Beauty to flower in many forms at festival

13:21' 18/06/2007 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – The second Da Lat Flower Festival promises to the more eye-catching than ever this year as it will also include the first Miss Vietnamese Ethnic Groups beauty contest. Miss Dervish: Ethnic minority girls will competing for the first Miss Vietnamese Ethnic Groups crown during a beauty pageant at the 2007 Da Lat Flower Festival in December. The pageant is designed to promote national virtues and cultural diversity as the country enters a period of development and international integration. The road to the Miss Vietnamese Ethnic Groups crown will be a long one. The beauty pageant is multi-tiered, with preliminary rounds feeding into the grand final, which will form part of the Da Lat Flower Festival this December. Each entrant will have to take part in four costumes rounds, including the ao dai (traditional dress), traditional ethnic dress, evening gown and swim suit. In addition, contestants will have to demonstrate talents such as singing, flower arranging and cooking - which is a unique feature of the pageant. A short list of 10-12 contestants will then be subjected to a personal interview - typically a source of fierce contention. This year's pageant sets a new prize-money record. Miss Vietnamese Ethnic Groups will be presented with a cheque for VND100mil (US$6,250), in addition to a crown and gifts valued at VND20mil ($1,250). The first and second runner-ups will receive VND30mil ($1,845) and VND20mil, respectively. There will also be a number of other awards, such as Miss Charity, who will receive VND4mil ($2,500); and Miss Talent, who will receive VND15mil ($938). Singapore's Cambridge Business College will also present Miss Vietnamese Ethnic Groups with a $7,000 scholarship to study abroad. Other winners will win scholarships valued at $3,000. Finalists will receive VND5mil each and special gifts. "Miss Vietnamese Ethnic Groups will be unique and exciting, "said Doan Thi Kim Hong, vice president of the Viet Nam Advertising Association and former winner of the Miss Favourite title at the 2005 Mrs World Pageant. The festival finale will celebrate the legend of Lac Long Quan-Au Co and the 100 eggs, which tells the story of the origins of the first 100 Vietnamese. Musician Duc Dau will be performing, as will gong musicians from Buon Me Thuot Province. "The contest is a good opportunity for beauties nationwide to learn from one another," said Hong. "That is the reason why we made the pageant a rich cultural contest - to celebrate the wild healthy magnificent beauty of Vietnam". The beauty contest will take place on December 22 and is open to unmarried women aged 18-28 and over 1.58 tall. Applications should be submitted to Lam Dong Department of Culture, and Information at 2 Nguyen Viet Xuan Street or the CIAT Company at 57 Dang Van Giai, District 2, HCM City. The closing date for applications is August 15. Preliminary rounds will be held in the North, Central and South of Vietnam. Bloomin' festival The Da Lat Flower Festival Exhibition Fair, which will open on December 15, is both a cultural and tourist festival and an international commercial event. Foreign and local businesses can find opportunities to develop their investment projects in the fields of tourism and flower, tea and coffee exports. Organised by the People's Committee of Lam Dong Province, the 2007 Flower Festival will introduce Vietnamese flowers to the world. "It also highlights the achievements of the chief flower-growing areas in the country and in particular, Da Lat," said Huynh Duc Hoa, chairman of the Lam Dong Province's People's Committee. "We are co-operating with various ministries and government offices in culture, trade and tourism to expand our festival activities, hoping to attract a great number of local and foreign visitors," he said. During the six-day event, hundreds of veteran and amateur artists from different provinces will perform from morning to late night. Traditional music and dance performances by ethnic minority groups of Gia Lai, E De, Thai and Muong will also be featured. More than 100 local and foreign companies, including Da Lat Hasfarm and the Phong Phu Garment Corporation, will display their products production lines and facilities at nearly 1,000 stalls. Several seminars about Vietnamese flower growing and export will allow participants to exchange business experiences and promote future projects. The festival is expected to welcome 80,000 visitors. (Source: Viet Nam News)