Lai Huong Thao, who was crowned at the Miss Sports 2012 beauty pageant earlier this month, will represent Vietnam at this year’s Miss Supranational, to be held in Warsaw from August 28.

21-year-old beauty Lai Huong Thao

Before the final night on September 14, contestants have to go through several rounds including talent, evening gown, and national costume.

In the national costume round, Thao, 21, will wear an ao dai designed by Vo Viet Chung and an evening gown by designer Hoang Hai.

In the talent round, the 1.67-metre-tall beauty will do a traditional dance piece while wearing the traditional Vietnamese ao dai.

The young woman from the northern province of Quang Ninh said she has spent two hours a day exercising for good health and a pretty body for the contest, as well as preping many gifts for the pageant’s organising board and contestants.

First launched in Poland by the World Beauty Association in 2009, Miss Supranational has become one of the world’s biggest beauty contests.

In 2011, the contest attracted 70 contestants from around the world. Vietnamese Daniela Nguyen Thu May finished third at that year’s finale held in Plock, Poland.

This year’s Miss Supranational pageant expects to gather contestants from 60 countries and territories.