Beauty pageant contestants: What do they gain and what do they lose?

There are beauty pageants of various scales and levels in which the main participants are students from universities and colleges across the country.

Female student Nguyen Thi Trang visits the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese - Photo: NVCC

For a student, "investing" in a beautiful playground in the university lecture hall is sometimes a development orientation, with both gains and losses.

Opens up many opportunities

Nguyen Thi Trang was only a first-year student at Ho Chi Minh City Open University when she entered the 2022 ASEAN Cultural Ambassador contest. Although she only achieved second runner-up, she received many benefits.

During her term as runner-up, Trang had the opportunity to experience many Union - Association activities and international exchanges of the school. Notably, she participated in an exchange with students of Taipei University in Ho Chi Minh City with the Vietnam - Southeast Asia Friendship Association, and the Duta Bangsa University student exchange program in 2023.

In the same year, the young girl continued to compete at Miss Earth Vietnam and entered the top 20 finalists. Most recently, at the Miss International Friendship Culture 2025 contest, she won the Inspirational Beauty award and was in the top 10 finalists. Currently, Nguyen Thi Trang is working at a real estate company in Ho Chi Minh City and is completing university graduation procedures.

Coming out of three big and small competitions, Nguyen Thi Trang feels that it is a journey of self-training, from the smallest things like walking, speaking to more broadly communication and behavior. "I also have the opportunity to improve my professional knowledge: practice foreign languages, give presentations without looking at documents, expand relationships and work with talented people," Trang said.

Meanwhile, Trinh Thi Thuy Dung was the champion of the 2024 Binh Duong Elegant Student Beauty contest while she was a second-year accounting student at Thu Dau Mot University. Previously, Thuy Dung thought that a girl majoring in a "both dry and difficult" major like accounting would have a hard time participating in these contests.

So you have to learn many things by yourself, from communication skills, personal image management, emotional management to teamwork, adapting to pressure and maintaining confidence in front of a crowd. "Through each round, I learned more, learned how to overcome fear and improve myself. From here, I feel more confident," Thuy Dung shared.

"Trade-off" not a few

Nguyen Minh Anh, currently a third-year student at an economics university in Ho Chi Minh City, spent nearly three months preparing for a city-level beauty pageant. Outside of regular school hours, she spent almost all of her time practicing catwalks, taking photos, practicing communication skills, and participating in activities.

Many days, the practice schedule lasted until late at night, causing her to often return to the dormitory at 11 p.m., then be in class very early the next morning. Many times, Minh Anh missed the deadline for group assignments, and her attendance points were deducted. Her final exam scores also dropped by a third, or even half, compared to before the competition.

Tran Hong Ngoc, a senior student in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that her experience of being in the top 10 of a school beauty pageant brought her some fame but also a lot of pressure. For her, the biggest pressure was... public opinion. She had to get used to having her personal image made public, along with mixed comments on social media, from comments on her appearance to speculation about her private life.

The duty of learning is above all

MSc. Tran Nam, Head of Student Affairs Department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), said that it would be great if students could choose well-organized, fair, and transparent playgrounds. For young people in the current context, ethics, attitude, and knowledge are the prerequisites in addition to physical strength.

"These playgrounds help students demonstrate their spirit of daring to think, daring to do, daring to face challenges. They also learn a lot from training in knowledge, skills, behavior, working and coordinating together. If they have a good plan, I think they will be more successful," Mr. Nam shared.

Along with opportunities, there are risks such as impacts on learning, health and social relationships. Master Tran Nam said: "Students should be the ones to choose and decide for themselves to participate in similar competitions. You should determine your responsibilities and academic obligations at school as well as the demands from your family. For students, academic obligations should always be put first."

Experience for both men and women

Male student Do Thanh Dai once decided to take part in the 2024 Student Beauty Contest of the Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City with the desire to find confidence. To participate in the contest, Thanh Dai had to start looking for more catwalk classes and communication classes. Everything was new, requiring Thanh Dai to learn from the most basic things. However, Dai believes that this investment is worth it because it is in line with his future career orientation, which requires beauty.

For Thanh Dai, the greatest happiness is to have the support of his family. Every time there is a voting period, although his parents have never said they support him, they always "run around", calling for and supporting him. His parents also stood by Dai through many rounds of competition, and were present at the final night.

"The most meaningful opportunity for me is to see my parents' happiness and smiles because it's like they're witnessing my milestones. That's probably the biggest opportunity and the greatest joy for me," Dai said.

RESPECT FOR RESPONSIBILITY - RESPECT FOR PEOPLE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sinh-vien-thi-sac-dep-duoc-gi-mat-gi-20250818081332841.htm