Dang Minh Thu, the second runner-up of Miss Vietnam Global 2007 pageant contest

Anyone who watched the Miss Vietnam Global 2007 final night shares the same viewpoint that the first runner-up is more outstanding than the second runner-up in every respect, from height, appearance, knowledge, experience, performing ability and especially English.

Teressa Sam, though not being pure Vietnamese, she still has the grace and gentle beauty of an Oriental women and she can completely represent Vietnamese women at an international beauty contest.

Teressa Sam is better than Minh Thu in every aspect but why has Dang Minh Thu been chosen by Elite Vietnam for the Miss World pageant contest, not Teressa Sam?

Because Teressa Sam bears British nationality? Elite Vietnam knew this at the start, but why did its representative still tell the press that Elite had a headache because it could not choose between Teressa Sam and Minh Thu after Ngo Phuong Lan refused?

Many say that it is irrational to choose the second runner-up, not the first runner-up, but it is rational if they know that Dang Minh Thu has become an exclusive model for Elite since the Miss Vietnam Global 2007 contest.

If reviewing candidates that Elite has selected to represent Vietnam at international beauty contests so far, one would be startled, because most have been Elite models, for example, model Thuy Quan (Vietnamese candidate at the Miss World 2003 contest), model Le Minh Phuong (Miss International 2003), model Chu Van Anh (Miss Intercontinental), model Nguyen Ngan Ha (Miss Earth 2003 and then Miss Tourism Queen International), model Duong Thuy Linh (Miss International Tourism 2004), model Vu Huong Giang (Miss World 2005), model Pham Thu Hang (Miss Universe 2005), model Nguyen Hong Ha (Miss Asia 2005), model Thanh Hang (Miss Intercontinental 2005), model Pham Thu Hang (Miss Universe 2005), model Vu Huong Giang (Miss World 2005), model Lan Phuong (Miss International Tourism 2006), model Vu Ngoc Diep (Miss International 2006), model Vu Nguyen Ha Anh (Miss Earth 2006), model Trieu Nguyen Thu Trang (Miss Tourism Queen International 2007), model Pham Thi Thuy Duong (Miss International 2007).

Thuy Hanh, a model and manager of Elite, also appointed herself to be the representative of Vietnam in the Miss Earth 2004 contest quietly.

Exclusive models of Elite Vietnam (photo: elitemodel.vn)

It is easy to differentiate between a model and a beauty contest. A model needs height while other norms like knowledge, foreign language, etc. are not important, but Elite continuously sends its models to international beauty contests as “representatives of Vietnam”.

Most models of Elite Vietnam, who wore the banner Miss Vietnam, often returned from international beauty contests with a zero, affecting the prestige, the image and achievement of Vietnam in the international beauty arena.

Since Vietnam officially began taking part in international pageant contests, Vietnamese candidates have won titles three times and the three candidates were all Miss Vietnam, including Miss Vietnam 2002 Pham Thi Mai Phuong (entering top 20 beauties of Miss World 2002), Miss Vietnam 2004 Nguyen Thi Huyen (top 15 of Miss World 2004), and Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy (top 15 Miss World 2006). Thanks to the three Miss Vietnams, Vietnam is in the top 50 of the international beauty rankings.

In all other beauty contests, Elite sent its models as Vietnamese representatives and all of them returned bare handed and didn’t contribute any point to the nation in the tally and rankings list.

This result is unsurprising because the beauty of “Vietnamese representative models” is poorer compared to other candidates who are carefully selected in national beauty contests.

Actually, in the cases of the three Miss Vietnams who attended international beauty contests, they were sent to these contests under the pressure of the public and Elite had no way to choose another to replace them. However, after those contests, promising candidates after Miss Vietnams like first runners-up Trinh Chan Tran or Luu Bao Anh were not selected and their opportunities were given to Elite models.

Elite nearly lost its licence after committing mistakes in sending its models to international pageant contests in the name of Vietnam without the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Information (Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports at present), for example the case of model Pham Thu Hang at Miss Universe 2005, model Lan Phuong at Miss International Tourism 2006.

In early 2007, a wave of protest spread throughout online forums when model Trieu Nguyen Thu Trang represented Vietnam at the Miss Tourism Queen International contest because this girl is nameless while many promising candidates from the Miss Vietnam 2006 contest were not chosen. Finally, this model returned home without any prize.

Why does Elite always send its models to international contests though they never win titles?

When a model represents Vietnam at an international beauty contest her name becomes more “expensive”, and thus, Elite can benefit from this when leasing its models.

In addition, sending its models to international pageant contests is one way to market Elite Vietnam, and consequently the national image, prestige and interest have been taken advantage of to serve the benefit of the modelling company.

This year, two Vietnamese girls, Tran Thi Huong Giang and Thuy Duong, have been chosen for Miss Asia 2007 and Miss International 2007.

Tran Thi Huong Giang, Miss Hai Duong (1.78m height), who owns a nicer face and body than Thuy Duong, and was also in the top ten of Miss Vietnam 2006 like Thuy Duong, was sent to Miss Asia 2007, a continental beauty contest, while Duong was sent to Miss International 2007. The reason is that Thuy Duong is an exclusive model of Elite.

Though Miss Vietnam Global 2007 has just been concluded for a short period of time, Elite has chosen model Truc Diem for the Miss Earth 2007 contest but this time, Truc Diem is not a sole model of Elite.

Why are Vietnamese people never consulted about the selection of candidates to represent the nation at international beauty contests? The state closely manages other fields but its management of this field seems very loose – that a modelling company can easily take advantage of the mechanism.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports and competent agencies need to be stricter in licencing candidates who represent the nation at international beauty contests, otherwise the image of Vietnamese women in the world will be affected. 

Kim Ngoc Huy