Vietnam's representative, Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, has secured a direct place in the Top 40 of Miss World 2026 after winning the Top Model competition for the Asia-Pacific region.
Bao Ngoc wins the Top Model round at Miss World 2026 on August 27 (Photo: Miss World).
The event took place on the evening of August 27 in Khanh Hoa Province and featured 60 contestants from around the world. Bao Ngoc impressed judges with a confident runway performance and a presentation that effectively showcased the concept behind her outfit.
Her victory in the Asia-Pacific category guarantees her a place in the Top 40 ahead of the Miss World 2026 final.
The other regional Top Model winners were Tamunosoye Karibi-George of Nigeria for Africa, Joheirry Mola of the Dominican Republic for the Americas and Indira Ampiot of France for Europe.
Bao Ngoc has secured an automatic place in the Top 40 of Miss World 2026 ahead of the final (Photo: World Beauties).
The latest achievement adds to a strong campaign for Bao Ngoc at this year's competition. During more than two weeks of events, she helped her team win a cooking challenge, reached the Top 20 of the Head-to-Head Challenge, advanced to the Top 23 in the Talent competition and claimed the Asia-Pacific Top Model title.
The Vietnamese contestant has also received favourable reviews from several international beauty pageant commentators and is widely considered a strong contender for a high placement in the final.
Earlier, beauty pageant platform Sash Factor predicted Bao Ngoc could win the Miss World 2026 crown. Missosology Editz recently forecast that she could finish as first runner-up, while Missosology included the Vietnamese contestant among its top five contenders for the title.
Bao Ngoc is regarded as a candidate well suited to the competition's judging criteria. Standing 1.86 metres tall, she is fluent in English and has a strong academic background, as well as experience competing internationally. She won the Miss Intercontinental 2022 title.
She is also known for her long-term involvement in environmental initiatives, an area closely aligned with the Beauty With a Purpose programme, one of the core pillars of the Miss World competition.
Miss World 2026 has now completed most of its preliminary events and has identified 10 contestants who have automatically qualified for the Top 40. They are Asia Rose Simpson of the Philippines, Julia Kuhnle of Germany, Romanda Hombir of South Africa, Georgia-Lee Gill of Trinidad and Tobago, Suil Pagan of Puerto Rico, Grace Richardson of the United Kingdom, Tamunosoye Karibi-George of Nigeria, Joheirry Mola of the Dominican Republic, Indira Ampiot of France and Bao Ngoc of Vietnam.
At the final on September 5, organisers will progressively announce the Top 20 and Top 6 contestants. The Top 6 will consist of four continental winners, one Beauty With a Purpose winner and one contestant selected through the audience vote.
The Miss World 2026 final will be held in Khanh Hoa Province. The competition has attracted 111 contestants and marks the first time the event has been hosted in Vietnam.