VietNamNet Bridge – According to the latest news on Global Beauties, a prestigious website on international beauty pageants, the Miss Earth 2012 pageant may not be organized in Vietnam, but in Thailand or the Philippines.

Vietnam to build $10mil theater for Miss Earth 2012

Global Beauties pointed out difficulties in organizing the Miss Earth 2012 in Vietnam. It quoted Nguyen Cong Khe, President of the Thanh Nien Media Corp, as saying that hosting the pageant in Vietnam is not official and still under “discussion.”

Khe said that there are still talks with the Filipino organizers of Miss Earth, and a permit from the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism must be granted. “With the difficult economic situation that the country is facing, every possible event and its costs must be examined carefully,” he added.

In early December 2011, the Vietnamese media reported that the Vietnamese Foreign Minister, Khe and Ninh Thuan province’s officials signed an agreement with the organizing board of Miss Earth 2012 pageant.

Accordingly, a special amphitheatre with 2,000 seats is being built in the coastal city of Ninh Thuan, which would hold the 2012 Miss Earth and Miss Vietnam pageants. Vietnam hosted the Miss Earth competition in 2010, and it was reported it would host the contest in even years (2012, 2014, 2016). However the deal seems to have vanished.

The mentioned venue, called “The Coral Theatre” is being built at a cost of $10 million, and expected to be completed in August.  The official opening ceremony to inaugurate the building will take place in October.  According to Khe, the building will launch the city of Phan Rang – Thap Cham as a major entertainment destination.

If Vietnam should cancel the event, the other possible venues would be Bangkok (Thailand) or Manila (Philippines).

GB