There’s something singular and extraordinary about the new queen of Vietnam, H’Hen Niê, Miss Universe Vietnam 2018. And no, we are not talking about how beautiful or talented she is, but what appeals to you about this Vietnamese queen is her hunger to live life to the fullest.
Her life story is inspiring, and the way she has come out as a strong and beautiful soul after the hard circumstances in her life makes us love her even more.
H’Hen came to the limelight on 6th January 2018 when she became Miss Universe Vietnam 2018 and also turned into an overnight star of Vietnam. But what you might not know is that your queen’s life has not been that queenly.
This ethnic beauty from the Central Highlands Province of Dak Lak worked as a house help in order to make ends meet. Life was definitely not easy for her as she could not speak Vietnamese fluently therefore couldn’t take up a proper job at the time she was studying at a university in HCM City. While other kids tutored to earn some extra bucks, H’Hie went house to house doing all kinds of household works to survive. Not only this, H’Hie also worked on the fields to help her parents in her hometown.
Talking a Vietnamese daily HHie confessed, “I helped a family with washing dishes, cleaning the floor and other housework. When I quit the job, they were sad and told me they were never so satisfied with any housemaid before me. I felt moved. I just tried to complete the task I was assigned because I was paid for it.”
Life took a turn for good when her friends egged her on to try for modelling. Modelling paid fine for her studies and survival while she also tried for Vietnam's Next Top Model 2015 where she was in Top 9. Though she didn’t win the competition but it gave her the direction she needed.
Now she knew what she wanted and so, stated her journey for the Miss Universe Vietnam 2018 contest. Not seizing any opportunity to learn and discover new skills, she learned everything from the fellow contestants like speaking fluently in English or dancing. H’Hie never got any professional training earlier, so, for her the Miss Universe Vietnam contest was a learning platform. She just wanted to grab as much knowledge as possible. She was like a little kid in a candy shop where everything excited her.
Now that H’Hie has won emerged victorious in the competition, she believes in keeping her humble roots intact and wants to do everything possible for the society in her position. Also, what’s significant about her is how she insists not to portray her life story as some poor girl from a village who’s trying to make it big in the city but rather focus on her optimistic character in life.
A natural beauty that she is, people love her not because she is a true traditional beauty but because she radiates simplicity. She rocked the final event with a boyish Twiggy-inspired bob hair and proved that you don’t always need long hair, fair skin and pretty face for people to love you as a queen, but it’s the inner beauty like hers that counts.