Hương Giang

In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Nguyễn. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Hương Giang.

Nguyễn Hương Giang
Huong Giang in 2015
Born1991 (age 34–35) [1]
Hanoi, Vietnam
Other namesHuong Giang Idol
Occupations
  • Singer
  • Model
  • TV Personality
  • Entrepreneur
Known for
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title
Major
competitions
Websitehgstargroup.com

Nguyễn Hương Giang is a Vietnamese transgender woman, singer and beauty pageant titleholder. In March 2018, she won Miss International Queen 2018 in Pattaya, Thailand. As Miss Universe Vietnam 2025, she represented Vietnam at Miss Universe 2025 in Thailand.

Early life

Huong Giang was born and raised in Hanoi[2]. She realised her identity as a woman at a young age. She said in an interview:

"Ever since I was young, I've never thought of myself as a boy. I used to dream of wearing a fishtail dress. My hand was holding a microphone. And after I woke up, I realised I wanted to be like that, to grow up to become a girl - a good, beautiful girl[2]."

Huong Giang's parents were initially unsupportive of her decision to transition but have since apologised for this and have publicly expressed their pride in their daughter's success[2][3].

Television

Huong Giang was the first transgender singer to participate in the fourth season of Vietnam Idol, finishing the show in 4th place.[4]

In 2014, Huong Giang was a contestant on The Amazing Race Vietnam Season 3 with her then-boyfriend, Criss Lai, winning the competition.[5][6] The pair returned to the show on the 5th season - an all-stars edition, finishing in second place.[7]

In 2015, Huong Giang took part in the 6th season of Dancing with the Stars Vietnam (Bước Nhảy Hoàn Vũ). Huong Giang and her dance partner finished the series in 5th place, being eliminated at the semi-final.[6][8]

In 2023, Huong Giang was a coach on the inaugural season of The New Mentor, a Vietnamese reality TV competition that sought to train a new generation of models with leadership qualities for the high-end fashion industry. The other coaches on the show were supermodels Lan Khue and Thanh Hang, and singer Ho Ngoc Ha.[9]

Pageantry

Miss International Queen

See also: Miss International Queen 2018

Hương Giang represented Vietnam and finished in first place at Miss International Queen 2018, winning herself a cash prize of US$12,500.[10][11] At the competition, she also won Best Talent for her performance of Hush Hush; Hush Hush by The Pussycat Dolls, as well as most popular introductory video.[2] Prior to the competition, Huong Giang had had no background in pageantry, as there had not been an official pageantry competition for transgender contestants in Vietnam at the time.[2] Huong Giang was also the first Vietnamese contestant in Miss International Queen.

In 2022, Huong Giang returned to the final of Miss International Queen as a member of the judging panel[12].

Miss International Queen Vietnam

Main article: Miss International Queen Vietnam

After being crowned as Miss International Queen in 2018, Huong Giang acquired the license for the franchise to organise the competition in Vietnam.[6] The competition, which seeks to select the Vietnamese representative for Miss International Queen, was initially called The Tiffany Vietnam and is now known as Miss International Queen Vietnam[13]. The competition is produced by Huong Giang's production company, Huong Giang entertainment, and broadcast on its YouTube channel[14][15].

To date, four editions of the competition have taken place, with Huong Giang acting as producer and judge for all four seasons. Its first ever winner was Nhat Ha, crowned in 2019.[13]

Many of the contestants on Miss International Queen Vietnam have since found success internationally. Nguyễn Tường San, who finished the 2023 competition as first runner-up, went on to be the second runner-up at Miss International Queen 2024.[16] Hà Tâm Như, who won the 2025 competition, finished Miss International Queen 2025 as second runner-up.[17][18]

Prior to the first edition of Miss International Queen in 2018/19, pageant competitions for transgender women had been held in Vietnam, but they were not recognised officially as national competitions.[19]

Miss Universe

See also: Miss Universe 2025

In 2025 she became the first transgender person to be crowned Miss Universe Vietnam. She is also the first transgender person to represent an Asian country in the Miss Universe pageant franchise.[20] Speaking on Huong Giang's selection to represent Vietnam on this international stage, the president of Miss Universe Vietnam said:

"Miss Universe is no longer merely a beauty contest,. It has become a global platform for real stories – for women who represent courage and transformation. Huong Giang is the living embodiment of that message."[21]

Despite not advancing into the top 30 of the competition, Huong Giang's appearance on the show was positively received by audience internationally, particularly with her runway in a traditional Vietnamese dress (ao dai).[22][23] Writing for HuffPost, Tracey Anne Duncan noted the significance of Huong Giang's participation in the competition as a transgender woman in 2025, a year marked by anti-trans legislations, notably under the second presidency of Donald Trump.[24]

Miss Grand International

In 2026, Miss Grand International announced via social media that Huong Giang will take part in its first ever all-stars edition, set to take place on 30 May in Thailand.[25][26]

Business ventures

Huong Giang runs her own production company, Huong Giang entertainment, which produces a number of reality shows, including Miss International Queen Vietnam.[27][15]

In 2019, Huong Giang collaborated with M.O.I. cosmetics, founded by singer Ho Ngoc Ha, to release her lipstick line S.girls, attracting a large crowd of customers and fans to its launch event.[28]

Activism

See also: LGBTQ rights in Vietnam

Huong Giang has been said to be one of the most visible transgender person in Vietnam, with her frequent appearance on mainstream television as an openly trans woman coinciding with growing acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the country.[29] Huong Giang has been seen as a role model for LGBTQ+ youths in showing that LGBTQ+ individuals can achieve success.[30] In fact, Huong Giang herself has cited the ability to change negative public perception of transgender people as a motivation behind her work in pageantry:[31]

"In Viet Nam, a majority of people still hold the belief that transgender people have neurological problems. [...] The crown is a positive symbol that will help people recognise that the LGBT community has people who are talented and thus deserve respect."

Upon winning Miss International Queen in 2018, Huong Giang affirmed her commitments to advocate for the transgender people in her native country:[32]

“I will fight for equality for transgender people. Everyone wants to be happy and so do transgender people. We all want a good life where we are treated like everyone else and not discriminated against.”

Huong Giang performed at ASEAN Pride in Hanoi in 2015 - its second ever edition[33].

She has spoken in favour of legal recognition for transgender people and legislative changes to make it easier for transgender people to change their identity documents in Vietnam[31].

In 2019, Forbes Vietnam listed Huong Giang among the top 50 influential women in the country for her LGBTQ+ rights activism.[34]

References

  1. ^ "After Miss Universe, Huong Giang returns to the international beauty pageant arena at the age of 34". vietnam.vn. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e Janthong, Patipat (17 March 2018). "Bringing home tolerance: Miss International Queen 2018 gave a Vietnamese transgender the title to take back home". Bangkok Post. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Meet Nguyen Huong Giang, trans beauty queen and LGBTQ+ rights advocate". South China Morning Post. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Vietnam names transgender singer Huong Giang as Miss Universe 2025 delegate". Tuoi tre news (in Vietnamese). 25 September 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  5. ^ Riedel, Samantha (25 September 2025). "A History-Making Trans Beauty Queen Will Compete at Miss Universe 2025". Them. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Rosario, Moira Del (5 November 2025). "Nguyễn Hương Giang: Asia's First Transgender Miss Universe Candidate". mega-asia.com. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Vượt Hương Giang - Criss Lai, Tiến Đạt - Lincoln giành quán quân 'Cuộc đua kỳ thú 2016'". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). 9 June 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Điểm lại thành tích TV Show lừng lẫy mà Hương Giang khoe ở "Hoa hậu Chuyển giới Quốc tế"!". kenh14 (in Vietnamese). 28 February 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  9. ^ Nguyen, Duyen (18 May 2023). "The New Mentor: Hồ Ngọc Hà, Thanh Hằng, Hương Giang tìm thế hệ người mẫu kế thừa". Harper's Bazaar Việt Nam (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Vietnamese trans woman crowned Miss International Queen". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Vietnamese Singer Wins International Transgender Beauty Pageant". HuffPost. 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Huong Giang returns to Miss International Queen as jury member". VOV.VN. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Nhat Ha announced as winner of The Tiffany Vietnam". VOV.VN. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Huong Giang Entertainment". YouTube. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  15. ^ a b "Trans beauty queen's company fined $2,300 for illegal contest - VnExpress International". VnExpress. Archived from the original on 25 September 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  16. ^ "VN representative earns second runner-up at Miss International Queen 2024". VietNamNet News (in Vietnamese). 26 August 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  17. ^ Rothschild, Pierre (24 September 2025). "Transgender star Midori Monet crowned Miss International Queen 2025 in Pattaya". Pattaya Mail. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Tam Nhu wins second runner-up at Miss International Queen 2025". VOV.VN. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  19. ^ Tuan, Son (31 March 2018). "Newly-crowned queen seeks launch of Vietnam's first-ever transgender beauty pageant". Tuoi tre news (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Vietnam's Miss Universe 2025 rep is a transgender woman". GMA News. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  21. ^ "Story behind Huong Giang's appointment as Vietnam's Miss Universe 2025 contender". Tuoi tre news. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  22. ^ Billson, Chantelle (20 November 2025). "Trans Miss Universe contestant shares moving reason she wore traditional outfit". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Trans Trailblazer Miss Vietnam Turns Miss Universe Stage Into a Cultural Love Letter". Gayety. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  24. ^ Duncan, Tracey Anne (14 October 2025). "This Trans Vietnamese Pop Star Is Now A Miss Universe Contestant". Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  25. ^ Adina, Armin P. (14 January 2026). "Ahtisa Manalo's Miss Universe batchmate from Vietnam joins MGI All Stars". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  26. ^ "After Miss Universe, Huong Giang returns to the international beauty pageant arena at the age of 34". vietnam.vn. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  27. ^ "Miss International Queen Vietnam". Huong Giang Star Group. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  28. ^ "Hundreds line up to buy new affordable luxury lipstick by M.O.I". 9 October 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  29. ^ Nguyen, Nathan. "Huong Giang Idol and the quiet expansion of Vietnam". Hanoitimes (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  30. ^ Luu (15 June 2020). "LGBT+ in Vietnam: Acceptance in Conformity or Furthering Heteronormativity". NOVAsia. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  31. ^ a b "Miss International Transgender to fight for LGBT rights in VN". VietNamNet News. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  32. ^ "Vietnamese singer crowned international transgender beauty queen - VnExpress International". VnExpress. Archived from the original on 20 June 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  33. ^ T., Van (14 June 2015). "ASEAN Pride music festival to be held for LGBT rights". VietNamNet News. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  34. ^ "H'Hen Nie, Huong Giang among Forbes Vietnam's 50 most influential women". VOV.VN. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huong_Giang