Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has told the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to assist the Central Highlands province of Khanh Hoa in the organisation of the Miss World Vietnamese 2009 pageant.

Miss World Vietnamese 2007 Ngo Phuong Lan.

The news has erased worries that this year Vietnam will not have a beauty contest for unmarried women.

The regulations on organising beauty contests dated December 30, 2009 stipulated that as of 2009, Vietnam will have only one national beauty contest.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Tien Tho said the organisation of Miss World Vietnamese 2009 is not contrary to the above regulations because this is a foreign-related contest, which accepts Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese contestants. Tho also said that the winners of this competition can represent Vietnam at international pageants.

However, the authorities of Khanh Hoa province and the organisers – Tien Phong Newspaper and Vinapearl Company – didn’t confirm whether the event would be held this year or not.

“Vinpearl and Tien Phong newspaper are discussing the event and they don’t have a specific plan on this yet,” said Khanh Hoa province’s vice chairman Le Xuan Than.

Chief of the Performance Art Agency Le Ngoc Cuong also said that the agency hadn’t received any specific plan from the organisers.

Miss World Vietnamese is a beauty pageant for Vietnamese girls from all over the world. The event is held every two years, with the first being held in 2007.

VietNamNet/VNE