'Beauty queen boss' and the untold story of the first runner-up who just passed away at the age of 54
In the impression of "beauty queen boss" Duong Xuan Nam, Vietnam's first runner-up Nguyen Thu Mai is very pretty and tall, with a personality that is not inferior to Miss Bui Bich Phuong.
Mr. Duong Xuan Nam - who has been the Head of the Organizing Committee of the Miss Vietnam contest for many years confirmed that Miss Vietnam 1988 runner-up Nguyen Thu Mai passed away on February 19 at the age of 54.
Mr. Xuan Nam shared that he received sad news from Miss Vietnam 1988 Bui Bich Phuong. "I was also surprised and sad when I heard the news of Mai's passing from Bich Phuong. I heard that Mai had complications from diabetes," said Mr. Duong Xuan Nam.
Recalling the 1988 Miss Vietnam contest, Mr. Duong Xuan Nam shared that he really liked and was impressed with the beauty of runner-up Nguyen Thu Mai. "At that time, I was very impressed with Mai. She was tall and very beautiful. To me, Mai had a unique and distinctive beauty. In that year's contest, Mai got a pretty high score, on par with Bui Bich Phuong," Mr. Xuan Nam recalled.
According to Mr. Xuan Nam, the jury of the 1988 Miss Vietnam contest was divided into two factions, one side supported Bui Bich Phuong, the other side supported Nguyen Thu Mai. "Both were impressed. After that, we decided to choose whoever answered better. After that, Bui Bich Phuong answered better, so she won the crown that year," said Mr. Duong Xuan Nam.
Nguyen Thu Mai was born in 1970 and graduated from the piano department of the Military University of Culture and Arts. Thu Mai was born into a family with an artistic tradition, her father is musician Luong Ngoc Trac and her mother is artist Thuy Chi. Thu Mai won the runner-up prize at the first Miss Vietnam contest held in 1988. In that year's contest, the organizing committee selected Bui Bich Phuong as the Miss and Thu Mai as the only runner-up.
After winning the runner-up prize, Thu Mai has a happy family. She teaches piano and organ to children at home in Hanoi. Runner-up Thu Mai and her husband have a daughter.
The funeral of runner-up Nguyen Thu Mai took place on February 23 at the Funeral Home of Hospital 354, Hanoi.
