An international title is not the end
On the evening of September 14, Trinh My Anh was announced in the Top 30 Miss Universe Vietnam 2026. Her appearance quickly attracted attention because the beauty is still Miss Earth Water 2025 - one of the four highest titles of Miss Earth.
Trinh My Anh was born in 2003, from Hanoi, 1.75m tall. Before coming to Miss Earth, she had gone through many domestic beauty pageants. In November 2025, she represented Vietnam at Miss Earth in the Philippines and won the title Miss Earth Water 2025.
Usually, such an international achievement can become a beautiful enough stop for the beauty pageant journey. But less than a year later, My Anh chose to start another race.
On her personal page, she wrote: "The next chapter begins with the woman I became". Previously, when asked about the possibility of continuing to participate in an international arena, My Anh also expressed that if there is an opportunity, she will not hesitate to try her hand.
Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 can therefore be considered the next step in the beauty's ambition. If she achieves the highest results, the door for her to reach Miss Universe - a playground with great influence in the beauty market will be wider.
But the problem lies in the time My Anh made her choice. Miss Earth 2026 changed the schedule and is expected to hold the final in December. Meanwhile, the Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 final round takes place from September 20 to October 2, with the final expected on October 2 in Hai Phong.
That means when entering Miss Universe Vietnam, My Anh is still in her Miss Earth Water 2025 term.
Precedent of title revocation and questions for My Anh
The debate is even more noteworthy because Miss Earth once had a precedent of stripping a beauty from her title for participating in another contest while in office.
In 2013, Punika Kulsoontornrut of Thailand won the title Miss Earth Water. In 2014, when her term had not ended, she participated in Miss International.
Punika was later stripped of her Miss Earth Water 2013 title by Carousel Productions - the organizer of Miss Earth - for violating the title holder's contract.
This precedent makes Trinh My Anh's case of concern. However, the two cases cannot be equated.
Punika participated in another international competition while holding the Miss Earth Water title. My Anh is currently participating in Miss Universe Vietnam - a national competition to select representatives for the next journey.
More importantly, the content of the contract and specific agreements between Trinh My Anh and Miss Earth organization have not been announced. Therefore, at the present time, there is no basis to confirm whether her participation in Miss Universe Vietnam 2026 means violating regulations or definitely being stripped of her title.
Representatives of the Miss Earth copyright holder in Vietnam said that they have initially discussed this issue with the Miss Earth organization and are awaiting official feedback.
If approved by Miss Earth, My Anh can continue her term while seeking new opportunities. Conversely, if the contract does not allow the incumbent to participate in another contest, she will face a more difficult problem.
From a career perspective, My Anh's choice is not difficult to explain. An international title helps her have a position, but winning Miss Universe Vietnam may open up a completely different journey. In the increasingly competitive beauty market, opportunities, age and timing are all factors that are hard to wait for.
But the crown also comes with responsibility. When receiving a title, the beauty not only owns achievements but also takes on term, obligations and bindings with the title awarding organization.
