The face that won Mai three beauty titles

Beauty queen Hoang Nhat Mai has left the glamorous life on the front page for a high-pressure media position behind the scenes.

What do Miss National Photograph 1996, Miss Vietnamese Beach 1999 and The Miss Beautiful Face in Miss Tien Phong Newspaper 2000 all have in common?

They are all titles of the savvy managing editor of Vietnamese news websites - Tintuconline and Netlife. After Hoang Nhat Mai won her last beauty contest, she disappeared off the radar to work behind the scenes in the media.

The golden girl in northern Hai Phong City took some acting offers from director Dang Nhat Minh for Ha Noi mua dong nam 1946 (Hanoi, winter 1946) and director Bui Dinh Hac’s for Ha Noi 12 ngay dem (Hanoi, 12 days and nights). But afterwards she decided she wanted a real part in life.

The arrestingly beautiful 30-year-old Mai is confident and professional in her editorial role for the two VietNamNet websites which cover news and lifestyle stories.

“I never consider journalism as a game, like many others do. That is the big difference.”

“As the days go by, I realize that I have to keep learning to handle the new challenges thrown my way. Maybe, that’s what keeps me interested in doing the same job every day, with two repetitive movements: clicking and typing. I am constantly under pressure with deadlines. I know they will soon pass, that’s how I cope. I do not want to give up or run,” Mai said.

To Mai, her titles are just the sweet memories of a young girl.

“I have not been called anything like ‘Miss’ for a long time, at home or in the office. Maybe I’ve crossed that line and become ‘normal,’” Mai said.

“The thing that links me to this job is above-all love. I also have never had a ‘default setting’ in my career. Everything I do and pursue is based on my experience and my will to strive to be better,” Mai said.

“In my own view, the online newspaper reflects our daily life, with the hustle and bustle feeling and images. Most online readers’ time is spent on net surfing, so they have no end of choice. To keep the readers’ attention, each e-newspaper has to refresh itself almost every second.

“The questions that haunt me are: ‘How to stand out from thousands of other newspapers? How to make a useful, reliable but economical communication product?’ I must not lose my head, but do it one thing at a time,” Mai said.

Mai is also modest about her achievements, admitting she herself is just “an apprentice” of journalism and hasn’t dared to be a trailblazer.

“I am discovering my own character through the work. At least I know the readers accept Tintuconline and Netlife, so maybe I could give it a special character. But I am still on my way,” said Mai.

In addition to being a managing editor, Mai is the mother of two children and helps her husband manage a restaurant. It seems that 24 hours per day is not enough for the dynamic woman.

“Actually, I am not good at organizing which gets frustrating sometimes,” said Mai.

Mai says she is happy with her life. “I just close my eyes and imagine: If I am not myself today, I could be younger, prettier and less stressed, maybe. But now is 6:49 p.m., I have to stay here to get an interview and I don’t have time to care for myself. So I just stay here for a while, daydream and then go back to reality…”

Reported by Thao Dien