Miss Universe Spotlights Thriving Vietnam

80 Of World's Most Beautiful Women Take Part In Competition Held In Booming Vietnam

(AP)  Eighty of the world's most beautiful women have converged on a stretch of the Vietnamese coast better known for war than glamour.

They were preparing for the 57th annual Miss Universe competition, which will be broadcast to millions of viewers across the globe on Monday.

Like her 84 million compatriots, Vietnam's 20-year-old contestant is hoping the show will let the world know about the new Vietnam, where commerce and fashion are thriving and war has become a fading memory.

"I want to introduce my country and my culture and our history to everybody," said Nguyen Thuy Lam, whose traditional costume is a Vietnamese ao dai, a colorful silk pantsuit. "I feel very confident when I wear the ao dai. I wish everyone would wear it and feel confident too."

The contest is being held in Nha Trang, a seaside city located next to a major American air base during the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975.

Given the history of hostilities between the two nations, Miss USA Crystle Stewart has been impressed by the warmth of her Vietnamese hosts.

"The USA and Vietnam are working together, in cooperation and peace," said Stewart, a Texan who is writing a motivational book. "Hopefully we'll be role models for other countries."

The show will be co-hosted by British pop singer Mel B, known as "Scary Spice" during her days with the Spice Girls. She will be joined by American television personality Jerry Springer, host of "America's Got Talent" and a long-running tabloid talk show that often climaxes with angry guests cussing and brawling with one another.

Springer is clearly enjoying his new Miss Universe job.

"Whoa!" Springer said during an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, as dozens of contestants strutted across the stage during a rehearsal. "This is a plum assignment."

The 80 contestants have been in Vietnam for nearly four weeks now, receiving intense coverage from the Vietnamese media as they met with local dignitaries, frolicked in their bikinis and participated in various charity events.

They were hard at work Saturday preparing for the show.

Miss Serbia, 21-year-old Bojana Boric, is eager to compete in the swimsuit competition.

"It's a very good feeling," said Boric, who enjoys modeling, cooking and extreme sports. "It's your moment. It's the moment when everyone will see your face, and everyone will remember."

Beauty pageants have been derided by many as exploitative of women, celebrating superficiality over substance. Sweden's 2007 contestant dropped out after coming under pressure from pageant critics in her homeland, and the country is not sending a delegate this year.

But beauty contests are extremely popular in Vietnam, which is also hoping to host the 2010 Miss World competition.

After years of war and poverty, the country has been booming economically, and high-end cosmetics and fashion stores have sprouted up in Hanoi, the capital, and in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's southern business hub.

"It's great to have the Miss Universe competition here in Vietnam," said 18-year-old high school student Nguyen Thi Kieu My. "It will help to promote Vietnam's image in the world and bring in more tourists."

[toolmangler-2009]

I do believe that capitalism is the best way to run an economy. It follows the law of survival of the fittest. The responsibility of government is to insure a level playing field and breaking up monopolies.
Posted by runningralph at 03:40 PM : Jul 13, 2008



Well said and true.

[ferry123-2009]

Beautiful girls! You know what! I saw some of them have personal account on "tallkiss.com", It''s great dating site for tall beautiful woman and handsome guys! Maybe I could hook up with those girls!

[sociald63]

all of the contestants are HOT :)

[sgtrds10-4]

You make it sound like a utopia. Go live there if it''''s so great. I spent two tours in South Vietnam so you can''''t BS me.

Posted by KyRock1 at 06:37 AM : Jul 13, 2008

The Vietnam of 2008 is not the Vietnam of 1968. That''s the same as saying you served in WWII and still think Germany is a bombed out shell 40 years later. It don''t work like that.

[nssherlock1]

I agree there are a lot of bad memories from the war in Vietnam, as in any war. Welcome home brother. I want to go back to maybe get some closure for bitter memories myself. Posted by patriot12436

I wish you well in your journey and I hope you can find some answers and closure, my brother in arms. For some of us though, closure may still be a lifetime away. There will never be a full acounting for all that was lost. I am grateful though, some of the finest people I have ever known, I met there.

[runningralph]

patriot12346,
I do believe that capitalism is the best way to run an economy. It follows the law of survival of the fittest. The responsibility of government is to insure a level playing field and breaking up monopolies.

[jackie0428]

This is the best 2 hours of the year on TV. Hundreds of hot babes from every country.
BOINNNNNNNG.

[patriot12436]

nssherlock
I agree there are a lot of bad memories from the war in Vietnam, as in any war. Welcome home brother. I want to go back to maybe get some closure for bitter memories myself.

[patriot12436]

runningralph
Can you think of a better way to convert a country thasnto appeal to it thru capitalism ? No shots fired, no one hurt.

[ringading3]

Miss Universe competition in Vietnam, both are enemies of humanity. Boycott them both.

[runningralph]

The Viet Nam War was about stemming the tide of international communist expansionism. Had the US not stood up against communism who would have? It''s easy to see 40 years later that communism is a way for a country to starve and go broke. It was not so obvious to idealogues 40 years ago. If Viet Nam is doing well today they must have taken a cue from the Chinese and taken up capitalism.

[nssherlock1]

I have no fond memories of that country. It can rot away for all I care.

[patriot12436]

McVet
If the man served two tours in nam, then he has earned a right to respect, even if you disagree with his views. I respect your views for the same reason.

[patriot12436]

cbsblogger. I came back from Vietnam with an anti war attitude. I think we could do a lot more good by negotiating differences. We keep trying war and it just doesn''t work. I also wish bush senior had pulled out and saved the country.

[cbsblogger]

kyrock1
Your right, living standards are still very hard there, although the govt is trying hard to establish relations wih the U.S. Yhey have never been a threat to the U.S. and never will be. I do think they are a good example of what pulling out can be.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by patriot12436 at 07:47 AM : Jul 13, 2008

We lost our will to fight in Vietnam, just as we are in Iraq. Neither were righteous wars that benefitted either the USA or the populace of the country''s.

Speaking of the advantages of pulling out; GHW Bush should have pulled out early some 62 years ago and both the country and the Bush legacy would have been far better off.

[mcvet]

Let Miss Vietnam say something critical of the Communist government in Hanoi and see how quickly she is jailed like the anti-Communist dissident who was muzzled by a policeman at a "kangaroo" trial.

Posted by KyRock1 at 06:30 AM : Jul 13, 2008

AND you think things would be ANY different if the Puppet Governments WE established there were in control?? ROFLMAO Now unlike SOME, I was a grunt in Nam and I know what the RVN Army was all about... Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet]

You make it sound like a utopia. Go live there if it''''s so great. I spent two tours in South Vietnam so you can''''t BS me.

Posted by KyRock1 at 06:37 AM : Jul 13, 2008

I don''t care HOW MANY tours you had there, YOU still can''t read!! Sieg Heil Bush

[patriot12436]

kyrock1
Your right, living standards are still very hard there, although the govt is trying hard to establish relations wih the U.S. Yhey have never been a threat to the U.S. and never will be. I do think they are a good example of what pulling out can be.

[ramos937]

Odd how far they''''ve come along once we stopped bombing and occupying them. Should be an example for the morons who want us to stay in Iraq.
--------------------------------------
I agree with the above. I lived througout the Vietnam War. The administration and their allies contended that if we left, the country would disentegrate and would be a slave nation and other such fables. We left (remember the embassy helicopter evacuations) and look where Vietnam is today. The same thing is happening in the Iraq War case.

[patriot12436]

I agree with the statement from Miss USA. I fought in Vietnam but wish to see the old wounds of war heal between the two countries. I hope to visit there again in the near future. I think we accomplisha lot more by activities like this than we ever did by war.