33-year-old mother of two beat five other finalists.
Hoang Thi Yen of HCM City won the Mrs Viet Nam Pageant of 2009 on Saturday to become the country’s first married pageant icon.

A programme aimed at promoting Vietnamese culture to Japanese friends was launched in Japan on September 17 as part of Vietnamese Cultural Month in Japan co-organised by the Vietnamese embassy in Japan and the Global Citizen Club.

Viet Nam has experienced an unusual rapid rise of the sex ratio at birth (SRB) over the last few years. While in 2000 the SRB was at normal levels and was estimated to be 106.2 male births per 100 female births, it increased to 112.1 in 2008. The current growth of 1 point per year since 2006 means that the SRB might cross the 115 mark within three years, according to the report “Recent change in the sex ratio at birth in Viet Nam”, published by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

This week the US celebrates National Grandparents’ Day on September 13th. The celebration day, which has taken place every year since 1978 is a time to honor older people for the unique role they play in keeping families and communities strong.

The final round of the Mrs Vietnam pageant kicked off on September 15 in the southern coastal city of Vung Tau, with 58 contestants competing to be crowned at the final judging on September 26.