Miss Universe Vietnam 2018 H’Hen Niê, who won the hearts of pageant fans all over the world with her inspiring Cinderella story, has visited the Philippines over the weekend and thanked the Filipinos for welcoming her to the country.
Niê took to her Instagram account to share her experiences in the Philippines and it all started at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 where she met her Bicol-based pageant trainer, Anjo Santos.
“Mabuhay Philippines! Here we come. I’m so happy to see my coach again, Anjo Santos. Thank you so much for your warm welcome, Philippines,” she captioned the post.
Soon after her arrival, Niê tried some local food and discovered that Filipino food is similar to Vietnamese cuisine.
She also shared some snaps of her eating her favorite food, tuyo or dried fish. She said that tuyo is called ‘Cá Khô’ in Vietnam.
“This is ‘Cá Khô’, my hometown food and also ‘tuyo’ in the Philippines. My favorite! I can consume a whole bowl of rice with one of this fish,” she said.
Niê also stunned in a traditional Filipiniana and even did a photo shoot with Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up Maria Venus Raj.
“OMG. I love this dress, this is the traditional costume of the North of the Philippines, the Filipino Hispanic dress, and it’s gorgeous right? How do I look with it?” she captioned one of the posts.
She also shared some photos of the meet-and-greet and events she did with some of her Filipino fans.
And when it was time to say goodbye, Niê posted a photo of her in a modern dress which was a combination of the Philippines’ Terno and Vietnam’s Aidai.
“It’s time to say goodbye, Thank you so much, Philippines, I will never forget your love and warm welcome, I love all of you,” she said.
View this post on Instagram
A beautiful sunset in the Philippines. Goodbyes and see you soon. ? @tuankhoi02
During the coronation night of Miss Universe 2018 last December 17 held at Bangkok, Thailand, Ni, who came from an ethnic minority group in a small town in Vietnam, brought pride to her country by being one of the Top 5 candidates in the said prestigious pageant.
RELATED STORIES: Miss Vietnam: From domestic helper to the top of the universe
Meet the team of OFWs who trained Miss Vietnam H’hen Niê
