A woman of effortless beauty and elegance: Get to know Miss Grand International 2021 Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien
The stunning Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien of Vietnam is crowned Miss Grand International 2021 on Saturday evening, Dec. 5, in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 23-year-old Vietnamese stood out among 60 other candidates who competed for the Miss Grand International title. Reigning queen Abena Akuaba Appiah of the US crowned her successor with the pageant’s golden crown.
Ecuador’s Andrea Aguilera took the first runner-up title while Brazil’s Lorena Rodrigues was named second runner-up. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico representative Vivianne Diaz-Arroyo was the third runner-up and South Africa’s Jeane Van Dam was second runner-up.
Thuy Tien and Aguilera had to answer a tie-breaker question on why they should be Miss Grand International 2021 prior to the coronation. Proving her fighting spirit, the Vietnamese spoke in Thai and said in English, “I’m ready to win. I’m ready to be in Thailand for a year.”
Get to know more about the newly-crowned queen below.
She has the makings of a modern-day beauty queen
Thuy Tien is no stranger to international beauty pageants. With her expressive eyes and impressive performance, her experience surely paid off.
She caught the attention of the Miss Grand International judges after she revealed in the Q&A portion that she wants to speak to professor Sarah Gilbert, the creator of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
“If I have the chance to choose the one I would speak to, I would like to say thank you to the one who invented AstraZeneca (vaccine) she doesn't need the money from the invention license. And I was thanks to her and to all people to know that I feel grateful because of her. Sometimes you need to do the good things but don't get the credit for it,” she said.
Prior to competing in Miss Grand, Thuy Tien placed in the Top 5 during Miss Vietnam 2018 went on to represent her country at Miss International 2018. However, she was unplaced.
The Vietnamese also competed in the Miss Southern Vietnam 2017 pageant where she was named as the first runner-up.
A few years later, the stars finally aligned for Nguyen when she was officially appointed as Miss Grand Vietnam 2021. The announcement was made by the organization that showed off her potential to stand out in the international pageant scene. And she did.
She went through a difficult childhood
Behind Thuy Tien’s bright smile in the Miss Grand International pageant is a woman who went through a painful childhood. She was only four years old when her parents divorced.
As per Vietnamese news outlet Soha, Thuy Tien is determined to move forward at an early age. She lived with her biological aunt until she was 18 years old. Eventually, she moved out of her aunt’s home to live independently.
The Vietnamese beauty queen also took different jobs to pay for her tuition fees including a hotel receptionist, model, and English teaching assistant, among others.
She used her platform to make a difference amid the pandemic
Thuy Tien used her platform to empower her fellow Vietnamese during the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in August, the beauty queen donated a ventilator to Binh Thanh Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
“I guess, the most beautiful me is not when I wear a beautiful dress with those glowing makeup, it is actually when I wear this protective clothing and feel the heat of it to understand how hard it is for those heroes who fighting against COVID-19 for us,” she said.
The beauty queen also revealed the donation was made to fulfill her birthday wish. “I hope it will save many patients suffering from covid. Half of my birthday wish is finished and in the next week, five tons of rice will be delivered to those people who are in need. Let’s all fight against COVID.”
She loves to eat
Aside from singing and dancing, Thuy Tien is a foodie at heart. The beauty queen proudly showed Vietnam’s “mindblowing” cuisine in her introduction video for Miss Grand International 2021.
In the video, Thuy Tien was seen trying out street food including stir fry snails and fresh fruit in different stalls. “(Vietnam) is a kingdom has a diverse tradition of different food from North to South that would blow you away,” she added.