Le Van Kien is one of eight male contestants for Viet Nam's Top Model. He was a merit student in the 12th grade and received two gold medals from a province-level Mathematics Competition. - VNS Photo courtesy Multimedia Company

HCM CITY (VNS) — Eight qualified male contestants have been selected to join 10 shortlisted female models for the fourth season of the TV show Viet Nam's Next Top Model.

The 18 contestants will vie for prizes worth more than VND2 billion (US$95,000) on the reality show broadcast on Viet Nam Television at 8pm every Sunday from October 6h.

The male contestants will live together under the same roof with a camera recording their activities around the clock.

Though this is the first time men were accepted for the competition, male contestants stood out during the pre-qualified rounds.

Le Thi Quynh Trang, production director of Viet Nam's Next Top Model, said that for the first decade of the show, only female contestants competed on the US Top Model show.

But now men have been accepted in the US. Viet Nam was the second country that allowed men to compete in the contest.

Replacing model Xuan Lan, model Thanh Hang will host the show.

Beside the two judges of three previous seasons – fashion designer Do Manh Cuong and make-up expert Nam Trung — Adam Williams Page, a male model, dancer and catwalk expert from Australia will be a guest judge on the show.

According to the organiser, Page has helped models prepare for Australia's Next Top Model and Asia's Next Top Model.

The winner of the contest will receive a two-year working contract worth VND1 billion ($47,000) with BeU Models agency, VND200 million ($9,523) for appearing on the cover page of F – Fashion magazine, and several other valuable prizes. — VNS