The quiet life of the Miss Ox who mysteriously 'disappeared' right after being crowned

"Mysteriously disappeared" right after being crowned

MissPham Thi Mai Phuong was born in 1985, the year of the Ox. Shecrowned Miss Vietnam2002, when she was just 17 years old. That year, the beauty was a student majoring in Physics at Tran Phu High School for the Gifted - Hai Phong.

Miss Mai Phuong at the time of coronation.

With her pure beauty, ideal figure, gentle smile, and solid educational background... Mai Phuong became a bright face at Miss World 2003. She excellently entered the Top 15, becoming the first Miss Vietnam to have a ranking in this major beauty contest.

There is one thing that many people still remember when talking about Mai Phuong: her sudden disappearance, which caused panic among her family and the Miss Vietnam organizing committee. Poet and journalist Duong Ky Anh once shared: "That was Saturday night (August 9, 2003), a newspaper staff member received a phone call from Mr. Pham Thanh Hung - Miss Mai Phuong's father, informing him that his daughter was missing." This event immediately caused a stir in the Vietnamese entertainment industry at that time.

In an interview with the press after returning home, Mai Phuong said that she went out because she was too stressed about studying abroad, so she went out with Nguyen Ngoc Dung - a friend from Hai Phong - to relax... and not because she went missing.

Mai Phuong then received a scholarship from Luton University (UK). After graduating with a degree of Excellence in Business Administration, she returned to Vietnam and worked in the Customs sector. Mai Phuong and Bui Bich Phuong are two Miss Vietnam who left behind the halo of showbiz to live the life of a normal person. Currently, the beauty lives happily with her husband, a police officer, and two obedient sons.

After many years of coronation, choosing a quiet life... Mai Phuong still makes others admire her beauty and youthfulness.

Not belonging to the noisy, complicated world

According to Mai Phuong, when she was first crowned Miss Vietnam, because everything came so suddenly, there was a time when she was in crisis. Crisis because at that time, she could not foresee the pressure of becoming a famous person. Every move, from words, voice, style, behavior... had to be standard and exemplary. Luckily, she soon overcame that "scary" time to continue walking and create the most suitable future for herself.

"During that period, my family was always close by, guiding and instructing me. I am also quite an open-minded person and I listen to any suggestions. But I listen to make the most reasonable decisions, not to follow other people's opinions," Mai Phuong revealed.

The beauty added that when she received a scholarship to study abroad, she wanted to devote all her heart to her studies. Therefore, her activities were not as vibrant as her "juniors" later. After 5 years of studying abroad, she returned to work in the Customs sector. The work was quite busy so she was caught up, not having much time to do other jobs.

In addition, because she gave birth to two children in a row, taking care of them also took up a lot of her time. Now, life is less hectic because the children are grown up... Therefore, she has more time to participate in community and volunteer activities.

Sharing about leaving behind the showbiz spotlight and choosing a normal life, Mai Phuong confided that she feels her personality does not belong in noisy, complicated places... Because of that, she does not like the entertainment world.

"I like a stable office job with little conflict. Many people call me "the most mysterious beauty queen among all beauty queens" but actually I am not mysterious at all. Every day, businesses come to do procedures at the Customs Department - Hai Phong still meet me regularly.

Mai Phuong is satisfied with her current life.

In fact, when I joined Miss Vietnam 2002, I still determined to join this playground with the purpose of enriching my knowledge, life experience and self-improvement, not thinking about distant things. My personality is that I want to do everything with my own ability and no matter how difficult it is, I will pursue it to the end.

However, whatever you say, Miss Vietnam was a big turning point in my life and brought me many opportunities in life. In a way, it is true that the Miss crown helped me change my life because I became known to many people and did many things more conveniently than usual," Mai Phuong confided.

Still feel like a 17 year old girl

Looking at herself at the present time, Mai Phuong honestly said that she sees herself asstill as playful and youthful as the 17 year old girl she was. Maybe now, she is a wife and mother of two boys so she has different thoughts. But basically in her personality is still optimistic, playful and cheerful.

Rare photos of Mai Phuong's family were revealed many years ago.

"My life is now as normal as any other civil servant, nothing special. My husband also works in the police force. Life when the children were young was quite busy and difficult. My husband often had to go on business trips so I had to take care of everything in the house.

However, family life is always full of laughter and husband and wife know how to share with each other. Both sides of the family also support us a lot.

"My husband is a very responsible person towards his family, that is what I feel most satisfied with. Having a responsible husband makes a woman feel more at ease," Mai Phuong revealed further.

Mai Phuong also confided that many people complimented her for "keeping her beauty going back in time" but in reality she lives a very simple life. She never wears makeup when going to work, except for a layer of sunscreen and a little lipstick. The reason for this is because her house is very close to her office so she allows herself to simplify everything.