Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien wins Miss Grand International 2021

ABS-CBN News Posted at Dec 04 2021 11:54 PM Photo from Miss Grand TV YouTube channel

The golden crown of Miss Grand International is moving to Vietnam, as Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien took home the title in the 2021 edition of the pageant in Thailand Saturday.

Nguyen beat Ecuador in a surprising Top 2 final-question round, where they were asked why they should win the title.

Vietnam responded: “I have to be honest that I didn’t think I would be standing here. I’m very nervous right now . . . I’m ready to work. I’m ready to be in Thailand for one year.”

Completing the finalists were Brazil (2nd runner-up), Puerto Rico (3rd runner-up), and South Africa (4th runner-up).

Meanwhile, Philippine bet Samantha Panlilio missed the Top 20 cut that shocked many Filipino pageant fans.

On Twitter, "SamPan", "Miss Grand International", and "Nawat" were all in the top 5 trending topics.

“Samantha Panlilio did her best and yet she's not included in Top 20. How is that possible?” a netizen tweeted.

Panlilio made strides in the beauty contest, especially in the preliminary round, when she donned a Rian Fernandez creation filled with embellishments and surprised the crowd when she suddenly dropped the sheer cape of her outfit.

Dubbed as “Layag Balangay”, the bespoke gown was inspired by the seafaring vessel in the Philippines made of wood.

Netizens could not also help but praise the turns and form of Panlilio — clad in a blue one-piece swimwear — during the swimsuit round, including a shimmy at the end of her pasarela.

The Filipino beauty turned into a "butterfly" during the national costume competition earlier on Tuesday.

The outcome also meant that the Philippines has to wait another year to try win the elusive golden crown in the Thailand-based pageant.

Nicole Cordoves (2016) and Samantha Bernardo (2020) almost clinched the title after placing first runner-up.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/04/21/vietnam-wins-miss-grand-international-2021