Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien wins the Miss Grand International 2021 crown in Thailand.

Early December saw Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien win the Miss Grand International 2021 crown in Thailand after outperforming 100 stunning contestants, including those from Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Brazil, and South Africa.

This marked the first time that a Vietnamese beauty has won the top title at one of the world's leading beauty pageants. 

Ready for the mission

The title won by Thuy Tien shows the ability of Vietnamese beauties, breaking the prejudice that a local girl could not win the top place in a major international contest.

Over the past decade, there has been a large number of Vietnamese beauties including Nguyen Thi Huyen, Mai Phuong Thuy, and H'Hen Nie participating in global beauty contests. However, no one has been able to reach the top place, and the question is if these beauties do not possess the perfect body mass index like the previously-crowned contestants?

Advancing to the Top 5, Thuy Tien was asked, “With the current world situation, there are many problems such as those related to human rights and economy. If you choose one person to discuss the problems in order to make change, who will you choose and why?”

Tien replied that she would like to talk to the woman who invented the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

“She doesn’t need money from her invention and I’m grateful for that. Sometimes you need to do the good things but don’t need to be given the credit for them,” Tien answered.

This marks the first time that a Vietnamese beauty has won the top title at one of the world's leading beauty pageants.

In the top 10 round, Tien shared her view on peace, “Peace is like the air around us. We live with it every day, we think about it every day, but somehow we assume that protecting it is not our responsibility… I’m standing here for the ones who feel neglected and abandoned… Please let the love and sympathy raise in your inner self so that war and violence cannot happen.”

She went on to beat the Ecuadorian contestant in the Top 2 final-question round with her smart answer in both English and Thai, when all entrants were asked why they thought they should win the title.

"I have to be honest that I didn’t think I would be standing here. I’m very nervous right now. I just want to say that I’m ready to work. I’m ready to be in Thailand for one year," the Vietnamese beauty answered.

Winning a title at a major competitions is not only the honour but also the responsibility the winner must take during her term. For Tien, she understood that she would try to end all forms of violence and spread love and peace, not only in Thailand and Asia, but throughout the world. 

Beauty is not everything

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien was born in 1998 in Ho Chi Minh City. She stands at 1.71 metres tall and weighs 52 kilograms, with a body figure of 83-62-92 centimetres.

Tien grew up without her parents who divorced when she was just four years old. She studied at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, and can speak many languages such as English, French, and Thai. In addition to these linguistic skills, she also has a special interest in music and dancing.

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien shines in a design called Blue Angel at the national costume competition of the Miss Grand International 2021.

“When I was young, I was sometimes sad and felt neglected because of my family affairs… But living without love and care teaches me how important love is so that I always want to spread love and be kind to everyone,” she said.

Prior to competing in Miss Grand International, the Vietnamese girl took part in the Miss Southern Vietnam 2017 pageant where she was named as first runner-up.

Tien was also among the Top 5 during Miss Vietnam 2018 and went on to represent the country at Miss International 2018, but failed to finish among the leading contestants.

It can be considered that people like Thuy Tien deserve to be the standard for modern girls. Indeed, both women or men need to know how to be more beautiful and kind as that is how they can respect themselves and the people around them.

Many actors, models, and artists throughout the world are not only beautiful, rich, and talented, but also have kind hearts.

Over the past decade, renowned actor Leonardo DiCaprio has called for a global ban on illegal wildlife trade and consumption in order to prevent future pandemics similar to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Moreover, the high-end fashion brand Gucci has decided to start using a new material made up of “animal-free” leather and other sustainable resources. Gucci has been followed by several other leading luxury brands including Macy’s, Versace, and Prada that have also decided to drop the use of animal fur in their products.

Other prime examples of celebrities using their fame and influence for good causes include pop star Sir Elton John who established The Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992. This organisation went on to become one of the leading independent AIDS organisations in the world, with the Foundation’s mission to be a powerful force that strives to end the AIDS pandemic. 

Famous American talk show host, television producer, actress, and author Oprah Winfrey is also currently operating three charitable funds.

Similar to other celebrities worldwide, Thuy Tien in her role of Miss Grand International winner will have further opportunities to carry out charity campaigns that have a greater impact. 

Vietnamese beauty on the rise

Last year also witnessed the successes of other Vietnamese beauties. Vu Hoang Dieu, 13, won the Miss Eco Teen International 2021 title at the grand finale of the pageant held in Egypt in December.

Elsewhere, Hoang Huong Ly entered the Top 5 of the grand final of the Miss Tourism International pageant which was held virtually in December in Malaysia and was named as the winner of the Miss Tourism Metropolitan International 2021.

Vietnamese model Quynh Anh triumphed over Nikki of the Philippines and Hannah of Singapore to win the SupermodelMe Revolution held in Singapore on December 13, becoming the first Vietnamese model to win the biggest Asian supermodel competition.

In recent years, domestic beauty contests have been organised on a large scale. Contestants are professionally trained to style, pose, walk, and participate in long-term community projects that help them to be more confident in international competitions.

The Vietnamese beauties have also achieved a high level of success at international competitions. They include H’Hen Nie (Miss Universe 2018 Top 5), Nguyen Phuong Khanh (Miss Earth 2018), Minh Tu (Miss Supranational Asia 2018 Top 10), Kieu Loan (one of the Miss Grand International 2019 Top 10), and Ngoc Chau (Miss Asian Supranational 2019).

Appropriate investment, professional training, good communication skills, and a good command of English are the important factors for Vietnamese beauties to win the top titles at international beauty pageants.

Possessing world-class beauty brands, both Thailand and Singapore tend to exert their influence to improve their power and national position across the world. Indeed, this also helps them to impose their own beauty and cultural standards on events.

If Vietnam had a similar international-level competition, it would be an extremely effective tool to elevate the country's position in a field that it boasts resources in.

Most notably, the country is home to many romantic beaches, ideal resorts that are ranked by leading Asian travel magazines such as Travel Live and Travel Biz. It also has many famous fashion designers and women who are both talented and beautiful. It's time for Vietnam to think about making an impact on the beauty industry.

An international beauty pageant run by Vietnamese founders sounds like an exciting prospect and could very well come true if the entire nation comes together to achieve this goal.

Source: VOV 

Vietnam's Thuy Tien crowned Miss Grand International 2021

Vietnamese representative Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien was named Miss Grand International 2021 during the pageant’s coronation night held on December 4, in Bangkok, Thailand.