Mrs. World Organisation has announced that US TV star Alan Thicke will host the crowning ceremony of Mrs. World Pageant 2009 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau on November 22 alongside a Vietnamese host.

US TV star Alan Thicke

Thicke, 62, is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.

By October 31, Vietnam will have to name two jurymen and one host to the Mrs. World organisation. Three nominees have been suggested to the Performance Art Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for approval,. They include actress and television host Thanh Mai, Miss Vietnam Global 2007 Ngo Phuong Lan – the host of VTV4’s Talk Vietnam -and host Quynh Huong of the HCM City Television.

Besides seeking a suitable Vietnamese host for the final night, Vietnam also has to choose a male and a female juryperson for the 9-member board.

The names of Nguyen Sanh Chau, secretary general of UNESCO Vietnam Committee, Prof. Ngo Gia Vinh, chairman of the Vietnam Morphology Association, pianist Dang Thai Son, former diplomat Ton Nu Thi Ninh, and Miss Vietnam Dieu Hoa are under consideration.

Le Ngoc Cuong, chief of the Performance Art Department, said that the department has a list of nominees but he refused to disclose names.

From the left: Thanh Mai, Quynh Huong and Phuong Lan.

Meanwhile, Tran Van Thong, Director of the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Department of Culture, Information and Tourism, a member of the Mrs. World 2009 pageant organising board, said that the opening ceremony at The Imperial Hotel on November 7 will be very traditional. The 2-hour ceremony, directed by Dinh Anh Dung, will have the presence of 400 guests and nearly 90 contestants.

According to the organising board, 85 countries have registered to join the pageant.

Son Ha