Nguyen Ngoc Tra My wins inaugural Miss Charm Vietnam 2026

The Miss Charm Vietnam 2026 grand finale took place in Dong Nai City on Thursday evening, with 22 contestants competing in the pageant.

Tra My wins inaugural Miss Charm Vietnam title

The pageant was held under the theme 'Beauty Nurtured by Culture' and aimed to find a modern, confident, and internationally minded woman with resilience, knowledge, and an awareness of the importance of preserving national identity.

Nguyen Ngoc Tra My from Ho Chi Minh City won the first Miss Charm Vietnam title in 2026.

Ha Le Quynh Nga from Dong Nai City was named first runner-up, while Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc from Ho Chi Minh City was named second runner-up.

Le Tran Anh Thu from Tay Ninh Province finished as third runner-up, and Nguyen Khanh Linh from Hanoi was named fourth runner-up.

The organizers also presented several subsidiary awards.

Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc won the Best Fashion Beauty award, while Nguyen Ngoc Tra My received the award for Most Impressive Profile.

Nguyen Thi Dieu Linh won the Best 'Ao Dai' award and the Best Evening Gown Performance award.

Ho Yen Loan won the Talent award, while Ha Le Quynh Nga received the Best Catwalk award.

La Hoang Ky Duyen won the Most Influential in the Media award, Hatice Yavuz received the Inspirational Beauty award, and Nguyen Duc Minh Tu won the People's Choice award.

The judging panel for the finale included Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga, chairwoman of the Miss Charm Organization and head of the jury; Miss Charm 2024 Rashmita Rashindran; Miss Charm 2025 Anna Blanco; and Bui Quynh Hoa, Miss Universe Vietnam 2023.

The judges selected the top 16 contestants from the initial group of 22, then narrowed the field to the top 10+1 before choosing the final five.

The five finalists in the question-and-answer round were Ha Le Quynh Nga from Dong Nai City, Le Tran Anh Thu from Tay Ninh Province, Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc from Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Khanh Linh from Hanoi, and Nguyen Ngoc Tra My from Ho Chi Minh City.

The questions asked the finalists what they would introduce to international audiences through Vietnamese cultural symbols and traditions if they became tourism ambassadors.

The symbols and traditions mentioned in the questions included the 'khan ran' checked scarf, 'don ca tai tu' folk music, the 'ao dai 'traditional dress, 'banh mi,' and 'quan ho' folk singing.

The contestants answered the questions fully, but their responses did not make a particularly outstanding impression.

Judges explain Tra My's victory

Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga, head of the Miss Charm Vietnam 2026 jury, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that the judges had reached a high level of consensus on the final results.

Nga said Tra My was among the contestants who stood out in both appearance and ability.

"Tra My has the looks, intelligence, and stage presence. She also performed well in the closed-door interview and impressed the judges," Nga said.

Nga added that Tra My's experience studying abroad, bilingual hosting skills, and presentation abilities would strengthen her competitiveness against international contestants at the upcoming Miss Charm pageant.

She expressed hope that Vietnam would achieve a good result at the international competition this year.

Regarding the number of contestants, Nga said the number reflected the scale of a pageant, but she considered the quality of contestants more important.

She said the contestants in the inaugural edition were relatively evenly matched in quality despite having only three months to prepare.

Nga also said the organizers of the first edition still had considerable room to improve the event's organization.

The Miss Charm Organization will meet with the producer and other relevant parties to discuss whether to continue working together or adopt a different approach for the next edition, she said.

During the finale, the organizers announced the top three national costume designs.

They were Vo Ngoc Tay Nga by designer Mai Nhat Tan, Hue Nam Ngu Gia by designer Nguyen Huy Hoang, and Bac Ningg by designer Tran Dinh Tam.

The designs by Mai Nhat Tan and Nguyen Huy Hoang shared the Best National Costume title.

Tra My to represent Vietnam at Miss Charm 2026

Tra My will represent Vietnam at Miss Charm 2026, which is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City late this year.

Born in 1996, Tra My is 1.77 meters tall and has experience working in international environments.

She moved to Australia at the age of 18 to study communications at RMIT University.

After graduating, she worked in brand management, strategic partnerships, and premium services at multinational corporations.

Tra My currently runs a communications company and is pursuing postgraduate studies in business administration and leadership at Edgewood University in the U.S..

She previously competed in The TVFace 2025.

She currently works as a bilingual master of ceremonies at corporate conferences and diplomatic events.