Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy of Vietnam is Miss International 2024

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Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy of Vietnam is crowned Miss International. Screengrab from Miss International YouTube page

TOKYO — Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy from Vietnam was crowned Miss International 2024 at the culmination of the 62nd edition of the global tilt held here.

Thuy bested 70 other aspirants from different countries and territories around the world to become the first Vietnamese woman to be crowned Miss International in ceremonies held at the Tokyo Dome City Hall on Tuesday evening, Nov. 12.

The new queen inherited her crown from last year’s winner, Andrea Rubio, the ninth Venezuelan woman to earn the title, who has also become one of the most well-traveled titleholders in Miss International history.

Four women were also called to comprise Thuy’s court — first runner-up Camila Ribera Roca from Bolivia, second runner-up Alba Perez from Spain, third runner-up Sakra Guerrero from Venezuela, and fourth runner-up Sophie Kirana from Indonesia.

Miss International 2024 Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy and her court. Screengrab from Miss International YouTube page

Three ladies were a step shy of a podium post, and finished in the Top 8 — Alina Dementjeva from Czech Republic, Ewa Jakubiec from Poland, and Samantha Poole from New Zealand.

The Philippines’ Angelica Lopez, while a veteran of national and international pageants who earned her Binibining Pilipinas crown in last year’s staging of the Philippine search, failed to make the first cut at the Top 20. Prior to her Miss International stint, Lopez took part in the 2022 Miss Asia Global contest in Malaysia where she finished second.

This year’s staging of the Miss International pageant continued to introduce changes from the usual conduct of the Tokyo-based pageant. First, a separate national costume show was held on a different date and in a different venue.

Then, the preliminary evaluation that was previously conducted behind closed doors were opened to the public for the first time this year.

Screengrab from Miss International YouTube page

Twenty semifinalists were called this year, giving more women the chance to prove their worth. Previous stagings had only 10, 12, or 15 ladies advancing to the second round of competition.

And this year, not all ladies competed in swimwear and gown at the finale. Only the Top 20 ladies took part in the swimsuit competition, while the Top 8 had their “final look” wearing their gowns.

The Miss International pageant is mounted every year by the International Cultural Association (ICA) in Japan. It remains to be the global tilt where the Philippines has found its most success. Previous Filipino winners include Gemma Cruz (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970), Melanie Marquez (1979), Precious Lara Quigaman (2005), Bea Rose Santiago (2013), and Kylie Verzosa (2016).