H'Hen Niê in the coffee-inspired dress, during the 9th Buôn Ma Thuột Coffee Festival 2025. — Photos courtesy of H'Hen Niê

ĐĂK LĂK – During the 9th Buôn Ma Thuột Coffee Festival 2025, model H'Hen Niê dressed like a cup of coffee, parading on the street with thousands of visitors who came to enjoy the event.

The unique outfit was designed in the image of a Vietnamese coffee filter, a characteristic symbol of the nation's coffee culture. The headpiece was stylised to resemble the lid, with the body the rest of the filter.

The appearance of the beauty queen in this special outfit made a strong impression on the people lining both sides of the street, who cheered and called out her name to express their love and admiration.

The dramatic outfit was the work of designer Huỳnh Hải Dương and his team. They started with crafting the coffee filter model, then covered it with a layer of fabric to give it a glossy finish. Inside, H'Hen Niê wore a traditional áo dài (long tunic) with tassels attached to the hem to enhance the flow effect while moving.

The unique outfit was designed in the image of a Vietnamese coffee filter.

According to the famed model H'Hen Niê, the outfit reminds her of many good memories of her with her family.

“Every coffee ripening season, my parents would go to the fields to harvest the beans, bringing them back and putting the crop in piles in our stilt house. Every morning, my mother would wake up to light the stove, roast the beans and then brew the coffee through a filter for the whole family to enjoy. To this day, my family still maintains this habit whenever we gather together, ” she said.

H'Hen Niê and her team came up with the idea for the outfit just a few days before the event started. The costume wasn't heavy, but it was a bit difficult to move in over the long distance of nearly two kilometres. "I had to keep the coffee filter from shifting as I walked through the crowd," she explained.

This is the third time H'Hen Niê assumed the role of ambassador for the festival, aiming to promote the beauty of the Central Highlands region as well as the agricultural products of her homeland.

H'Hen Niê won Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017 and was one of five finalists of the Miss Universe 2018 pageant. She was the first Miss Universe from Việt Nam to be from an ethnic minority group.

The 9th Buôn Ma Thuột Coffee Festival 2025 took place from March 9 to 13. The festival featured many beautiful performances from various artists and artisans introducing Đắk Lắk coffee industry to locals and tourists. – VNS