The winner of this year’s Miss Vietnam beauty pageant will be honored with this handcrafted pearl-and-sapphire crown estimated to be worth VND2.2 billion (US$98,000).

A press conference has been held by Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper and Golden Lotus Advertising Company, the two co-organizers of the contest, to announce the final qualifying round of the 2016 Miss Vietnam contest.

Established in 1988, Miss Vietnam is the longest-standing beauty pageant in the country and is held every two years to select the most worthy contestants to represent Vietnam in international beauty contests.

The crown for this year’s winner was also unveiled by the organizers along with the current Miss Vietnam Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, who claimed the title in 2014.

According to the organizers, this year’s crown has been handcrafted by 40 artisans from 63 white pearls and 3,260 sapphires, costing an estimated VND2.2 billion.

Forty contestants were selected from 140 applicants to compete in the final qualifying round for the northern region set to take place in Quang Ninh Province on July 17.

Hoang Nhat Nam, director of the show, said the 15,000-person live audience expected to fill the venue would be served a “feast of art, sound, light, and beauty.”

Many popular Vietnamese artists will also be featured in the show, which will be aired live on VTV9 and several other local television channels.

This year, an additional title of Miss Compassion will be given to the contestant with the most active participation in 40 charitable community projects across the country.

Le Xuan Son, editor-in-chief of Tien Phong and head of the organizing committee of the 2016 Miss Vietnam, said the final qualifying round for northern provinces of this year’s pageant will be the biggest ever in terms of scale.

Miss Vietnam Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen (C) and organizers unveiled the crown for the 2016 Miss Vietnam at a press conference in Hanoi on July 5, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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