Tran Tieu Vy (C), winner of the Miss Vietnam 2018 beauty contest, pose for photos during the finals of the contest in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/VNA)?

HO CHI MINH CITY, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Tran Tieu Vy, a 18-year-old student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, became Miss Vietnam 2018 on Sunday night after topping a national beauty pageant which promotes beauty, knowledge and kindness.

The 1.74-meter high girl from central Quang Nam province, who has bust-waist-hip measurements of 84-63-90 cm, outperformed 42 other young women in the final round of the 30-year-old beauty contest held at the 5,000-seat Phu Tho Gymnasium in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the contest's question-and-answer session, Vy was asked: "Image you were present in the next 100 years. What would you say to youths at that time?" She timidly replied: "I would advise them to believe in their dreams and enrich their knowledge to be successful. The success will help other people and make the society become better."

Vy will represent Vietnam to attend the 2018 Miss World slated for Dec. 8 in Sanya, China.

As Miss Vietnam 2018, Vy wore a crown which was handcrafted from 30 pearls, which represent 30 years of the beauty pageant, and 3,260 sapphires, which represent 3,260 kilometers of Vietnam's coastline. She received a cash award of 500 million Vietnamese dong (21,700 U.S. dollars).

The first runner-up is Bui Phuong Nga, a second-year finance student at the National Economics University. The 1.72-meter high young woman from the capital city of Hanoi stands in the crowd with a smiling bright face and a ladylike manner.

The second runner-up is Nguyen Thi Thuy An, a student at the University of Technology in Ho Chi Minh City. She was born in 1997 in the southern province of Kien Giang.

Among the beauty contest's nine auxiliary titles, including Ao dai (Vietnam's traditional long dress), Sport, Sea and Talent, Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, a second-year student at the French Department of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities gained the "Most Benevolent" title.

The 2018 Miss Vietnam contest's winners are supposed to sign with the organizers deals on keeping their images nice, free of scandals.

On Sunday night, 43 contestants partook in three performances in ao dai, pink or violet swimsuits and evening gowns. The contestants in Top Five also responded to the judges' questions.

Vietnamese daily newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer) has organized the beauty pageant biennially since 1988. After 30 years with 15 editions, Miss Vietnam has emerged as the country's most prestigious national beauty contest.