In the spotlight: A student of HCM City Medical University, K'Broi, who belongs to the K'Ho ethnic group in Lam Dong Province, is one of two ethnic contestants selected to the top 14 in the Next Top Model contest. — VNS Photo Van Dat

HCM CITY (VNS)— Organisers of the annual fashion TV reality show Viet Nam's Next Top Model 2015 surprised the press and guests while introducing this year's top 14 models in an unusual way during a press meeting on Thursday.

Nguyen Thi Hop, a native of Quang Ninh, triumphed over 14 other contestants during the semi-final round's first challenge, which was staged in front of the media.

In previous years, every challenge stage, before being broadcast on television, was filmed separately without the presence of the media.

This time, all 14 contestants, seven men and seven women, were selected from pre-qualified rounds organised in Ha Noi, Da Nang, HCM City and Can Tho.

They had to walk on the catwalk built with different levels of steps, including one zigzag section. Some of them had to walk in 20cm-high shoes on the uneven runway.

Several contestants fell down on the runway during their first challenge in the semi-final round at HCM City's Grand Palace.

Supermodel Thanh Hang, host and a contest judge, said the winner would have the right to stay in a separate room and assign tasks to other contestants.

The room would later be given to the winner of the next challenge.

The judge said she was nervous to have the show recorded in a studio with hundreds of reporters.

Good training

Besides Thanh Hang, photographer Samuel Hoang and designer Adrian Anh Tuan are the judges of this year's programme.

During the past five seasons, the TV reality show has trained several models for the Vietnamese fashion industry, including Hoang Thuy, Kha My Van, Tuyet Lan, Mau Thuy and Cha Mi.

Several of them have provided opportunities to perform on the catwalk on international runways in New York and Paris.

Recently, Kha My Van, runner-up of Viet Nam's Next Top Model 2012, became the first Vietnamese model to perform on the catwalk during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

Le Thi Quynh Trang, general director of Multimedia JSC, the organiser of the contest, said that he had learned while attending a conference on Next Top Model contest that Viet Nam's show was the only format that took care of the winners after the show.

Besides several valuable prizes, the winners of the programme will be invited to model and open the Vietnam International Fashion Week 2015, to be organised soon after the TV reality show ends.

The first chapter of the Viet Nam's Next Top Model, sixth season, will be broadcast on Viet Nam Television's VTV3 at 8pm on August 2. — VNS