Vietnamese beauty queen Ngan Anh Le Au, who represented her country in the recently-concluded 2018 Miss Intercontinental, is being accused of copying the runway presentation of Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray during the pageant’s grand coronation night held last Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Much to Filipino fans’ suspicion, Ngan took to the stage to make her final walk in a red sparkling outfit with the same silhouette as that of Catriona’s Mayon Volcano-inspired gown that was tailored especially for her by Filipino designer Mak Tumang.
Moreover, the Vietnamese beauty did a similar pose as hers right at the end of the runway, from the slow twirl to fixing of the hair already associated with Catriona’s iconic walk.
Not surprisingly, the apparent imitation caused an uproar on social media at once, with some fans finding the incident distasteful, while others choosing to take it in stride.
Despite the backlash, however, Ngan finished as the fourth runner-up with a special award as the People’s Choice. She was ultimately bested by Philippines’ very own Karen Gallman, who went home with the title of Miss Intercontinental 2018.
Miss Vietnam Ngân Anh Lê Âu has taken to social media to write a message for her bashers after her performance in the Miss Intercontinental pageant received criticism.
First, she extended her gratitude to the organization and to her fellow contestants for the beautiful experience she had during the pageant.
“First of all, I want to say thank you for Miss Intercontinental Organization to give us memorable gathering in a beautiful Philippines for this biggest celebration in the pageant history. Thank you for teaching us how to be responsible, disciplined and focused to overcome our comfort zones to pursue our dreams. Thank you for the entire management and our chaperons : Héctor, Simone, Harini, Ashley, Diana,..for always taking good care of us,” she said.
The beauty queen continued, “For my fellow contestants, thank you for giving me the opportunities to know you and become good sisters. I will never forget the way you celebrated my birthday together. I love you all.”
She also thanked her family, fans and her team for supporting her.
Before ending her post, Ngan also wrote a message for her bashers saying, “Last but not least, for my bashers, thank you for your negativities to make me become positive-minded person. Thank you for your hurtful words to make me stronger and be a reason for me to pursue my advocacy against cyber-bullying on the world stage.” (Push)
