Vietnam representative's national costume for Miss Universe revealed

The outfit weighs about 15 kilograms, designed in the shape of Vietnamese traditional attire ao dai.

Viet added a stainless steel frame, bent each piece of the mat over the wearer’s head, and attached it all at the back. He tied a bunch of processed sedges, dyed them like fireworks to add more flair to the outfit.

While the sleeves and pants are made of fabric, the outside consists of sedge mats made from raw materials that overlap each other.

The designer also added beads to the patterns on the matt to create more bling and sparkles.

'Chie Ca Mau' (Ca Mau sedge mat) by designer Nguyen Quoc Viet. Photo courtesy of Miss Universe Vietnam

Viet's brainchild was inspired by a mat weaving village in his hometown, the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau.

He said: "There used to be a famous mat-making village in Ca Mau. Many families, including my parents, still practice and follow this weaving tradition until this day. Through costumes, I want to honor this craft and profession."

"The materials are all collected by me in my hometown or prepared by my parents. Some details on the dress need softness, I soaked the mat in water to make it easier to bend."

Judge Nguyen Minh Cong said: "From the preliminary round, I was impressed with 'Chieu Ca Mau' after seeing the original sketch design of the outfit. After listening to Viet's presentation and supervising the process of making the finished product, I found the costumes to be very impressive. Viet is smart in choosing the materials, the harmonious color scheme, and the application of modern printing techniques."

The sketch design of 'Chieu Ca Mau'. Photo courtesy of Viet

The contest to select national costumes for Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 was launched in March.

According to the jury, the works submitted for this year's contest have one thing in common: they show pride in their homeland and inspired by regional cultures.

In previous years, Miss Universe Vietnam held a contest to design national costumes. This year, the organizing committee cooperated with universities offering fashion majors in Ho Chi Minh City to find the winning outfit.

Viet is currently a student at Ton Duc Thang University in HCMC. In 2019, he competed to design national costumes for Vietnamese contestants at Miss Universe, entering the Top 13 finalists. In the same year, he designed the national costume for Miss Grand Ireland, helping her enter the Top 20 Miss Grand International.

The finale of Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 will take place on June 25 in HCMC. Meanwhile, the final details of this year’s Miss Universe has yet to be announced.

The national costume is a sub-competition that has attracted the attention of the audience at Miss Universe over the years.

Contestants will perform in many stylized and creative designs, conveying the beauty of their homeland's culture to international audiences.

In the last four years, Vietnamese beauties have appeared in highly appreciated costumes, including H'Hen Nie's banh mi costume, which made it to the Top 10 most beautiful national costumes of Miss Universe 2018.