The number of girls who are called “beauty queens” has soared in Vietnam in recent years. Some joke that Vietnam is now in disorder of beauties and they can see a beauty queen whenever they leave their houses.

In recent time, numerous beauty contests, both national and international, have been held in Vietnam. Vietnamese girls also participate in overseas pageants held by the community of overseas Vietnamese or international pageants. As a result, the number of girls who are honored as “beauty queens” is incalculable.

VietNamNet would like to list some beauty contests for Vietnamese girls.

The most prestigious pageant is Miss Vietnam. It was launched in 1988 and since then it is held each two years. The event was initiated by the Tien Phong Newspaper, named Miss Tien Phong Newspaper. In 2002, it was renamed Miss Vietnam to become the national beauty pageant. The first beauty queen of Miss Vietnam is Bui Bich Phuong and the current beauty queen is Dang Thi Ngoc Han (2010).

Since 2008, the crown of Miss Vietnam has been transferred. Beauty queens only wear the original crown only in the night of coronation. The gold and gem-made crown is preserved in a safe box after that. In events after the coronation, Miss Vietnam will use the copy crown, which is made by silver and gems.

This pageant has had many sponsors in recent years so bonus for winners has risen remarkably. In 2009, Miss Vietnam Thuy Dung received VND150 million ($8,000), the highest bonus ever from a beauty pageant in Vietnam. But in 2010, Miss Vietnam Ngoc Han had over VND500 million ($26,000) of bonus.
Miss Vietnam Universe is also a national beauty contest, which was organized only one in 2008. The organizers included Universal Company, HCM City Television Station and Cat Tien Sa company. The first beauty queen is singer Thuy Lam.

Miss Vietnam Ethnics was initiated by Lam Dong province in 2007. The second pageant has been upgraded into a national event, which will take place later this year. The firt Miss Vietnam Ethnics is a Tay ethnic girl named Nguyen Thi Hoang Nhung, who earned VND100 million ($6,000) of bonus.
Miss Vietnam Tourism was launched in 2008 to advertise Vietnam’s tourism. The first beauty queen is Phan Thi Ngoc Diem, a girl from Khanh Hoa province. The crown of this pageant is made by crystal.

Miss Vietnam Photogenic was held the first time by the Women’s World newspaper in 2000. It then took place for six consecutive years. The last time was in 2006 and the winner is Duong Thi My Linh. This pageant is not popular but its winners have become very famous in the showbiz, including models Tran Bao Ngoc, Duong Yen Ngoc, Thanh Hang, Truc Diem, My Linh and Truong Thi May, singer and actress Ngoc Thanh Van, etc.
Mrs. Vietnam is the pageant for married women. It was held only once in 2009 and the winner is businesswoman Hoang Thi yen, 33, with VND150 million bonus. However, this pageant is associated with many scandals.

In addition, there are dozens of local-level beauty contests, such as Miss Coastal Region, Miss Muong Ethnic, Miss Mekong Delta, Miss Can Tho, Miss Jewelry, Miss Hung Kings’ Temple, etc.

There are also beauty contests held by the overseas Vietnamese community or Vietnamese agencies for Vietnamese girls around the world.
The most outstanding event is Miss Vietnam World, which were held twice in 2007 and 2010. Both winners are contestants from Vietnam, Ngo Phuong Lan in 2007 and Luu Thi Diem Huong in 2010.

This pageant is a new one but it is very popular and meaningful since it shows the unity of Vietnamese in the world and Vietnamese girls’ proud of Vietnamese beauty and cultural characters. Miss Vietnam World is considered the second pageant in Vietnam, after Miss Vietnam.
For bonus, this event now holds the record for high bonus. Besides the crown worth VND1 billion ($50,000), the winner receives VND500 million ($25,000) of cash.

There are other pageants with similar names but they have small scale, for instance Miss Vietnam Global, Miss Vietnam in Europe, Miss Vietnam in SNG, Miss Vietnam in the US, etc.