Two beauty queens in one night – a bit too much?

Two new pageant queens were crowned in Vietnam last Saturday, October 22.

Dinh Nhu Phuong was named Miss Vietnam Sea and Island 2022; and Kim Ngan was crowned Miss Global Vietnam 2022.

After Phuong and Ngan took home their crowns, their victories triggered heated debates online.

"I think two pageant queens in one single night is too much. I’ve never even heard of Miss Vietnam Sea and Island and Miss Global Vietnam before. But, congrats to Phuong and Ngan," Tram Nguyen wrote.

"I used to tune in to these shows to watch the glitz and sparkle, but now there are too many for me to keep up with," remarked Trinh Nguyen, another Facebook user.

Also on Facebook, a sarcastic, satirical comment came from Hieu Nguyen: "At this pace, in a few years, all Vietnamese men will end up marrying a beauty pageant holder or runner-up."

There were people who weren’t bothered by the abundance of beauty contests, viewing them as entertainment programs.

Numerous social media groups with hundreds of thousands of members discuss beauty pageants; and Vietnamese candidates at international contests like Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Grand International and Miss Earth attract huge numbers of votes and interactions online.

"If the audience is interested, it's okay to organize many contests," commented Thu Thao.

Some observers have remarked that one reason for the large number of beauty pageants is a common notion in Vietnam of well-rounded beauty queens finding their matches in wealthy, successful men to build happy homes together.

Another reason that has been pointed out is that these contests help promote culture, tourism and boost the economy.

A total of 22 beauty contests have been approved so far this year.