# Vietnam's Next Top Model

Vietnam's Next Top Model (Người mẫu Việt Nam, or VNTM) is a Vietnamese reality television show in which contestants compete for the title of "Vietnam's Next Top Model." Contestants are given the opportunity to begin a career in the modeling industry, and the winner receives a cash prize and a feature article in a fashion magazine.

## Background

The competition follows a group of female contestants (including male contestants from season 4-7) at least 18 years old. They live together in a house for several months and take part in various challenges, such as posing for photographs. Many episodes feature contestants meeting well-known figures in the modeling industry. In each episode, one or more contestants are eliminated, although multiple eliminations or zero elimination occasionally occur by consensus of the panel of judges. The winner will be crowned "Vietnam's Next Top Model", receiving a modeling contract and other prizes.

## Format
### Requirements

Contestants must be between 18 and 25 years of age, and had to be Vietnamese citizens or foreigners of Vietnamese origin. From season four women had to be at least 5'7" (170 cm) tall and men at least 5'9" (175 cm) tall in order to compete. The contestants must not be managed exclusively by companies, agencies, or products and have no criminal record. In season seven, height and age requirements are removed.

## Judging

The first cycle was overseen by two panels of judges. The first included model Nathan Lee, who was scheduled to host the season with international model Elizabeth Thủy Tiên and fashion designer Hoàng Ngân. They were replaced by Hà Anh, Huy Võ and Đức Hải immediately after they were cast.
During season two, the judging panel was renewed and increased with influential figures in the Vietnamese fashion industry. Six former judges (from two panels) were replaced by a new panel. They included makeup artist Nam Trung, fashion designer Đỗ Mạnh Cường and fashion photographer Phạm Hoài Nam. Former model Xuân Lan was the host and head judge, remaining the host of the show with the exception of season four when she was pregnant (Thanh Hằng hosted that season). After hosting season four, Thanh Hằng returned as head judge in season six. On June 4, 2017, former host of Project Runway Vietnam Trương Ngọc Ánh was announced to be the new host of the show, replacing Thanh Hằng from season eight
Asia's Next Top Model season-two judge Adam Williams has been a recurring guest judge since season four, and a permanent judge in season five. That season, Đỗ Mạnh Cường was replaced by Samuel Hoàng.
In Cycle 6, former host Phạm Thị Thanh Hằng, who hosted Cycle 4 (the first guys-and-girls season of the show), returned to fulfill her position as head judge of the panel. Samuel Hoàng reprised his role as a judge after Cycle 5 concluded. Designer Adrian Anh Tuấn was also introduced as a new judge.
In Cycle 7, host Phạm Thị Thanh Hằng and Samuel Hoàng reprised their roles in the judging panel. Fashion designer Lý Quí Khánh and fashion stylist & Editor-in-Chief of Đẹp Magazine (where the word "Đẹp" is translated from Vietnamese, means beautiful) Hà Đỗ were introduced as new judges.
In Cycle 8, the entire panel of judges was replaced. The jury consisted of model-actress Trương Ngọc Ánh, make-up artist Nam Trung, and model Võ Hoàng Yến. Ngọc Ánh acted as the show's presenter, while Nam Trung served as the show's creative director and Hoàng Yến served as model mentor, respectively.
| Judge | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle | Cycle |
| Judge | 1 (2010) | 2 (2011) | 3 (2012) | 4 (2013) | 5 (2014) | 6 (2015) | 7 (2016) | 8 (2017) | 9 (2025) |
| Host ||||||||||
| Hà Anh | Main | | | | | | | | |
| Xuân Lan | | Main | Main | | Main | | | | |
| Thanh Hằng | | | | Main | | Main | Main | | |
| Trương Ngọc Ánh | | | | | | | | Main | |
| Võ Hoàng Yến | | | | | | | | Main | Main |
| Judging Panelists ||||||||||
| Đức Hải | Main | | | | | | | | |
| Huy Võ | Main | | | | | | | | |
| Nam Trung | | Main | Main | Main | Main | | | Main | Main |
| Đỗ Mạnh Cường | | Main | Main | Main | | | | | |
| Phạm Hoài Nam | | Main | Main | | | | | | |
| Adam Williams | | | | Main | Main | | | | |
| Hương Color | | | | | Main | | | | |
| Samuel Hoàng | | | | | Recurring | Main | Main | Guest | |
| Adrian Anh Tuấn | | | | | | Main | | | |
| Lý Quý Khánh | | | | | | | Recurring | | |
| Hà Đỗ | | | | | | | Main | Recurring | |
| Mâu Thủy | | | | Contestant | | | | | Main |
| Cycle | Premiere date | Winner | Runner-up | Other contestants in order of elimination | Number of contestants | International Destinations |
| 1 | 30 September 2010 | Khiếu Thị Huyền Trang | Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Lan | Lại Thanh Hương & Trần Lê Hoài Thương, Bùi Thị Thu Thùy, Nguyễn Thanh Hằng, Bùi Thị Hoàng Oanh, Nguyễn Diệp Anh, Hồ Mỹ Phương, Phạm Thị Hương, Nguyễn Giáng Hương, Đàm Thu Trang, Trần Thị Thu Hiền, Đỗ Thị Thanh Hoa, Nguyễn Thu Thủy | 15 | None |
| 2 | 25 September 2011 | Hoàng Thị Thùy | Nguyễn Thị Trà My | Lưu Khánh Linh, Kikki Lê, Huỳnh Thị Kim Tuyền, Dương Thị Dung, Phan Ngọc Phương Nghi & Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Oanh, Nguyễn Thùy Dương, Lê Thị Phương & Trần Thanh Thủy, Nguyễn Thị Tuyết, Nguyễn Thị Phương Anh, Nguyễn Thị Thùy Trang, Lê Thị Thúy | 15 | Singapore Bangkok |
| 3 | 19 August 2012 | Mai Thị Giang | Kha Mỹ Vân | Nguyễn Thi Châm, Nguyễn Thi Hằng, Lương Thị Kim Loan, Lê Thị Hằng & Cao Thi Hà, Lê Thanh Thảo, Đỗ Thu Hà, Vũ Thị Minh Nguyệt, Nguyễn Thị Ngân & Dương Thị Thanh & Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Thúy & Nguyễn Thị Nhã Trúc, Cao Thị Thiên Trang | 15 | New York City |
| 4 | 6 October 2013 | Mâu Thị Thanh Thủy | Vũ Tuấn Việt | Nguyễn Quốc Minh Tòng & Lê Uyên Phương Thảo & Đỗ Thị Kim Ngân & Ngô Thị Quỳnh Mai, Tạ Thúc Bình & Phan Thị Thùy Linh, Phạm Thị Kim Thoa, Trần Mạnh Kiên, Nguyễn Trần Trung & Đinh Hà Thu, Nguyễn Thị Thanh, Trần Quang Đại, Dương Mạc Anh Quân & Nguyễn Thị Hằng, Lê Văn Kiên & Nguyễn Thị Chà Mi | 18 | Singapore Paris |
| 5 | 1 November 2014 | Nguyễn Thị Oanh & Tạ Quang Hùng | Phạm Duy Anh & Tiêu Ngọc Linh & Cao Thị Ngân | Nguyễn Văn Thắng & Hồ Văn Năm, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Tuyền, Lê Đức Anh, Lê Thị Kim Dung, Trần Yến Nhi & Phạm Công Toàn, Chế Nguyễn Quỳnh Châu & Lê Đăng Khánh, Phạm Tấn Khang, Đặng Văn Hội | 16 | Bangkok Rome Milan |
| 6 | 2 August 2015 | Nguyễn Thị Hương Ly | Võ Thành An & Nguyễn Thị Hợp & Lương Thị Hồng Xuân | Nguyễn Thành Quốc, Nguyễn Thị Kim Phương & Trần Hải Đăng, Hoàng Gia Anh Vũ, Hoàng Anh Tú, H'Hen Niê & Đào Thị Thu, Nguyễn Thị Hồng Vân, Đinh Đức Thành & K’ Brơi | 14 | Singapore Rome |
| 7 | 17 July 2016 | Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Châu | Nguyễn Huy Quang & La Thanh Thanh | Phạm Gia Long & Nguyễn Thị Thuỳ Dung, Trương Bùi Hoài Nam & Nguyễn Duy Minh & Hà Thị Út Trang, Nguyễn Anh Thư, Hoàng Minh Tùng, Bùi Huy Dương & Nguyễn Thị Phương, Vũ Trần Kim Nhã, Trần Thị Thuỳ Trâm, Trịnh Thu Hường & Nguyễn Thiếu Lan, Nguyễn Minh Phong & Trần Thị Thùy Trang | 18 | Sydney |
| 8 | 24 June 2017 | Lê Thị Kim Dung | Nguyễn Thùy Dương & Nguyễn Thị Chà Mi | Nguyễn Thị Phương Oanh, Lương Thị Hồng Xuân, Trần Thị Thuỳ Trâm, Nguyễn Hồng Anh, Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Oanh, Lại Thị Thanh Hương, Kikki Lê, Nguyễn Thị Hợp, Cao Thị Ngân & Cao Thị Thiên Trang | 13 | Seoul |
| 9 | 2024 | | | | | |

## Controversies
### Season one

The original panel of judges, including Nathan Lee, Elizabeth Thủy Tiên, and Hoàng Ngân, was fired because of conflicts among themselves and with the producers. A new panel was introduced; the head judge position taken up by model Hà Anh, and others judges including designer Huy Võ and actor-model Đức Hải. Đức Hải was primarily known for appearing in made-for-television films, and Huy Võ was reportedly a student at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.
Despite signing non-disclosure agreements, several contestants appeared on other TV shows before their elimination (suggesting they had been eliminated). The first-season finale was reportedly taken from the fourth-season finale of Germany's Next Topmodel, and the finale's "live" photo shoot was reportedly staged.
One year since the show had concluded, the winner Khiếu Thị Huyền Trang decided to speak up demanding the prize from the VNTM Organizing Committee, as she still had not received any the prizes for the winner including: 1,000,000,000₫ from CA Models, contract with Wilhelmina Models in New York City, and the supplies of Revlon. The aforementioned 1,000,000,000₫ prize from CA Models was supposed to be a salary divided equally every month for two years, but the payments would cease if she ended the contract. However she did not receive any money from the work done each month with the agency, therefore she decided to end the contract in November 2011. Before that, in In August 2011, CA Models initiated her plan to go to New York City under the condition that she lost 5–7 kg. But the trip never happened due to the agency claiming the trip cost too much money and for many times thinking about going and then cancelling continuously until November 2011.
Khiếu Thị Huyền Trang was also supposed to get the 2-year supply of Revlon, but she never received it due to advertising for another cosmetics brand with an interview for a magazine. Concerning the reason why the organizers of Vietnam's Next Top Model have not yet given this award to Huyen Trang, makeup artist Minh Hoang of Revlon cosmetics frankly said: "The responsibility belongs to Ms. Quynh Trang (production director of Vietnam's Next Top Model - PV) - if you have taken money from people, then fulfill your commitment well before asking for more. Don't blame this on Huyen Trang or Revlon." Even the show's host Hà Anh has confirmed that the production had not yet awarded all the prizes to Huyen Trang.

### Season two

Although head judge Xuân Lan, Nam Trung, Phạm Hoài Nam and Đỗ Mạnh Cường were chosen for their Vietnamese fashion-industry expertise, their lack of international experience was criticized. In response to questions from VTC News about qualifications for a top model, Elite Vietnam director Thúy Nga said that most finalists' body shapes were rough and disproportionate. She said, "Being a top model in three months is unbelievable" and considered the competition as primarily entertainment.
During filming, finalists Hoàng Oanh, Thùy Dương and Phương Nghi faced a lawsuit from producers for leaking the elimination order before the final episode. The lawsuit demanded 15 billion Vietnamese đồng (about US$714,000) for the contract violation. Around the New York Fashion Week (in which season-one winner Huyền Trang, season-one runner-up Tuyết Lan and season-two winner Hoàng Thùy participated), Tuyết Lan was named season-one winner over actual winner Huyền Trang in an email. According to executive producer Quỳnh Trang, it was a typographical error and Huyền Trang was the winner. Hà Anh said in an interview that based on their invitations, Hoang Thuy and Tuyet Lan might not walking at the New York Fashion Week. This caused antagonism between Quỳnh Trang and fellow judge Đỗ Mạnh Cường and Hà Anh. Hà Anh accused Quỳnh Trang of rigging the show and treating Huyền Trang unfairly, saying that the Vietnamese audience was misled and neither Lan nor Thùy walked at the New York Fashion Week. Huyền Trang later confirmed that she did not receive her billion-dong modelling contract, a trip to New York for training or a VND 200 million contract with Revlon cosmetics, declaring her intention to dissolve her relationship with the show. A post on the show's Facebook page called the situation a misunderstanding, saying that Trang was in breach of contract.

### Season five

In its fifth season, Vietnam's Next Top Model crowned two winners: Quang Hùng and Nguyễn Oanh. Viewer reaction was negative, with the audience considering Oanh's victory undeserved. Xuân Lan later told the press that Oanh was a worthy winner, and the producers had received approval from the format distributor for two winners. According to finale host Tùng Leo, the photos from the live photo shoot were not shown because of the venue's poor lighting.