H'Hen Nie's "Banh Mi" costume received more praise than criticism from international media

Recently, a series of Asian newspapers such as Straits Times, Asiatimes... have published articles about the costumes that attracted attention at Miss UH'Hen Niê niverse 2018. The series of articles is titled "Miss Vietnam's baguette-themed national costume design for Miss Universe 2018 causes a stir".

The article defends and compares H'Hen Nie's outfit with the previous Thai representative. "When the Thai beauty appeared atMiss Universe 2015 with a costume simulating a Tuk Tuk with headlights and handlebars, many people mocked her. However, it was the unique costume that helped the beauty win the award for 'Best National Costume' because it honored the country's typical vehicle.

This year, Vietnam's representative - H'Hen Nie also appeared with an impressive outfit representing the culture called 'Banh Mi', a famous sandwich in her country.

This design caused controversy on social media because many people thought it was ugly. Meanwhile, H'Hen Nie explained that banh mi is a dish that is present everywhere, from the poorest rural areas in the Central Highlands to modern cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Foreigners also think of banh mi and pho when thinking of Vietnam," the newspaper wrote.

The Straits Times also quoted reader Thuy Le's comment: "I really like the idea of ​​this costume because it is very different. The costume reminds each of us of Vietnamese culture. I believe it can win the Best Costume award."

Previously, H'Hen Nie's outfit also received many compliments from international audiences. Garudapageant, a site specializing in posting information about beauty contests in Indonesia, published an article introducing H'Hen Nie's design. In the comments section, many netizens in this country gave many compliments to the bread idea.

Missnews Forum - a famous French beauty forum also rated "Banh Mi" as one of the 6 most beautiful national costumes of Miss Universe 2018.

"What we like about this year's national costume competition is that the contestants no longer choose expensive costumes but instead choose popular, personal costumes.

And this year, we saw many beautiful and creative costumes. I think my favorite costume was that of Miss H'Hen Niê - Miss Universe Vietnam", Missnews posted.

After more than a month, finally in the official event announcing H'Hen Nie's participation in the Miss Universe arena recently, the Organizing Committee announced that "Banh Mi" has officially become the national costume that will accompany H'Hen Nie to Thailand to "fight" in early December.

Since the announcement of the winning Banh Mi costume, which will be worn by H'Hen Nie in the national costume competition, it has created a wave of controversy in the media and social networks. Many opinions say that the new version, although edited, is still criticized for being less luxurious and not representing Vietnamese culture and cuisine. Some even say that the costume is a copycat idea.

Designer Pham Phuoc Dien - the owner of this outfit spoke up: "I have been following beauty pageants since 2002 so I know very well where I am and what I need to do." He also confirmed that the sketch of the outfit was sent to the National Costume selection contest for Miss Universe Vietnam almost a year ago so it is impossible to borrow ideas from Tomyum or Durian from Thailand.

On her personal page, Miss H'Hen Nie also shared that she was not under any pressure to choose the "Banh Mi" costume. She really liked this idea because bread was her favorite food since school.

At the same time, the beauty sent her thanks for everyone's comments and will try her best when wearing the outfit in Thailand.

Currently, Miss H'Hen Niê has officially arrived in Bangkok, Thailand to attend the Miss Universe 2018 contest.