Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 Nguyễn Quỳnh Anh will not compete at the 75th Miss Universe in Puerto Rico. On the evening of 21 October, the licence holder run by Nawat Itsaragrisil announced that the national titleholders of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos would not take part this year. According to Tuổi Trẻ, it is the first time since 2014 that Vietnam has had no representative at the pageant.

Quỳnh Anh: let down, but not defeated

Speaking in comments published by VnExpress, Quỳnh Anh said she felt deflated because she had waited a very long time for this chance, adding that the Miss Universe stage is a dream for her and many other women because the contest stands for independent, strong-minded women. She said she believed everything in life comes down to fate, and that she did not see the situation as a failure but as a reason to keep working and improving herself.

VnExpress reported that in the nearly three weeks since her crowning in Hải Phòng on 2 October, she and her team had prepared documents and outfits, sent photo sets to the organisers and secured a visa to travel to Puerto Rico in November. The 27-year-old from Hà Nội, who is 1.75 m tall, was runner-up at The Face Vietnam 2018.

Thailand's titleholder Tharina Botes also posted a long message on Instagram on the evening of 21 October, Tuổi Trẻ reported, saying she would never stop dreaming, growing or believing in the woman she is becoming.

What the licence holder said

Thanh Niên reported that the announcement came from MGI Public Company Limited. It said the decision followed consultation with the parties involved, including the six women, and that their absence should not be read as voluntarily ending contracts, giving up franchises or accepting positions taken in public statements about the six countries. The six will keep their national titles and carry out their duties at home, subject to applicable agreements.

The licensing dispute, as reported

KBVN+ summarises the sequence from VnExpress, Thanh Niên and Tuổi Trẻ:

  • Until April 2026: Vietnam's Miss Universe entrant was sent by a domestic licence holder.
  • April 2026: that company gave up the licence, citing disagreement with how the Miss Universe organisation was run, VnExpress reported.
  • Mid-2026: Nawat said he held Miss Universe rights for six Southeast Asian countries; his company authorised a local organiser to stage Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 in Hải Phòng in September and October.
  • JKN Universe LLC, which owns the brand and operates as the Miss Universe Organization (MUO), does not recognise those rights, saying Nawat's side has no authority to license contestants (VnExpress). According to Thanh Niên, JKN said the franchise deals in the six markets lacked a valid licensing basis from JKN; Nawat's side insisted on its rights and argued contestants should not be blocked by the dispute.
  • Tuổi Trẻ reported that Miss Universe CEO Ronald Day repeatedly stressed the decision not to recognise the six countries' representatives.
  • Evening of 21 October: Nawat's side confirmed the six would not compete.

Vietnam at Miss Universe

Tuổi Trẻ said this year's absence ends an unbroken run of Vietnamese participation from 2015-2025. VnExpress noted that Vietnam's best result remains H'Hen Niê's top 5 finish at Miss Universe 2018; Kỳ Duyên reached the top 30, while Hương Giang went unplaced.

What comes next

According to Tuổi Trẻ, about 120 contestants are due to begin arriving in Puerto Rico from 8 November. The national costume show will take place on 21 November, the preliminary on 22 November and the final on 24 November, at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan. Quỳnh Anh keeps her Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 title and domestic duties under the applicable agreements, MGI said.