Photos of two contestants of Miss Eco Vietnam 2021 that is held for the first time. — Photo nhandan.vn

HÀ NỘI — An online photo contest seeking to spread a positive message of environmental protection for the wider community has kicked off the first Miss Eco Vietnam pageant.

Officially licensed by the People's Committee of HCM City, the national beauty contest is in response to an initiative put forward by former Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc to plant one billion trees between 2021 and 2025.

It is jointly held by Môi Trường Và Đô Thị Việt Nam (Việt Nam Environment And Urban) magazine and Q-Talent company.

Entrants must be Vietnamese women aged between 18 and 26 who are above 1.65 metres tall. Candidates must send their profiles to the organisers at hoahaumoitruongvietnam@gmail.com before July 31.

Since the online photo contest was launched on the page facebook.com/hoahaumoitruong.vn on July 3, the organisers of the competition have received hundreds of entries from across the country and Vietnamese students studying abroad.

However, it is a separate contest that will not affect the results of Miss Eco Vietnam 2021.

Besides activities to promote tourism and culture, the contestants of the beauty pageant will have to participate in many environmental activities that prove their ability to inspire positive messages about environmental protection.

The judges are experts in the fields of economy, culture, art, journalism, fashion, beauty, modelling and anthropometry.

The grand final of Miss Eco Vietnam 2021 is scheduled to get underway on October 20 in HCM City. 

“We were planning to hold a press conference to announce the contest and the pre-qualification plan but fortunately the fourth wave of the pandemic struck. In the immediate future, we will focus on the ongoing online photo contest," said a media representative of the Miss Environment Vietnam 2021 in an interview with Pháp Luật TP.HCM (HCMC Law) newspaper.

“Depending on the actual situation, there will be a flexible enrollment form for this contest. If the situation of the pandemic is complicated, the candidates could be selected via virtual form, but it is just the second option. The organisation must be decent and not in a hurry so we will probably consider a plan of delaying the pageant until the pandemic is under control. The candidates could still submit their entries online as normal. We expect to meet the candidates in person."

As the candidates might come from the pandemic-affected area, the representative revealed that the organisers will consider online entries but “they must be present on the competing days”.

The winners of the photo contest and the beauty pageant will take part in various environmental protection activities hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the rest of this year and into 2022. — VNS