# Miss Vietnam 2016

Miss Vietnam 2016 (Vietnamese: Hoa hậu Việt Nam 2016) was the 15th edition of the Miss Vietnam pageant. It was held on August 28, 2016 at Phu Tho Indoor Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Miss Vietnam 2014 Nguyễn Cao Kỳ Duyên crowned her successor Đỗ Mỹ Linh at the end of the event.

## Special awards
### Beauty with a Purpose

The 15th Miss Vietnam competition introduced several new features. For the first time, the regional preliminary nights were broadcast live on VTV. The competition had a total prize value of nearly 2 billion VND and featured a special performance by famous South Korean singer Bi Rain. One of the highlights of this year’s competition was the introduction of the Beauty with a Purpose award. Unlike previous years, where contestants participated in charity activities organized by the pageant committee, this year, each contestant had to independently plan and implement their own long-term charitable projects. These projects included repairing bridges, schools, providing clean water, digging wells, building playgrounds for children, or awarding scholarships to students in difficult circumstances.
To support these efforts, the organizing committee provided each finalist with approximately 100 million VND (depending on the project) to execute their plans. The contestant who created the most impactful and meaningful project was awarded the Beauty with a Purpose title.
The Beauty with a Purpose segment was edited into a reality television program, aired every Sunday at 8 PM on VTV9, from June 26 to August 21. The winner of this segment earned a direct spot in the Top 5 of the competition.
Timeline
Southern Preliminary Round: From May 27, 2016, to June 26, 2016, in Ho Chi Minh City. The Southern preliminary night took place on June 12 at Hòa Bình Theater, District 10, and was broadcast live on VTV9.
Northern Preliminary Round: From June 30, 2016, to August 21, 2016, in Hanoi. The Northern preliminary night was held on July 17 at the Water Music Stage, Tuần Châu, Hạ Long, Quảng Ninh, and was broadcast live on VTV9.
Final Round: From August 21, 2016, to August 28, 2016, at Phu Tho Arena, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City.

## Results
### Placements

Source:

#### Color keys

| Final result | Contestant | International pageant | International placement |
| Miss Vietnam 2016 | 145 – Đỗ Mỹ Linh | Miss World 2017 | Top 40 |
| 1st Runner-Up | 246 – Ngô Thanh Thanh Tú |
| 2nd Runner-Up | 015 – Huỳnh Thị Thùy Dung | Miss International 2017 | Unplaced |
| Top 5 | Phạm Thủy Tiên § - Hanoi Đào Thị Hà - Nghệ An |
| Top 10 | Trần Tố Như - Thái Nguyên Sái Thị Hương Ly - Hanoi Phùng Bảo Ngọc Vân - Hanoi Nguyễn Thùy Linh - Đồng Nai Bùi Nữ Kiều Vỹ - Quảng Nam |
§ Winner Beauty with a Purpose Vietnam

### Special Awards

Source:
| Special Award | Contestant |
| Winner Beauty with a Purpose Vietnam | Phạm Thủy Tiên - Hanoi |
| Miss Media | Phùng Bảo Ngọc Vân - Hanoi |
| Best Face | Trần Tố Như - Thái Nguyên |
| Best Evening Gown | Trần Thị Thu Hiền - Lâm Đồng |
| Best Skin | Sái Thị Hương Ly - Hanoi |
| Miss Beach | Đào Thị Hà - Nghệ An |
| Miss Talent | Huỳnh Thị Thùy Dung - Ho Chi Minh City |
| Best Hair | Hoàng Thị Quỳnh Loan - Thừa Thiên-Huế |
| Miss Áo dài | Bùi Nữ Kiều Vỹ - Quảng Nam |

## Contestants

36 contestants in the final.
| Contestants | Age | No. | Height | Hometown |
| Vũ Thị Vân Anh | 22 | 068 | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) | Quảng Ninh |
| Trịnh Phương Trang | 22 | 296 | 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | Hanoi |
| Trần Tố Như | 19 | 193 | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Thái Nguyên |
| Trần Thị Thu Hiền | 20 | 104 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Lâm Đồng |
| Phùng Lan Hương | 23 | 132 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Hà Nội |
| Trần Huyền Trang | 20 | 286 | 1.66 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | Quảng Ninh |
| Sái Thị Hương Ly | 22 | 151 | 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Hà Nội |
| Phan Thu Phương | 21 | 236 | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) | Hà Nội |
| Phạm Thủy Tiên | 19 | 239 | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | Hà Nội |
| Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Vân | 22 | 323 | 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Hải Phòng |
| Phùng Bảo Ngọc Vân | 19 | 268 | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Hà Nội |
| Đỗ Mỹ Linh | 20 | 145 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Hà Nội |
| Đào Thị Hà | 19 | 094 | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Nghệ An |
| Nguyễn Hương Mỹ Linh | 19 | 139 | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Hà Nội |
| Ngô Thanh Thanh Tú | 22 | 246 | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | Hà Nội |
| Nguyễn Cát Nhiên | 21 | 188 | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Đồng Nai |
| Huỳnh Thúy Vi | 23 | 290 | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | Cần Thơ |
| Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc | 18 | 179 | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | Hà Nội |
| Huỳnh Thị Thùy Dung | 20 | 015 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | TP.HCM |
| Nguyễn Huỳnh Kim Duyên | 21 | 036 | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Cần Thơ |
| Nguyễn Thùy Linh | 21 | 118 | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Đồng Nai |
| Hoàng Thị Quỳnh Loan | 19 | 128 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Thừa Thiên Huế |
| H'Ăng Niê | 24 | 155 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Đắk Lắk |
| Phan Thị Hồng Phúc | 20 | 170 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Tiền Giang |
| Nguyễn Thị Thành | 20 | 196 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Bắc Ninh |
| Hoàng Thị Phương Thảo | 22 | 206 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | TP.HCM |
| Trần Ngô Thu Thảo | 22 | 218 | 1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Tiền Giang |
| Lục Thị Thu Thảo | 19 | 226 | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Bình Dương |
| Trần Thị Thủy | 22 | 234 | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) | Đắk Nông |
| Nguyễn Thị Như Thủy | 18 | 242 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Đà Nẵng |
| Trần Thị Thùy Trang | 19 | 255 | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) | Thừa Thiên Huế |
| Nguyễn Vũ Hoài Trang | 21 | 276 | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) | TP.HCM |
| Lê Trần Ngọc Trân | 21 | 280 | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | Thừa Thiên Huế |
| Phạm Châu Tường Vi | 20 | 289 | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | Kiên Giang |
| Bùi Nữ Kiều Vỹ | 22 | 293 | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Quảng Nam |
| Trần Thị Phương Thảo | 22 | 299 | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) | TP.HCM |

## Scandal
### Contestants withdrew from the pageant

Half a month before the final night, contestant Nguyễn Thị Thành from Bắc Ninh withdrew from the competition citing personal reasons. Rumors on social media suggested that she withdrew after being discovered to have undergone cosmetic surgery. However, on August 10, her media representative claimed that she was unfairly treated by the Miss Vietnam organizing committee, pressured into withdrawing from the competition. Subsequently, the Ministry of Public Security launched an investigation and found that Nguyễn Thị Thành had fabricated the story to defame and discredit the Miss Vietnam pageant. The organizing committee decided to let the matter go without pursuing criminal charges.
Another strong contender for the crown, Lê Trần Ngọc Trân from Huế, also withdrew from the competition. She was accused of secretly competing and winning the title of runner-up at the Kim Mộc Hỏa Thổ (Miss Vietnam World 2014) pageant in Japan. Shortly afterward, she was stripped of her title when it was discovered that she had forged the signature of an official authority. The Miss Vietnam 2016 organizing committee received her withdrawal request on August 14. Ngọc Trân admitted to participating in the Kim Mộc Hỏa Thổ competition without obtaining permission from the relevant authorities but denied forging signatures.
Contestant Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Vân from Hải Phòng was disqualified for not meeting the "natural beauty" requirement and being unable to restore her original appearance, having had cosmetic dental replacement.
Additionally, contestants Phạm Châu Tường Vi (Kiên Giang), Trần Ngô Thu Thảo (Tiền Giang) and Nguyễn Thị Như Thủy (Đà Nẵng) withdrew from the competition before the final night, citing various personal reasons.

### About Miss Vietnam 2014

On July 11, 2016, just before the preliminary round for the Northern region took place, a video recorded in a café unexpectedly became the center of attention and spread rapidly across social media. Notably, the main subject of the clip was a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Miss Vietnam 2014, Kỳ Duyên. She was seen smoking in an air-conditioned café. In the video, the beauty queen was smoking and chatting with friends but quickly hid the cigarette when she realized she was being secretly filmed.
On August 5, 2016, Tiền Phong newspaper, the permanent unit of the organizing committee for the Miss Vietnam 2014 pageant and authorized by the council representing participating organizations, issued a disciplinary decision against Kỳ Duyên in the form of a formal reprimand for smoking in a public place. According to the decision, Kỳ Duyên was not stripped of her crown, but all promotional images and representations of her in connection with the Miss Vietnam 2016 competition were to be removed. She was also prohibited from participating in any activities accompanying the final round of the Miss Vietnam 2016 pageant. Additionally, she was stripped of her right to crown the new Miss Vietnam. Instead, the head of the organizing committee, Tiền Phong’s editor-in-chief Lê Xuân Sơn, and Master’s degree holder Phạm Thị Kim Dung, the CEO of Sen Vàng (a co-organizer of the pageant), carried out the crowning. This marked the first time in the history of Miss Vietnam that the new Miss Vietnam was not crowned by her predecessor since 2012.