According to the organizers, Ngoc Chau will wear a national costume called "Chieu Ca Mau" (Ca Mau sedge mat) at the upcoming beauty pageant, which will be held in the US in January 2023. 

The costume is inspired by the beauty of the culture and people in the mat weaving village in the southernmost province of Ca Mau. It highlights the various cultural values and national identity of Vietnam.

The costume was designed by Nguyen Quoc Viet. It weighs about 15 kilograms, designed in the shape of Vietnamese traditional gown Ao Dai.

The outfit was named as the winner of a design contest in order to select national costumes for Miss Universe Vietnam 2022, with the competition being launched in March this year.

Miss Universe 2022 will be the 71st edition of the world pageant, with its grand final being held in New Orleans of Louisiana in the US on January 14, 2023. The prestigious pageant will see Harnaaz Sandhu of India crown her successor at the end of the event.

Ngoc Chau, 28, from the southern province of Tay Ninh, was crowned Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 on June 25, meaning she will represent Vietnam at Miss Universe 2022.

The national costume is a sub-competition that has proved popular among audiences at Miss Universe over the years. The segment allows contestants to perform in many creative designs, conveying the beauty of their homeland's culture to international audiences.

Four years ago Vietnamese beauty H'Hen Nie donned a Banh Mi (bread) costume to clinch a Top 10 finish in the national costume competition of Miss Universe 2018. The Ede ethnic girl finished in the Top 5 of the global pageant the same year.

Tham Nguyen