Giang during the evening gown competition.
For the evening gown competition, Huong Giang appeared in a gold crystal-embellished gown. She walked the stage wearing dramatic butterfly-inspired wings extending from both sides, creating a striking visual effect that drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Beyond the elaborate costume, she impressed with her confidence, maintaining direct eye contact with the camera throughout her performance. Huong Giang received multiple perfect scores of 10 from the judges, along with a 9.5 from Natalie Glebova and a 9 from Lupita Jones.
The evening gown round became one of the fiercest contests of the night, featuring high-profile contestants in elaborate couture creations. Gold was a popular choice among many contestants, including Colombia's feathered gown and Venezuela's warrior-inspired metallic ensemble.
Representing a different style, Ghana's contestant drew attention with a golden-orange fringe gown and strong-shouldered silhouette, while the Czech Republic's representative opted for a body-hugging silver crystal dress.
Historic Top 5 appearance
Top 5 finalists advance to the question-and-answer round.
The Top 5 finalists were announced as Huong Giang (Vietnam), Faith Maria Porter (Ghana), Vanessa Pulgarin (Colombia), Gazini Ganados (Philippines), and Mariana Beckova (Czech Republic).
The Top 5 question-and-answer round followed a special format in which each contestant received a question from an assigned judge, combined with real-time audience voting.
Huong Giang was the first contestant to answer. Judge Omar Harfouch, who had previously generated controversy by giving her a score of five in the semifinal, asked: "What makes you different in a way that nobody else on this stage can replicate?"
Without hesitation, Huong Giang answered in English: "I am here not only representing beauty. I represent resilience and my story - a story that nobody else on this stage has. I am a pioneer, someone who has opened doors in pageant history. I am standing in the Top 5 as the first transgender contestant ever to reach this stage. And I am ready to inspire everyone."
Mariana Beckova was asked by Natalie Glebova about what she had to give up in order to grow. The Czech contestant spoke about a younger version of herself hiding in a closet, crying and trembling because she felt unheard. She revealed she is now pursuing a doctorate in psychology to transform pain into strength and inspire others.
Faith Maria Porter of Ghana was asked by Lupita Jones about the legacy she hopes to leave behind. She said she wanted her legacy to be one of courage and resilience, explaining that an All Stars queen is not someone who never fails, but someone who uses failure as motivation to rise stronger.
Vanessa Pulgarin of Colombia was asked whether her victory could help unite a divided international pageant community. Speaking in Spanish, she said she carries the world in her heart and that, if she won, she hoped to become a symbol of love - the only force capable of creating genuine unity.
Gazini Ganados of the Philippines received a question about online bullying from judge Abena. Her emotional response included revealing that she had personally experienced cyberbullying and that members of her family remain trapped in Gaza.
Top 3 battle
Top 3 in the question-and-answer round: Ghana, Vietnam, and Colombia.
From the Top 5, organizers narrowed the competition to three finalists: Huong Giang (Vietnam), Faith Maria Porter (Ghana), and Vanessa Pulgarin (Colombia).
The final question required all three contestants to answer separately while the others wore headphones to avoid hearing each response.
The question was: "What quality makes you a star and allows people to clearly see that quality?"
Vanessa Pulgarin responded confidently: "I was born to be a star. This is my biggest dream. Even when people tell you that you cannot do something, you still can because we have strength and discipline. I am here because I worked hard for my dream. I was born to stand on a stage and connect with people."
Huong Giang answered with energy and conviction: "Working in this industry for more than a decade has taught me that courage can change destiny. If you never give up, you become the author of your own story. From that moment, you can inspire everyone - those who are living in the darkness of life can look at you and realize that no dream is impossible."
She concluded: "I am a star not because I shine for myself. I am a star because I shine for everyone - so that my community can rise and so that I can open doors for people to believe in themselves."
Faith Maria Porter delivered the final response of the night, sharing the story of a dark-skinned woman who had repeatedly been told she was not beautiful enough and not worthy enough, yet continued to stand tall with pride.
"Young girls from Ghana, from Africa, and from all around the world have told me that because I represent my country and my skin color with pride, they see themselves as more beautiful. That is the most important quality of a beauty queen," she said.
A controversial score and a historic finish
Colombia's Vanessa Pulgarin wins MGI All Stars 2026
In the final Top 3 scoring round, Huong Giang led the audience vote with 26,524 votes. However, she ranked third overall after receiving lower scores from the judging panel.
Judge Lupita Jones awarded the Vietnamese contestant only five points, resulting in an average judges' score of 8.4, significantly lower than Colombia's 9.23 and Ghana's 9.86.
Faith Maria Porter received the highest judges' score of the competition at 9.86, including six perfect 10s from eight judges. However, she received only 140 audience votes, a number that was negligible compared to her two rivals.
The competition's 70 percent judges and 30 percent audience voting system ultimately shaped the final outcome.
Vanessa Pulgarin of Colombia was crowned Miss Grand International All Stars 2026, bringing an emotional finale in Bangkok to a close.
Faith Maria Porter finished as first runner-up, while Vietnam's Huong Giang was named second runner-up - a result that sparked pride and celebration among supporters in Vietnam and abroad.
With her second runner-up finish, Huong Giang wrote a new chapter in Vietnamese pageant history. She became the first transgender contestant ever to finish in the Top 3 of a major global beauty competition.
Vanessa Pulgarin, 35, is a model and Social Communications graduate from Colombia. She had led the overall rankings throughout both semifinal nights. Many pageant observers considered her victory well deserved, although some fans expressed disappointment for Huong Giang after the Vietnamese contestant dominated the swimsuit round and earned the highest audience vote total of the Top 18.
About MGI All Stars
MGI All Stars is a special international pageant announced by Miss Grand International President Nawat Itsaragrisil in late 2025.
The competition allows contestants to register independently without going through national MGI license holders. It also expands eligibility to include transgender contestants, married women, and mothers.
The winner receives a cash prize ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 1 million.
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