Elite Vietnam refused to buy copyright to send Vietnamese candidates to the Miss World, Miss Universe 2009 pageants. It means that Vietnam may miss the two big beauty contests this year.

Elite Vietnam’s Managing Director Thuy Nga and Miss Vietnam Global 2007 Ngo Phuong Lan.

Elite Vietnam Managing Director Thuy Nga said the firm’s withdrawal was planned in 2008, not because of being afraid of the new strict rules of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on beauty contests.

“If we want, we can choose beauties of previous years. But it is not a good method. It’s time to solve the matter at its roots. We should start from training to have ‘good products’,” she said.

Other firms can replace Elite Vietnam but in this context, it is quite risky for them to pay huge money to hold the copyright to send Vietnamese contestants to these beauty pageants.

Under the new rules, there will have only one national beauty contest, Mrs. Vietnam 2009. Other contests will be local-level events. Contestants at Miss World and Miss Universe must be the winners of national contests.

Miss Vietnam Global 2007 Ngo Phuong Lan, who refused twice to take part in the Miss World pageant, said that if she is invited to attend an international beauty contest in 2009, she would have to refuse because she is busy with the new job and new life in Vietnam, before continuing study.

The first runner-up of the Miss Universe Vietnam 2008, Hoang Yen, said she is willing to represent Vietnam at any international beauty contest.

Son Ha