Nguyen Phuong Khanh, representing Vietnam at the Miss Earth contest, has won gold for the Asia & Oceania region in the national costume round on October 11 in Manila, the Philippines.

Nguyen Phuong Khanh (centre) wins gold for Asia & Oceania in the national costume round (Photo: zing.vn)

The contestants from Guyana won for South America; Mexico won for Central America; Sierra Leone won for Africa; and Spain for Europe.

Designer Linh San designed Khanh’s costume, drawing inspiration from the Sun Goddess of Greek mythology.

The designer combined the image of the Sun Goddess with traditional Vietnamese long dress. The headwear was also a reflection of Greek goddesses, while the over coat was taken from an ancient story of a famous female Vietnamese general.

“The costume has embroidered images of endangered animals such as rhinos and flamingos, as well as images of forests and mountains to remind people to protect the environment,” said San.

The contest will continue until November 3. This year it includes contestants from 94 countries and territories around the world.-VNA