HÀ NỘI – Vietnamese trans woman Hương Giang was crowned Miss International Queen 2018 – a contest that is billed as the world’s largest and most popular transgender pageant, on Friday night at the resort city of Pattaya in Thailand.

The 26-year-old, who is the first ever Vietnamese contestant to attend the peagant, beat nearly 30 contestants for the crown, with second and third places going to Jacqueline from Australia, and Rinrada Thurapan from Thailand.

Giang, who is a popular singer in Việt Nam, also won the title of Best Talent as she showed off her sweet voice and elegant dance moves when she sang the song Hush Hush.

Her introductory video won the hearts of many spectators thanks to her intelligence and fluency in English. The video grabbed the title ‘Most Popular Introductory Video’.

During the contest, when she was asked “What is your own value?”, Giang answered: "Although I was born unlike who I am today, I never ever stopped trying my best and sharpening myself so I can be here at this pageant today, being a pride of Việt Nam.”

At the finale’s Q&A section for the three finalists, Giang was questioned by the judges “If you could implement a social activity which makes the world better, what would you do?” The Vietnamese representative said that she will fight for the equality of transgender people “because everyone in the world has the right to be happy.”

Together with the title, the newly crowned Queen also has received a cash prize of US$12,500, plus one year living in a luxury apartment in Thailand, and any kind of plastic surgery.    

“When I woke up in the next morning after the coronation, I still thought it was a dream. I want to thank my parents, my team, and my fans, especially the LGBT community, who support me a lot. In the finale, many people even flew to Thailand to cheer me on. They are the ones who gave me more strength during the night. I’m grateful for them,” Giang said.

Giang is in Thailand to implement her task as a newly crowned Queen before going back to Việt Nam to join other projects targeting the local LGBT community.

“Those projects are the ones that I have nurtured for a long time,” she said.

Giang, who is a singer, became popular after joining Vietnam Idol 2012 and ending among the top 4. She caused a stir among local fans in January when she announced she would vie for the crown at Miss International Queen. To prepare for the pageant, Giang put in a lot of hard work. In just two months, Giang lost 7kg to get achieve her desired body figure.  

Founded in 2004, Miss International Queen is an annual pageant, which brings together transgender people from around the world, and to help transgender women feel more accepted by society. – VNS