Nguyen Quynh Anh wins the Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 crown. Photo: Kieng Can Studio
The list was published alongside a voting initiative offering contestants a chance to enter the top 30 at the final, drawing attention to the absence of representatives from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos and Singapore.
Miss Universe CEO Ronald Day said contestants from the six countries remained ineligible for the 2026 pageant, with no official announcement restoring their eligibility.
Day reiterated that decisions concerning the competition rested with the organizing team in Puerto Rico, which is responsible for the pageant's 75th-anniversary edition.
He said his team oversees contestant selection and coordinates agreements related to the show's production.
Vietnamese representatives and those from five other Southeast Asian countries are absent from the Miss Universe 2026 contestant list.
The dispute stems from Miss Universe's refusal to recognize the legal validity of Nawat Itsaragrisil's ownership of the pageant's franchise rights in the six Southeast Asian markets.
The dispute has left the winners of national pageants in the six countries uncertain about their participation in the international competition.
Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 winner Nguyen Quynh Anh is expected to represent Vietnam at Miss Universe 2026. Born in 1999 and from Hanoi, she stands 1.75 meters tall.
She was crowned Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 on October 2, having previously finished as first runner-up at Miss Universe Vietnam 2024.
She also placed as a runner-up at The Face Vietnam 2018 and won Supermodel Me 2021.
The Miss Universe 2026 final is scheduled for November 24, with contestants expected to begin arriving in Puerto Rico on November 8.
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