Winning is not important participating in Miss Universe 2008 is most important to Miss Vietnam Nguyen Thuy Lam

Miss Vietnam:
Name: Miss Nguyen Thuy Lam
Real name: Nguyen Thuy Trang
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh city
Age: 20
Height: 5'7"
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
Area of study: Music.
Already an established singer and actress Miss Vietnam, Nguyen Thuy Lam, wants to be a successful business woman in the music industry. Thuy Lam has released her own CD title “Thuy Lam.” Aside from singing and listening to music, she loves traveling and swimming. Currently, a junior at the Culture and Performing Arts school in Ho Chi Minh, Thuy Lam is the first woman from Vietnam to participate in an international beauty pageant like Miss Universe. Thuy Lam has also worked in three Vietnamese movies in the last two years. A great admirer of her mother, Thuy Lam wanted to participate in Miss Universe 2008 not for the competition but to let the world know about her culture, country, people especially the women. Thuy Lam believes that Vietnamese women can be good mothers and wives and can still become successful in various professions.

Experience of Miss Universe:
Only forty years ago, Vietnamese staged protests when American beauty pageants came to meet the GIs in Vietnam. Now, after more than forty years, the country embraced beauty pageant and sent its first representative, Miss Nguyen Thuy Lam. Thuy Lam said that the pageant is very demanding the girls go through a tight schedule of rehearsals and other activities but it is very much enjoyable because she made many good friends and is proud to represent her home country. To participate in the contest, Thuy Lam turned down many movie offers and stopped working on her second album but she believes that it is all worth it. She has grabbed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present herself to the world and become more famous. She is young and willing to pursue adventures.

Every day, Thuy Lam wakes up at 5 a.m./6 a.m. along with other contestants. The first thing Thuy Lam thinks of after waking up is what she can do to impress people. She tries to eat as much as possible all day to remain strong and healthy. After breakfast, Thuy Lam and other contestants put on their make-up and dresses. Contestants are not allowed to have their own make-up or dress assistants. She normally finishes lunch buy 1 p.m. and takes a nap for less than an hour before starting her evening rehearsals.

The contestants live in the Nha Trang’s Diamond Bay Resort surrounded by a group of staffs and body guards all the time. Their families and personal assistants stay in other Nha Trang hotels but they are not allowed to visit the contestants. Thuy Lam’s mother is her manager but she can not meet with them. Thuy Lam believes that she has become matured and self-confident and can manage on her own but she misses her family and her singing as well. Thuy Lam is very happy for the fact that her country is hosting such a major beauty pageant for the first time and she is representing her country. She is happy to play the role of Vietnam’s cultural ambassador. According to her, other contestants showed great interest about her country especially local handicrafts, jewelry and traditional instruments.

When asked about whether she feels that being the representative of the host country gives her an advantage over other contestants she replied that in the last fifty years, no contestant from host countries won the pageants unless she showcased both talent and beauty. She believes that her only advantage is the support she gets from her countrymen. Whenever she hits the stage she feels the huge support of the millions of people in Vietnam.