Trans reality show star Nguyen Huong Giang, already a household name in Vietnam, will represent her country at the 2025 Miss Universe beauty pageant, the first time a transgender woman has repped the communist country in the contest. The pageant is scheduled for November in Thailand.
Nguyen is “a living testament to the power of determination and talent,” an announcement on Wednesday by Miss Universe Vietnam read. “In every role, she shines with a strong inner strength, creativity and pride, true to the image of a modern and strong Vietnamese woman.”
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The 33-year-old has played numerous roles in a life shared publicly since she was young.
She rose to fame in Vietnam on reality competitions in the 2010s, with a breakout appearance on Vietnam Idol in 2012 as the show’s first trans contestant and tour participant. She released an album, Mercury, in 2013, and rode her popularity to a win on the third season of The Amazing Race Vietnam.
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In 2018, Nguyen jumped on the beauty circuit, winning the all-trans Miss International Queen pageant in Thailand. In 2024, she served as a producer of Miss Universe Vietnam.
“Miss Universe has become a stage where, no matter your circumstances, all women are women, lifting each other up and shining together in front of billions,” Nguyen wrote on Instagram this Thursday.
The pageant “was waiting for the right women to step forward, shine on that stage, and share powerful messages with the world,” she said.
“One of those messages is clear,” she added. “Nothing is impossible, and it is never too late for any woman to use the Miss Universe platform to break stereotypes and give back to her community.
The Miss Universe Pageant opened the contest to trans women in 2012, when Donald Trump still owned the franchise.
Since then, three trans women have competed in the annual competition: Spain’s Ángela Ponce in 2018, and the Netherlands’ Rikkie Kollé, and Portugal’s Marina Machete in 2023. Machete placed highest among the three, cracking the Top 20.
Trans media tycoon Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip (aka. Anne JKN) bought the Miss Universe organization in 2022, promising to “evolve the brand for the next generation.”
“Welcome to the new era,” she said at the time. “From now on it’s gonna be run by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women around the world.”
JKN stumbled in 2024, when a leaked video revealed disparaging comments about “big” and trans women’s likelihood of winning the contest. She said the unvarnished comments were taken out of context.
Miss Vietnam said about her next pageant challenge, “If it can be me, then it means anyone with a starting point like mine can do the same. Someone like me can one day stand on the Miss Universe stage, shining before billions around the globe, and so can you.”
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