MISS SAKE VIETNAME 2023 AT DA NANG MIKAZUKI

On May 28th, the final round of the Miss Sake Vietnam 2023 competition took place at Da Nang Mikazuki Japanese Resorts & Spa, featuring the participation of the top 18 outstanding contestants. The crown was awarded to Pham Thien Nga (born in 1999), a young social work Ph.D. candidate.

As part of the series of activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, Miss Sake Vietnam is a beauty pageant and a cultural exchange program promoting trade and investment between the two countries and their businesses. The competition aims to bridge and promote the cultural heritage of Vietnam and Japan to friends around the world. According to the plan, the reigning queen will officially travel to Japan to interact with Miss Sake worldwide.

After the performances by the contestants, the judges selected the top 10 contestants to proceed to the English-language debate round. What makes Miss Sake Vietnam 2023 unique is that all the contestants had to deliver their speeches entirely in English. This became the most decisive factor for the judges to choose the most outstanding and talented contestants to enter the top 5. This is a distinctive feature of this beauty pageant, as only a few competitions include an English-language debate as the highest-scoring segment.

Following the contestants' speeches about themselves and their understanding of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, they continued with the question and answer round, conducted in English or Japanese. The second round in the two countries' languages was the key factor that crowned Pham Thien Nga as the winner, showcasing her talent and poise.

Immediately after that, the top 3 were announced, and the crown officially belonged to the contestant from Hanoi named Pham Thien Nga, who is currently a research scholar at the International University of America. Pham Thien Nga, born in 1999 in Hanoi, is pursuing her studies at the International University of America and is preparing to defend her doctoral dissertation in July. It is particularly noteworthy and proud that for the first time, a beauty queen holds a master's degree and is preparing to defend her doctoral dissertation in the field of social work. Pham Thien Nga currently serves as the Deputy Director of the Center for Legal Research and Global Social Work (under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations). The first runner-up title went to contestant Ha Thi Cam Le, and the second runner-up title to contestant Luu An Phuong. Miss Sake Vietnam 2023, Pham Thien Nga, was also awarded the Media Beauty title.

The newly crowned Pham Thien Nga, now a Ph.D. holder, possesses a meticulously crafted crown worth nearly 1.5 billion VND, made of precious gemstones. The crown is uniquely designed with dazzling lines and crafted from pearls and elegant diamonds, exuding a sense of nobility. It is entirely made of platinum, adorned with white diamonds and luxurious sea pearls. At the central and most prominent position, there is a large and powerful pink pearl. The crown radiates a brilliant light, symbolizing the high expectations for this year's Miss Sake to promote the message of Vietnam-Japan beach and island tourism, people, heritage, and culture to the world.

Cherry blossoms, as a symbol of Japan, represent the spirit, strength, culture, and people of Japan. Moreover, cherry blossoms symbolize intense vitality, humility, the desire for peaceful coexistence, and the characteristics of youth.

The crown has a large and round pink pearl, representing the radiant youth of the beauty queen. The surrounding gemstones symbolize the 20 contestants who participated in the Miss Sake Vietnam 2023 final night.