H'hen Nie: An Inspiring Woman

Deviating from the Vietnamese beauty standard to conquer the world.

H'Hen Nie was crowned Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 and became the country's representative at Miss Universe 2018 held in Thailand. With her brilliance, she was named as one of the Top 5 finalists, a milestone that we had been waiting for after 10 years of participation. She became the pride and beauty symbol of domestic beauty pageants fans.

The international media called H'Hen Nie ‘the Asian Cinderella’. However, unlike the Cinderella who needs help from the fairy, H'Hen Niê rises and shines with her own competence.

She is a worldwide ambassador for Room To Read, an international non-governmental organization that advocates girls' education. This beauty is also the first Miss Vietnam to serve as a global representative for this prestigious community organization.

From 2018 until now, H'Hen Niê has been collaborating on the construction of two congenial libraries in Dak Lak and Lam Dong, as well as scholarships for female students around the country.

Overcoming beauty prejudices

H'Hen Niê revealed that when she competed in the beauty pageant, Pham Huong was a very successful winner in the latest competition who inspired everyone. She adored and admired this senior of hers. "At the time, contestants would choose someone as a standard and try to mimic them, and most people would imitate Huong's style. But on the day of the final, I had a different opinion. Ms. Pham Huong has had a lot of success, therefore the judges and organizers aren't searching for another Pham Huong. I had to be a different person, not following the path of a predecessor, I had to choose my own image," she recalled.

When H'Hen Niê was crowned, there were many mixed feelings because her beauty was different from what people expected of a Vietnamese beauty queen. She also admitted that she had to face hateful comments about her skin and hair: "Although I was brave at first, I was taken aback a little since I received a lot of hate. Beauty queens are always trying to seem luxurious and gorgeous, and everything about that image was too huge for me. It's no longer my core value; I was feeling increasingly pressed and was unable to fulfill such a great duty." she explained.

However, when faced with negative comments, the stunning model from Ede did not back down. Instead, H'Hen Niê opted to strive to conquer it. "I told myself that if I kept forcing myself to adjust to things that weren't meant for me, my time would never come. It was something serious and terrifying. But I want to be honest to myself, so I need to manifest what I have and thrive to attain the energy to confront the challenges I face."

Spread love to the community

She planted the seeds of love with a kind heart, and devoted herself to voluntary activities during the pandemic. The touching photo of Miss H'Hen Niê holding a 50kg bag of rice on a charity tour in Lagi town (Binh Thuan province) recently went viral on social media. Furthermore, she surprised the audience by passionately carrying luggage, porters... to deliver gifts to poor people in the village. These are only some of Miss Universe Vietnam 2017's many memorable moments during the pandemic.

Miss H'Hen Niê is given the title “Miss of doing the most jobs in the epidemic”. She is not only a porter, but also a shipper. She used a motorbike to deliver food and supplies to several areas of Ho Chi Minh City at the end of July.

In addition to her commitment and dedication, Miss H'Hen Niê is also loved by her simple dressing style, with barely any makeup. She said that throughout her three months of volunteering, she had a slew of issues, including acne, dark spots, and the possibility of getting Covid-19.

At the beginning of August, she attracted lots of attention when livestreamed selling agricultural products to Dong Thap people such as rice, sweet potatoes, veggies, etc. She appeared in the livestream wearing traditional Central Highlands brocade costumes and a bandana. Although being a newbie in livestreaming, the beauty received more than 1,500 orders in an hour of broadcast.

Her voluntary spirit did not stop there, she also registered as a volunteer to assist the frontline in the fight against the pandemic since the fourth outbreak. Wearing full-on protective gear and guiding people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 is also a beautiful image in the beauty's voluntary journey.

After four years of winning the Miss Universe Vietnam title, experiencing many ups and downs, H’Hen Nie has also acquired numerous memorable achievements. Most importantly, this phenomenal woman has conquered everyone's hearts. She will certainly continue going strong on this journey to be more and more successful.