MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe Vietnam 2020 Nguyen Khanh Van Tran trended in social media platforms as the candidate who will be bringing the most number of outfits to the Miss Universe 2020 competition.
With reportedly 200 outfits as part of her wardrobe collection, she shared the list with Thailand's Amanda Obdam with 150, and Chile's Daniela Nicolas with 70. If this information is really true, I can just imagine the baggage bill all that weight must cost!
Khanh Van Tran won as Miss Universe Vietnam in December 2019, after two unsuccessful attempts - in 2014, where she landed in the Top 40, and in 2015, where she landed in the Top 10. She was crowned by Miss Vietnam 2018 H'hen Nie, the most successful Vietnamese candidate, so far, who landed in the Top 5 in the year won by Miss Universe Philippines Catriona Gray.
Before this feat, it was Miss Universe ThaiIland 2016 Chalita Suansane who was in the news for carrying 17 suitcases to the pageant held in Manila that year.
Part of Khanh Van Tran's impressive collection of 200 outfits, composed of designs from local designers and a few luxury brands, is the "Ken Em," a creation inspired by Vietnam's silk weaving tradition of thousands of years.
"The real fiber dress (which) I have never seen before. I believe I will be one of the first young designers who pioneered the innovation of the ao dai using new materials," said designer Khoa L?, who will be working with another designer, Thai Trung Tin, in creating the ensemble.
Khoa L? won over seven other designers, in a state-wide competition, with the honor of creating Miss Universe Vietnam's national costume for the competition. The ao dai, Vietnam's traditional long dress, was the main theme for the design contest. And L? won the search based on a criteria of aesthetics, creativity and feasibility of performance on stage.
Nguyen Khanh Van Tran is the sixth most followed among Miss Universe 2020 candidates on Instagram, with 273,000 followers. At the top of the leader board is Miss Universe Philippines Rabiya Mateo (706,000), followed by Amandine Petit (France, 540,000), Daniela Nicolas (Chile, 418,000), RR Ayu Maulida (Indonesia, 372,000) and Amanda Obdam (Thailand, 315,000).
One of the fan favorites in this year's search, the 25-year-old Vietnamese aspirant hails from Ho Chi Minh City, measures 83-60-90 centimeters and stands at 175 centimeters. Her first major title was winning the Miss Ao Dai Travelgirl Vietnam crown in 2013.
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