Huong Giang: Miss Universe 2025 criteria changed at the last minute.
Huong Giang revealed for the first time that the reason she didn't advance further in Miss Universe 2025 was because the organizers unexpectedly changed their direction, making her no longer suitable for the new criteria.
The shift in direction of Miss Universe
Following her journey at Miss Universe 2025, Huong Giang shared her first thoughts on why she didn't advance further in the final. In a live broadcast on the morning of November 22nd, she revealed that the main reason stemmed from a last-minute change in the competition's direction and criteria.
Huong Giang stated that after the new organizing committee took over, Miss Universe returned to prioritizing natural beauty and a "fiery" performance style. This differs from the criteria that emphasized diversity and equality under the previous owner, Anne Jacqueline Jakrajutatip. This information was only revealed to the national directors a few days before the final night.
"If I had known about the new direction beforehand, I wouldn't have participated," Huong Giang asserted. She admitted feeling confused when she realized the change. Throughout the 21 days of the competition, she constantly had to update herself on which parts of the competition were scored and which parts required voting, leading to a reactive approach in her preparation.
"My criteria and the competition's criteria don't align."
Huong Giang emphasized that the result wasn't about fairness, but about suitability. "My criteria and the competition's criteria don't align," she shared. She admitted that she wasn't the most beautiful in terms of appearance compared to the Latin contestants and argued that winning requires many factors, similar to when she was crowned Miss International Transgender 2018.
She also urged fans not to attack the organizers or any individual. With her experience organizing beauty pageants, she understands that a contestant being popular does not necessarily mean they meet the criteria the organizers are looking for.
Details of the trip to Mexico
One notable detail revealed by Huong Giang is that in the closed-door interview round, the judges were completely different from those on the previously announced list. Each judge had 3 minutes to speak with the contestant.
Regarding her absence from the post-final event, she explained that it was not a mandatory activity. She prioritized spending time meeting and seeing off the fans who had flown from Vietnam to Mexico to support her. Mr. Valentine Tran, president of Miss Universe Vietnam, attended the event on behalf of the Vietnamese delegation.
Pride and future plans
Despite the less-than-expected results, Huong Giang affirmed that she is proud of her journey. What makes her most proud is that she strived to fulfill all the organizers' requirements until the very last minute, even when the competition changed from its initial plan. The affection of fans both domestically and internationally is the greatest reward she has received.
In the near future, Huong Giang will take a few days off to rest before returning to her end-of-year projects. She also plans to hold a fan meeting to express her gratitude for their continued support throughout the past year.