Miss Universe Vietnam denies lying about education

By Tan Cao   February 2, 2023 | 11:20 pm PT
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau, 2022 Miss Universe Vietnam has confirmed that she did not graduate from Ton Duc Thang University, and she has refuted allegations that she lied about it.

A photo of her university transcripts was widely shared in many beauty pageant community groups at the end of January. The photo showed that Chau did not graduate due to failing to complete the academic requirements.

Both the last name and student ID number of that student matched those of Chau.

The information caught the attention of netizens but the beauty queen and her management team remained silent.

2022 Miss Universe Vietnam Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau. Photo by Thanh Hue

2022 Miss Universe Vietnam Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau. Photo by Thanh Hue

Netizens think that Chau deceived them into thinking she already graduated from university. Society expects beauty queens to have both physical and intellectual beauty. So in the past, this has led to a great deal of speculation that some beauty pageant contestants have lied about their ages or educational backgrounds.

A representative from UniMedia, Ngoc Chau's management company, confirmed Thursday for the first time that Chau had not yet obtained her bachelor's degree. The representative noted that it was never stated in the beauty queen's personal profile that she graduated from college.

"At the time of the Miss Universe Vietnam beauty pageant, Ngoc Chau was honest in supplying profile facts such as her high school diploma in accordance with contest regulations and that she was studying biotechnology at Ton Duc Thang University," the spokesperson stated, implying that the beauty queen had not lied.

Chau also told the beauty pageant organizers that she had finished all required coursework and a substantial number of required courses for her major. All she needed was a little more time to finish her thesis and to complete an internship.

Her ambitions to continue her education after being crowned 2022 Miss Universe Vietnam in May 2022 were put on hold because of her commitment to her participation in the 71st Miss Universe pageant, which took place in the United States last month.

UniMedia and Chau have reportedly asked Ton Duc Thang University to assist in creating and facilitating favorable conditions for her to complete her graduation thesis in a timely manner.

Chau had told the media and affiliated units that her main job was as a model, but that she was pursuing a biotechnology degree at Ton Duc Thang University.

Chau, 29, won Vietnam’s Next Top Model in 2016. She was crowned Miss Supranational Vietnam in 2018 before being selected as 2022 Miss Universe Vietnam.

Vietnam's representative did not make it to the top 16 of the 71st Miss Universe.

Chau returned to Vietnam after the pageant and spent the Lunar New Year holiday with her family in Tay Ninh Province.

She is now taking part in showbiz events and activities in HCMC.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau performs in swimsuit and cape in semifinal of Miss Universe on January 11, 2023. Video by Miss Universe

 
 
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