Newly crowned Miss International 2024 Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy from Vietnam. Image: Instagram/@thanhthuy.hhvnlccplus

TOKYO, Japan — Vietnam’s Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy may have locked her hold on the Miss International title the moment she appeared in her gown with a similar design inspiration as the pageant’s crown, but she almost wore a different frock to the competition.

“Some people don’t like this dress before, but I gave my own decision, and the truth is it suits the crown a lot,” she told INQUIRER.net in an interview after her coronation at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12.

“It is the sakura. I think that it suits me, the pink suits me, and it suits the crown, so I chose this dress,” Huynh said, referring to the Japanese national flower from which the Miss International crown design also drew inspiration.

The Vietnamese queen paraded in a white bustier column frock with an attached overskirt on the back. Light pink, white and silver appliques, beads, and crystals were arranged to look like sakura blossoms that cascaded from her chest.

A match made in Vietnamese heaven, indeed, because the current Miss International crown was designed and made by Long Beach Pearl based in Ho Chi Minh City. The piece was introduced during the 60th edition of the global tilt in 2022.

Huynh’s gown just made Vietnam’s first Miss International victory even more memorable, as though the crown was really meant to rest on her head.

“I’m so happy. I hope that, and I believe that, my Vietnamese fans, and my parents, and my friends will be proud, so much, of me. Thank you for all your support throughout the world,” she said.

Huynh is expected to extend her stay in Japan for official appearances as Miss International, together with her court — first runner-up Camila Ribera Roca from Bolivia, second runner-up Alba Perez from Spain, third runner-up Sakra Guerrero from Venezuela, and fourth runner-up Sophie Kirana from Indonesia.

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