Students participating in beauty pageants: What do they gain, and what do they lose?

There are currently beauty pageants of varying scales and levels, with the main participants being students from universities and colleges across the country.

Student Nguyen Thi Trang visits the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

For a student, "investing" in a physical appearance on the university campus is sometimes a crucial part of their development, with both gains and losses.

Opens up many opportunities

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

During her term as runner-up, Trang had the opportunity to experience many student union and international exchange activities at the school. Notable examples include participating in an exchange program with students from Taipei University in Ho Chi Minh City with the Vietnam-Southeast Asia Friendship Association, and the student exchange program with Duta Bangsa University in 2023.

In the same year, she continued to try her luck at Miss Earth Vietnam and made it to the top 20. Most recently, she competed in the Miss International Friendship Culture 2025 pageant, winning the Inspirational Beauty award and placing in the top 10. Currently, Nguyen Thi Trang is working at a real estate company in Ho Chi Minh City and is completing her university graduation procedures.

Having participated in three competitions, both large and small, Nguyen Thi Trang feels it was a journey of self-improvement, from the smallest things like posture and speech to broader aspects of communication and behavior. "I also had the opportunity to hone my professional knowledge: practice foreign languages, give presentations without looking at notes, expand my network, and work with talented people," Trang said.

Meanwhile, Trinh Thi Thuy Dung, the winner of the 2024 Binh Duong Elegant Student Beauty Contest, is a second-year accounting student at Thu Dau Mot University. Previously, Thuy Dung thought that a girl studying a "dry and difficult" major like accounting would find it hard to participate in these competitions.

So you have to learn many things on your own, from communication skills, personal image management, emotional management to teamwork, adapting to pressure, and maintaining composure in front of a crowd. "Through each round of the competition, I learned more, learned how to overcome my fears, and improved myself. From this, I feel more confident," Thùy Dung shared.

"The trade-off" was quite significant.

Nguyen Minh Anh, currently a third-year economics student at a university in Ho Chi Minh City, spent nearly three months preparing for a city-level university beauty pageant. Outside of her regular classes, almost all of her time was filled with catwalk training, photoshoots, practicing her communication skills, and participating in accompanying activities.

Many days, the training schedule lasted until late at night, causing her to frequently return to the dormitory at 11 pm, only to be back in class very early the next morning. Minh Anh often missed deadlines for group assignments, resulting in deductions from her attendance points. Her grades in final exams also dropped by a third, or even half, compared to before participating in the competition.

Meanwhile, Tran Hong Ngoc, a final-year student in Ho Chi Minh City, shared her experience of making it into the top 10 of a school beauty pageant, which 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 publicly displayed, along with conflicting comments on social media, ranging from remarks about her appearance to speculation about her private life.

The duty to study comes first.

According to Mr. Tran Nam, Head of Student Affairs at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), it would be very beneficial for students to choose well-organized, fair, and transparent platforms for their activities. For young people in today's context, ethics, attitude, and knowledge are crucial factors alongside physical attributes.

"These platforms help students demonstrate a spirit of daring to think outside the box and face challenges. They also learn a lot from training in knowledge, skills, behavior, teamwork, and collaboration. With a good plan, I think they will be more successful," Mr. Nam shared.

Alongside the opportunities are risks such as impact on studies, health, and the development of social relationships. MSc. Tran Nam stated: "Students should be the ones to choose and decide for themselves whether to participate in similar competitions. They should understand their academic responsibilities and obligations within the school as well as the demands from their families. For students, academic obligations should always be prioritized."

An experience for men as well.

Do Thanh Dai, a male student, decided to participate in the 2024 Student Beauty Contest at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, hoping to build his self-confidence. To prepare for the contest, Dai had to start attending more catwalk and communication classes. Everything was new, requiring him to learn from the basics. However, Dai believes this investment was worthwhile because it aligns with his future career aspirations, which require a good appearance.

For Thanh Dai, the greatest happiness is having the support of his family. Every time there's a voting period, his parents, even though they've never explicitly said they support him, always go to great lengths to rally support for him. His parents also stood by him through many rounds of the competition and were present at the final night.

"The most meaningful opportunity for me was seeing the happiness and smiles of my parents, as it was like witnessing my milestones. That's probably the biggest opportunity and the greatest joy for me," Dai said.

RESPECTING PEOPLE AND RESPECTING ONESELF

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