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Miss Sea Island Vietnam 2022 Dinh Nhu Phuong during her coronation night. Photo from Miss Sea Island Vietnam Facebook |
In the video, the beauty queen was seen saying her motivation was that she wanted the contest organizers to hold an auction for the tiara and then send the money to the navy soldiers that had to stay away from their families and relatives to protect Vietnam’s water sovereignty.
"I will always improve myself to deserve this title, whether or not I have this tiara with me," she said.
Named "Suc Manh Cua Bien" (The Power of the Seas), the tiara that Phuong returned had 12 blue diamonds and as many as 3,417 white diamonds attached. It was estimated to be worth VND3.9 billion (around $163,000).
The video recording the moment pocketed several millions of views, tens of thousands of interactions and comments on social media platforms.
"Phuong made the tiara’s value even higher," a netizen wrote.
Another netizen said they felt "goosebumps" hearing Phuong’s speech.
Phuong told NgoiSao that she was surprised that an old moment of hers was getting interest from the public. She also revealed that the decision to return the tiara was made on the spot.
"The contest organizers seemed shocked with my action," she said. "They called a meeting and gave their final decision that I would keep the tiara for a month and use it during my public activities before they get it back."
Phuong said she had returned the tiara to the organizer and it was set to be auctioned later this year.
She said she never regretted her decision, as it came from the bottom of her heart.
"I saw how hard the soldiers’ lives were when I attended activities as part of the contest," she said. "So I could be considered by many special for being the first beauty queen to return my tiara, but to me, it was simply an act of giving what I could."
Phuong said she made lots of money after her coronation last year, signing several endorsement deals.
The beauty queen is planning to enroll in an MBA program while maintaining her activities in the entertainment industry and doing social projects.
Phuong, 22, is pursuing her undergraduate degree at the HCMC University of Technology. She is also a model and social activist.
