Vietnamese girl who rode water buffaloes named Miss Earth 2018

By C. Mendez Legaspi - November 5, 2018

In Photo: Miss Earth Philippines 2017 Karen Ibasco (left) passes on her crown to Miss Earth 2018 Nguyen Phuong Khánh of Vietnam at the pageant night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City late Saturday. The titleholder will dedicate her year to promoting specific projects and addressing environmental and other global issues through school tours, tree planting, street campaigns, coastal cleanups and eco-fashion shows, among others.

MANILA—A girl who grew up reading books about birds while riding a water buffalo as it strolls across rice fields near the Great Mekong River in Vietnam has been crowned the new Miss Earth.

Nguyen Phuong Khánh, 23, a marketing student from Ben Tre, beat 86 contestants from around the planet to become the top Earth Goddess after a fast-paced finals on Saturday night, November 3, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Motoring-show anchor James Deakin was “recycled” as the host of the environment-themed pageant while musical guest, Grammy-nominated American R&B singer Brian McKnight, sang his 1999 hit “Back at One.”

Khánh was crowned by Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco from the Philippines. Her Elemental Court is composed of Miss Earth-Air 2018 Melanie Mader from Austria; Miss Earth-Water 2018 Valeria Ayos from Colombia; and Miss Earth-Fire 2018 Melissa Flores from Mexico.

The top 18, eliminated after the Beauty of Face and Poise round, included Sayonara Veras from Brazil, Belvy Naa from Ghana, Mio Tanaka from Japan, Katarina Seckovic from Montenegro, Priya Sidgel from Nepal and Denisse Andor from Romania.

The Top 12, eliminated after the Beauty of Figure and Form round, included Antonia Figueroa from Chile, Margaretha de Jong from the Netherlands, Danijela Burjan from Slovenia and Margo Fargo from South Africa.

The top 8 included early-favorite Telma Madeira from Portugal; nursing student Sofia Pavan from Italy; Diana Silva from Venezuela, who wasn’t at the top 4 announcement after fainting backstage; and Celeste Cortesi from the Philippines, who faltered at the Question and Answer Round with #malnutrition.

“My perspective on malnutrition actually depends on my values and beliefs. I think that it’s about respect, and I think that respect is the key to serve the purpose of our knowledge and humanity,” was Cortesi’s off-tangent reply.

The top 4 was asked one question: “Being a millennial, what do you think is the most pressing issue of your generation?”

Colombia’s Valeria Ayos, 24, an international relations student from San Andres, replied: “The most important thing of our millennial generation is that we all have the possibility to have a voice and to be heard. Social media, for example, is a great platform when we can spread awareness on environmental issues or worries. I’m proud to be a millennial, because we are all empowered and we can always share a message to the world. Thank you.”

Ayos was crowned by her countrywoman, Juliana Franco, Miss Earth Water 2017.

Mexico’s Melissa Flores, 20, a psychology student from Michoacán, replied: “One of the first problems as a girl in the 90s is the controversial issues with technology. We need to learn how to use it correctly to send the right message to society and send the correct message to the new generation to give good advice. Thank you so much.”

Austria’s Melanie Mader, 26, a medical assistant from Vienna, replied: “As a millennial, we tend to not pay attention about what’s happening around the world because of all the technologies we’re using, like social media. But we can use social media in a positive way. We millennials can use it to spread awareness on what’s happening in our environment, and if we do that, everybody will be informed on what’s happening, and we can live a better future, not just for us human beings, but for the creatures on Earth. Thank you.”

Incidentally, Mader was elevated to Miss Philippines Eco Tourism 2016, when she represented the overseas community of Austria. Like her predecessor, Miss Earth Air 2017 Nina Robertson from Australia, Mader is also half-Filipina.

Khánh watched Miss Earth 2010 held in her country and has since dreamed of becoming one. She stated her advocacy in her pageant bio: “More and more as technology is part of development and Vietnam transforming itself to an industrialized nation, I being Miss Vietnam Earth will do my part in maintaining balance in the ecosystem especially in our rivers and forests. This is to keep our motherland be Earth-friendly but not sacrificing harmful effects because of waste products from manufacturing facilities and pollutants from the increased number of motorbikes. I shall ask the assistance of my countrymen to embrace both nature and technology and respect Mother Earth.”

The Vietnamese is the first woman from her country to ever win a major global pageant. Her winning reply goes: “Good evening, everyone. My answer is our ignoring. We have so many technologies, and we just use social media and only care about ourselves. We should spend our time to think and feel with what’s happening with the Earth right now. One small action multiplied by a million people can transform the world.”

https://businessmirror.com.ph/vietnamese-girl-who-rode-water-buffaloes-named-miss-earth-2018/