HÀ NỘI — A woman from the Ê Đê ethnic group was crowned Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017 after the final round of the beauty pageant was held yesterday evening in Nha Trang, in the central province of Khánh Hòa.

The 25-year-old from the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk, H’Hen Niê, took home the crown, valued at VNĐ2.7 billion (US$119,000), together with a cash prize of VNĐ200 million ($8,800).

Hoàng Thị Thùy and Mâu Thị Thanh Thủy were first and second runners-up, respectively.

Thùy was the champion of the 2011 cycle of Việt Nam’s Next Top Model, a modeling reality television series, while Thủy was the winner of the show’s 2013 cycle.

Forty-two contestants from across the country strutted their stuff on the final night of Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017. They displayed catwalk skills in traditional Vietnamese long robes, evening gowns, and swimsuits.

This year is just the third time Miss Universe Việt Nam has been organised to select the country’s representatives to attend international pageants, with the other two times being in 2008 and 2015.

The 2017 edition of the competition was suspended for two months by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in November after it drew criticism for holding the semifinal in typhoon-hit Nha Trang.

Miss Universe Việt Nam 2017 H’Hen Niê (centre) and Hoàng Thị Thùy (left) and Mâu Thị Thanh Thủy (right).— Photo courtesy of organiser

Among the board of judges were Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza and Miss Việt Nam 2006 Mai Phương Thúy.

In the interview round for the Top Five, H’Hen Niê picked a question, asking what she could do, as Miss Universe Việt Nam, to encourage people to use social media in a more positive way.

“Social media is a two-edged knife with both positive and negative impacts. I want to stress that there are many other more beautiful things in life for us to treasure, so let’s cut down on our use of social media so we can be closer to one another,” Niê answered.

In the last interview round, the Top Three answered one common question about their future community projects. Niê said she would focus on orphans in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng, women and HIV sufferers because they are vulnerable people, in her opinion.

Niê is 1.72m tall with measurements of 84-60-93. She was consistently in the list of outstanding girls of the competition thanks to her light brown complexion, athletic shape, short hair and powerful strutting skills. Currently, she works as a model in HCM City. — VNS