The backstage of Miss Universe

16:51' 08/07/2008 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – The coastal city of Nha Trang has welcomed many beauties but this is the first time it has hosted so many beauty queens from all over the world. Miss Venezuela, a promising candidate for Miss Universe 2008 crown. Local people are eager, excited and using every opportunity to approach Miss Universe contestants, especially the ones who directly serve the beauties. With five years of experience at Vinpearland, Vo Quang Hien, Assistant Director of Rossy Restaurant at Diamond Bay Resort, has worked many beauty contests, for example Miss Vietnam, Miss Vietnam Global, Miss Earth, etc. but he has been dazzled by Miss Universe contestants. “All of us, from the director to staff were very busy on the day the 80 beauty queens arrived at our resort. We were informed that contestants would arrive at 3pm so at 1pm, we finished preparations. We stood at the door to wait for the beauties. Whenever we saw a girl, our hearts pounded strongly because we thought they were Miss Universe contestants. After a few times like that, the real ‘misses’ came. All of us looked at the beauties astonished. We only woke up when our boss called upon us to work,” Hien said. Though they share the road with Miss Universe contestants, drivers have few chances to “enjoy” their beauty because they have to turn their backs on the ‘misses’. Asked how he feels about having an opportunity to work for beauty queens, Driver Nguyen Xuan Thanh said: “Frankly, I can’t admire them because I have to focus on the road.” Tran Trung Thu, Thanh’s colleague, roguishly said: “Oh God, why are you so silly. I still steal a glance at them through mirrors. They are so beautiful. How can we be so serious! They are really beautiful. Each girl has her own beauty!” Kitchen staffs are luckier. Chef Nguyen Ngoc Thanh at Diamond Bay Resort said: “Sometimes several girls stand in the corridor to listen to music or answer phone calls. Seeing us, they blow us kisses, which delights us. Some staff have been criticised because they were absorbed in taking photos with beauties. Sometimes we watch them do aerobics.” Taking photos with beauties is the wish of many people. Many volunteers have been rebuked during outdoor activities because they forgot their work to take photos with Miss Universe contestants. In the afternoon on July 3, when contestants paid a visit to the Nha Trang SOS village, the village’s logistics staffs devoted themselves to admiring and taking photos with contestants so guests, the Miss Universe organising board, had to seek umbrellas to shield contestants. Having worked for beauties for many days, driver Tran Trung Thu commented: “They (contestants) are very friendly to each other. They always say ‘hi’ and ‘goodnight’ to each other and talk on the bus. Our contestant (Miss Universe Vietnam) joined in a group of four. I don’t understand what they said but they seemed to be very pleased. Whenever they leave my bus at night, they often say, ‘thank you’ or ‘goodnight’ to me.” Waiters say contestants are not very picky about food and they love Vietnamese fruits. “We prepared abundant menus and change cuisines very often with German, Italian, Russian food but they eat little. They favour vegetables, fruits or salad,” said chef Nguyen Ngoc Thanh. Quang Hien said: “One time I saw Miss USA walk back and forth at the fruit table. I approached her and offered help. It turned out that she was looking for a pomelo but she couldn’t find one. I told a staff to get a pomelo for her. She was very happy and thanked us. It is a small thing but I’m very happy.” Besides Miss USA Crystle Stewart, Miss Antigua & Barbuda Athena James also loves pomelo. She said, “I tasted that fruit in Hanoi. Vietnamese fruits are wonderful!” Miss Universe contestants are eager to learn Vietnamese and they aren’t afraid to practice it. Tram, a student at the Nha Trang Cultural, Arts and Tourism College, a volunteer, said: “A contestant asked me to teach her Vietnamese. I taught her a sentence “Em dep tuyet voi” (You are so beautiful) and explained the meaning to her. She liked it very much. The next day I saw her again, she immediately practiced, “Xin chao, em dep… tuut vooi”. In a forest of beauties, every person has her/his own favourite beauty queen. Driver Tran Trung Thu said: “All of them are beautiful but frankly Thuy Lam (Miss Vietnam) is closer to me. I also like Miss Thailand and Miss Singapore. Perhaps I prefer them because they are Asian girls.” Chef Nguyen Ngoc Thanh clearly distinguishes between impressive girls and the girls he likes. “I’m impressed by African girls because they often wear very nice and unique jewelry but I like Miss Singapore. I also support Thuy Lam (Miss Vietnam) though I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to her. Anyway, Miss Vietnam can walk abreast of international beauty queens.” Vo Quang Hien affirmed: “I guess that Miss Venezuela will be crowned. She is tall, beautiful and very friendly. She is also very polite. She doesn’t want to bother others and treats attendants very politely. I guess she would be a wonderful friend in normal life.” (Source: VNE) http://english.vietnamnet.vn