Looking for the first 'Thanh Dong beauty'

On an early spring day, we came to a peaceful house on Minh Khai Street (Hai Duong City) to reminisce about 35 years ago with the first beauty Thanh Dong.

At the age of 55, Ms. Xuan still retains her youthful beauty. During the conversation that lasted about an hour, Ms. Xuan "rewinds the film of memories", returning to the most beautiful days of her youth.

In 1989, Ms. Xuan was just 20 years old, 1m62 tall, 50kg in weight, with a delicate oval face, sparkling round eyes, long black hair, working at Workshop IV, Hai Duong Porcelain Factory. The Youth Union of Hai Duong Porcelain Factory encouraged her and sent her and a few young workers in the factory to participate in the Thanh Dong Beauty Contest organized by Hai Duong City Youth Union.

Mr. Pham Cong Dinh, former Chairman of Hai Duong City People's Council and Secretary of Hai Duong City Youth Union in 1989, is the author and the person who came up with the idea of ​​organizing the Thanh Dong Beauty Contest.

He shared that the idea of ​​organizing this contest came from the Miss Tien Phong Newspaper Contest organized by the Central Youth Union in 1988, in which Miss Bui Bich Phuong was crowned.

“At that time, there were still many difficulties, but the young generation was thirsty for new things, loved beauty, and liked romance, so I had the idea of ​​organizing the first Thanh Dong Beauty Contest. I went to Tien Phong Newspaper to learn about the experience of organizing the contest, then returned to discuss with related units to plan the organization,” Mr. Dinh recalled.

The Thanh Dong beauty contest was widely launched to grassroots Youth Union organizations from the beginning of 1989. Many units, factories, enterprises, and schools encouraged and introduced young workers and students to compete.

There were more than 50 candidates aged 19-22 who registered for the contest. After the preliminary round, the organizing committee gradually eliminated more than 10 excellent candidates to participate in the final round held on the afternoon of March 26, 1989.

This was the first time Hai Duong Town Youth Union organized a beauty contest and also the first beauty contest in Hai Duong province after the renovation. Therefore, the contest was a new playground and attracted the curiosity of the town's people at that time.

At first, Ms. Xuan's father objected to her participation in the competition because "there is no way a girl would wear a swimsuit to perform for people to see." The factory's Youth Union Secretary had to come to her house to persuade her family.

From young workers who were only familiar with porcelain bowls and plates every day, now being sent to compete, the women had to take advantage of their working hours to practice walking and performing in front of a crowd.

Ms. Xuan entered the competition with a very carefree and relaxed attitude, following the youth movement and not feeling pressured about winning. She was one of the contestants who made it to the final round held on the afternoon of March 26, with registration number 22.

Following the competition of Tien Phong Newspaper, the final round had all the competitions of Ao Dai, Swimsuit, Costume of Choice and Behavior Round. On the day of the competition, Ms. Xuan and some brothers in the factory drove themselves, some by bicycle, some by motorbike to the central hall of the province on Hong Quang Street, then did their own makeup.

“That day, the audience was so crowded that the stadium was packed, and many police officers had to be mobilized to ensure security. Some students told me after the contest that they skipped school and climbed over the wall to watch the beauty contest,” Ms. Xuan said.

In the Ao Dai competition, she performed in a pink Ao Dai, rented from a wedding dress shop on Hai Ba Trung Street. Her chosen outfit was a blue, U-neck dress made for her by a friend. Her swimsuit was lent to her by a colleague from the same factory who had returned from Germany.

“I was so shy when it came to the swimsuit competition. I never wore that in public before. The girls kept pushing each other and no one dared to go on stage. My legs were shaking when I performed,” Ms. Xuan said, laughing.

In the behavioral round, the questions revolved around love for the homeland, the country, and the awareness of the youth. Ms. Xuan received the question "What is the most famous historical site in Hai Duong?". Her answer was Con Son - Kiep Bac and she briefly introduced the site.

She also received a funny side question, which was “If you won the prize, who would be the first person you would meet?”. She also honestly answered that she would meet the Director of Hai Duong Porcelain Factory to thank him for his concern and creating conditions for her to compete.

A few days after the coronation, the factory held a party to welcome Miss Thanh Dong. Although the title Miss Thanh Dong was hers personally, it brought joy to the whole group.

The prize for the winner is a crown ordered by the Organizing Committee from Hanoi, the red sash is embroidered with the words “Beauty of Thanh Dong” in yellow. Although the prize has no material value, it is a meaningful spiritual gift to her.

This first Thanh Dong beauty contest was also the premise for future beauty contests for students and elegant students of Hai Duong province.

At the age of 27, Ms. Xuan got married to her husband, who was also a Youth Union official at that time, and had 2 children. In 2001, she transferred from Hai Duong Porcelain Factory to To Hieu Primary School, working as an administrative staff. In June 2024, Ms. Xuan retired.

At the age of 55, Ms. Xuan still maintains a slim figure, maintaining her weight at 55 kg thanks to a healthy, scientific diet. After retirement, she has more time to take care of herself, spending time exercising in the morning, cleaning the house, having coffee with friends, and taking care of her skin with natural products.

In a corner of the house, she still keeps the black and white photos of that year's contest. She also keeps the registration number and the winner's sash as if preserving a part of her most beautiful youth.

The personal photo of her wearing the crown and sash "Beauty of Thanh Dong" was restored in color and printed in large format by her daughter.