Thanh Hang 20 years ago: Dark skin, rumored to have bought a beauty pageant title

20 years ago, Thanh Hang was a young girl of 18 years old, 1.76 m tall, with dark skin and living in a poor working-class neighborhood in Saigon. Like many other female students, she loved beauty, movies or fashion. At that time, every time she saw models performing on stage, Thanh Hang was very passionate. But to step into that world was something she did not dare to think about. "My family has no relationship with anyone in the arts, and we cannot understand what kind of environment it is. It feels vague and distant. That clearly shows that I do not have 0.01% to enter a beauty pageant or showbiz," she said.

Thanh Hang won Miss Photo Model 2001. Photo: Huyen Vu

The biggest turning point in Thanh Hang's life began with a piece of news in the right corner, near the end of the page of the Women's World newspaper in 2001.The editorial board wanted to recruit young people to take fashion photos. Reading this information, a close friend in the neighborhood urged Thanh Hang to participate. "And I tried! After being featured on two pages of the newspaper, a woman in charge suggested that I register for the Miss Photo Model contest that had just been held. A thought flashed through the mind of a young girl who was eager to explore like me: The photos are already available, the background is clear, why would I refuse. So all the registration steps happened in a flash!", the beauty recalled.

After winning the monthly award, Thanh Hang was selected to enter the national finals. At this time, the beauty had to get her family's approval. Ms. Hong - Thanh Hang's mother - loved her daughter, was willing to listen and indulge her when she thought it was reasonable. Therefore, she invested in the cost for her beloved daughter to compete. "Every time I asked my mother for money, I was really embarrassed. But with the support of my family, I felt more confident and ready to enter the contest," she said.

Looking back on her beauty pageant journey, Thanh Hang admits that she was very lucky to have a benefactor to help her because she did not know anything about showbiz. An older sister guided Thanh Hang on the catwalk, introduced the makeup artist for the final night, and took her to shops that made ao dai and evening gowns. At that time, contestants had to prepare all their outfits themselves. For ao dai, Thanh Hang chose a pink brocade fabric. For evening gowns, she simply thought: Choose something that looks like a princess or a bride.

Thanh Hang shares the joy of being crowned next to first runner-up Hoang Cuc (right) and second runner-up Phuong Lien (left). Photo: Huyen Vu

Recalling the decisive moments, Thanh Hang said she was not pressured or nervous, but on the contrary, very excited, enjoying every moment."Originally, I was the coolest in the neighborhood to compete and make it to the final night like this. What more could I ask for? Therefore, when there were only three contestants left on stage waiting to be announced as Miss, I still didn't think I would win. The moment my name was announced as Miss, I froze for five seconds, unconsciously walked to receive the award, smiling very stiffly amid the sound of fireworks and chaotic music. Originally not understanding what was going on and who I was, I only knew that I was standing next to the two runners-up to take a souvenir photo. Below, my mother and younger brother held flowers and ran along the stage to come closer to congratulate me. That touching image will always be imprinted in my mind!", she said.

Before Thanh Hang could enjoy the joy of victory, when she walked out of the stage gate to go home, a few sounds reached her ears: "That girl has such dark skin and yet she won the prize, she must have bought it." At that moment, the 18-year-old girl was not sad but a little surprised and suddenly realized one thing: Every gift comes with a weight on her shoulders.

"At that time, I understood what the so-called weight of the crown was. Of course, there were also people who congratulated me on winning the award. I was on the border between two mixed emotions. I don't remember exactly how long it took me to adapt to the fact that I was wearing the crown on my head. A bit eager to win, I wanted to wake up those who doubted me and said bad things about Thanh Hang. Based on that reason, I chose the path I would take. Just do the right thing and avoid mistakes," Thanh Hang said.

Regarding the 50 million VND bonus - a huge sum 20 years ago, Thanh Hang confessed: "I bought a ring for my mother and a necklace for myself. That was like a way to preserve my youthful memories. I saved the remaining money and it has been making a profit until now" (laughs).