Professional model Tran Thi Huong Giang, has just become Miss Grand Slam Asia 2009 through a poll on the website Global Beauties.
The 1.8m tall Giang talks about her career:
You have experienced several beauty contests in the country and abroad. What did you gain from the experience?
I won the Miss Hai Duong contest in 2006, was second runner-up in the Miss Viet Nam Global 2009 and represented Viet Nam at Miss World 2009. I came to each contest for a different reason.
The first contest was to test my abilities, then when I was selected to join the next contest I relished another chance to try.
After each contest I bacame more mature, made more friends and, more importantly, I developed self-control and became more confident in daily life.
Which title is your most remarkable memory?
Miss Hai Duong was my most memorable. It gave me the chance to continue my passion and enter the Miss Viet Nam contest and others.
I still feel happy and warm when I recall being named Miss Hai Duong because I know people from the northern province of Hai Duong, my homeland, love me a lot and have always followed my career.
Representatives from the Global Beauties came to HCM City to give you the title Miss Grand Slam Asia 2009. Is that a peak, a sign for you to have a rest, or you will continue to enter other contests?
I was surprised to receive the news because this time the honour was given directly to the winner with a real prize. I felt so lucky and happy about that.
Competing in Miss World 2009 was a great honour and a big chance. But always think a person should know when enough is enough. I think I should stop here.
Many people think that beauty contests are no longer alluring to western countries, where it has been said beauty contests are solely for fun. Yet in Asian countries, beauty contests are attracting the interest of more and more people. What is your opinion?
European countries are no longer interested in organising beauty contests. The trend is moving to Asia.
But I don't think western countries think beauty contests are just for fun. The winners in western countries are put on a pedestal when they return home. My friends at the Miss World contest told me they were greatly loved by their own people when they won a crown. Local people in all countries are excited by beauty contests.
Why do you think Vietnamese people are so fond of beauty contests?
Not only Vietnamese people but also other peoples throughout the world enjoy beauty contests. It is impossible to deny the role of beauty contests in advertising local culture and national images to the world.
I wonder how many Vietnamese people, or Asian people for that matter, would know about far-away Venezuela without beauty contests. And if I had not joined the Miss World 2009 contest, I would not know so much about Gibraltar, Zambia and Barbados.
Interestingly, when talking with my friends at the Miss World contest, I was surprised that many people know a lot about Viet Nam. They asked me about famous tourist destinations in Viet Nam and told me that if they had chance they would visit our country.
I think, international beauty contests organised in Viet Nam have helped advertise it's image to the world. — VNS