VietNamNet Bridge – While Vietnam annually tries to find its representatives for international beauty contests, many winners of local pageants are neglected.

In 2002, Vietnam sent its first representative to the Miss World pageant, Miss Vietnam Pham Thi Mai Phuong. Since then, the country has professionalized its beauty pageants in an effort to market Vietnamese beauties to the world. Its representatives have appeared in the most popular international beauty pageants like Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss Earth, etc. Seeking appropriate contestants for these events have become an annual task.

However, why Vietnam has to try to seek new faces for international beauty pageants when it can pick up the winners of previous beauty contests?

VietNamNet makes a list of possible candidates, who have been neglected for a long time.

The first is Bui Thi Hoang Oanh, 27, 1.72m, the first runner-up of Miss Vietnam 2002 pageant. At that time, Vietnam joined the Miss World pageant for the first time, so Miss Vietnam 2002 Mai Phuong Thuy was the top choice. Hoang Oanh, whose beauty is enough for international pageants, lost her chance.
The second is the first runner-up of Miss Vietnam 2006 pageant, Luu Bao Anh, 24. Bao Anh, 1.72m, was highly appreciated by the jury for her beauty. However, Mai Phuong Thuy was the winner with the impressive height of 1.79m, the tallest contestant so far. Certainly, Thuy became Vietnam’s representative at the Miss World 2006.

It is a pity that after the Miss Vietnam 2006 pageant, Bao Anh has been forgotten, though she meets standards to be Vietnam’s representative at international pageants.

The next year, the Miss Vietnam World pageant was held for the first time, and its first runner-up Dang Minh Thu was sent to the Miss World 2007 pageant.

Vo Hoang Yen is the third case. At the age of 23, Hoang Yen holds two titles: the Supermodel and the first runner-up of Miss Universe Vietnam pageant. Her beauty and height are completely suitable for international beauty contests but Hoang Yen has been forgotten, though she is still a top model in Vietnam, since her failure at the Miss Universe 2009 pageant. Yen’s case is different from other countries, where one girl can represent her country at many international beauty pageants.

Miss Vietnam World 2007, Ngo Phuong Lan is another case of waste when she refused to participate in many international beauty contests.
The last case is Miss Vietnam 2006, Mai Phuong Thuy. At the age of 23, the beauty queen is now much more beautiful and mature. With the ideal height and body measurements, Thuy does not choose showbiz as her future career.

Huy Minh