Vietnam’s first entrant in Miss Bikini International knows she can please the judges.

“I did a lot of thinking and considered how the public would react before deciding to take part in the pageant,” says the 22-year-old model with an 85- 60-93 figure.

She realizes that its name is rather sensitive in a tradition-bound society like Vietnam’s, but Miss Bikini International also judges talent, speaking skills and national costume, so the only major difference between it and other beauty contests is the more exacting physical side of things.

“Because of the prestige, a contestant in Miss World, Miss Universe or Miss Earth gets generous support from everyone, but Miss Bikini International does not have the same standing so I’m not that fortunate.” says Tuyen.

“After the contest, my name will be associated with the bikini for sure, which is an undesirable thing for a woman, especially a Vietnamese woman.

“But what counts is that I know what I’m doing and believe in myself. I pretty well ignore public opinion.”

Though she’s never competed in an international beauty contest, Tuyen is confident of doing well in China.

True, the contest will be full of gorgeous gals, 89 of them in fact, but Tuyen believes she’s in with a real chance.

“It’s not easy to win an international contest as it takes talent, preparation, opportunity and a bit of luck. But I’m confident of myself and know where I stand.

“I realize that I cannot be physically on a par with the Western contestants, but as far as I know we will be divided into continents when we wear our bikinis. I believe I can win if my body is judged alongside other Asian contestants.”

When the start of the 15-day pageant was postponed from April 13 to May 18, it meant Tuyen had more time to prepare, but she thinks it isn’t necessary in her case.

“Social knowledge and life skills cannot be acquired overnight; they must be learned in our day-to-day lives.

“I’m not trying to stuff my head with knowledge or work out intensively as the contest gets nearer. So I feel no pressure at all.”

Still, she is making thorough preparations for everything from costumes to make-up.

Tuyen says she never goes out of her way to land a modeling contract or a spot in a television commercial.

Instead, she waits for offers to come to her.

This attitude partly explains why her modeling career hasn’t really taken off after three years in the industry.

“Though I’m ambitious and always want to be in the lead, I’d rather take it slow and steady. There are some things I’m terrible at, so I don’t try to do many things at the same time. I know my limitations.”

Many models make the leap from photo shoot to film to the recording studio in one fell swoop, but Tuyen would rather stay focused on one thing until it is perfect.

“I want to reach the summit of this mountain before going on to scale other peaks. I give my best in everything I do. If I feel I’m no good at something, I leave that opportunity to others.

“Being a perfectionist means I miss many opportunities, but I want everyone to acknowledge that I have real talent, that I am not a phony.

“Some celebrities try to draw attention to themselves by driving expensive cars, strutting about on the concert stage, or creating scandals, but they will end up nowhere if they have no genuine abilities.”

Tuyen, who was born in 1987, has a head-turning height. When she was younger, Tuyen felt so embarrassed by her “abnormal” height that she stopped swimming, her favorite sport, because she was afraid it would make her taller.

It took a modeling class while she was in the eleventh grade to change her thinking. The class, which was run by the Vietnamese modeling agency Professional Look, taught her to use height to her advantage.

The head of Professional Look, Tran Thanh Long, noticed Tuyen and said “the tall girl” had the potential to become a successful model. After the class, he offered Tuyen an exclusive contract.

She took it and has been on the agency’s books ever since.

Reported by Thu Thuy