Nearly 200 contestants took part in the northern preliminary round of Miss Vietnam 2026, and the competition moved one step closer to choosing the women who will carry it into the final in Hai Phong. The field was reduced from a broad opening stage to the next phase after the rules were explained and the contestants moved on to an anthropometric examination.
That is why the round drew attention now: Miss Vietnam 2026 is not just another beauty contest, but a selection built around beauty, culture, intelligence and dedication. Phung Cong Suong said those four values are the compass for each girl to grow, improve herself and become a better version of herself, while the organizers also kept their emphasis on natural, original beauty.
The jury reflected that balance between image and substance. Dang Thai Huyen, Hoang Cong Cuong, Le Thanh Hoa, Phan Minh Chau, Tran Ngoc and Ha Truc Linh sat on the panel for the northern preliminary round, with Ha Truc Linh making her debut as a juror while still holding her current title. She said she felt honored to be involved in the search for her successor, a sign that the competition is already looking beyond the crown it still has in hand.
Hoang Cong Cuong said he hoped to find a representative with beauty, intelligence, confidence, a drive to contribute and the ability to promote the image and culture of Vietnam. That ideal met a more clinical test moments later, when doctors from Hanoi Medical University Hospital carried out the anthropometric examination directly after the briefing on the rules. The pairing is hard to miss: a pageant that talks about natural beauty still asks contestants to submit to measurements before the next stage.
The organizers say the search is far from finished. Preliminary rounds will continue in the south of the country before the final in Hai Phong, and the unfinished question is how many candidates will survive that sweep and reach the national final. For the women who passed through Hanoi, the race has already moved from presentation to proof.
The event also underlines what Miss Vietnam is trying to be in 2026: a contest that rewards appearance, but not appearance alone. The next rounds will show whether that promise can hold once the pool narrows and the pressure rises.
