Two of Vietnam’s recent beauty pageant winners were included in a list of the country’s most influential women compiled by Forbes.
Earlier this week, business magazine Forbes Vietnam announced its list of the top 50 most influential women in Vietnam in 2019, and young readers might see some familiar faces whom they’ve come to love over the years. The selected choices are divided into six categories: politics, business, science and education, social work, media and creativity, and entertainment and sports.
A notable pick of this year’s list includes H’Hen Nie, Miss Universe Vietnam 2017, who also made the Top 5 of last year’s global Miss Universe. Nie was the Southeast Asian country’s best performing Miss Universe ever, and her social engagements since the competition have been well-received by both domestic and international fans. She is now seemingly everywhere on billboards and ads throughout the country.
The cover of Forbes Vietnam's March issue featuring some honorees of the Top 50 list. Click here for a bigger version. Photo via Kenh14.
In the social work category, a newcomer is Nguyen Huong Giang, winner of Miss International Queen 2018, a beauty pageant for trans women. Giang was honored thanks to her contribution to raising awareness of trans issues and increasing public acceptance of the LGBT community.
Director and actress Pham Thi Hong Anh and Ca Mau-based writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu made the media and creativity category. In July last year, Tu won a prestigious German writing award, the Literaturpreis 2018, for her famed short story collection Canh Dong Bat Tan.
According to Forbes, about 30% selections on this year’s list are first-timers, such as H’Hen Nie and Nguyen Huong Giang. However, some have consistently made the list through the years such as VietJet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vinamilk CEO Mai Kieu Lien and Phu Nhuan Jewelry CEO Cao Thi Ngoc Dung. See the complete list of honorees here.
