Folk beliefs in international schools
At Miss Supranational 2025, one of the largest international beauty pageants today, Miss Ky Duyen delivered a unique performance, choosing the image of "Co Doi Thuong Ngan" as the centerpiece of the talent competition. But beyond a competition performance, this is a vivid demonstration of how Vietnam is stepping out into the world not only with its physical beauty, but also with its cultural depth.
The Vietnamese belief in worshipping the Mother Goddess of the Three Realms, especially the image of “Co Doi Thuong Ngan”, has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2016. However, only when these values are skillfully, closely and attractively transformed, will they truly come alive and be able to inspire the domestic public and spread to the international arena.
Transforming into a brilliant, mysterious and vibrant "Co Doi", Ky Duyen becomes the embodiment of bringing traditional Vietnamese culture to the world through a contemporary, purposeful and aesthetic artistic language.
Ky Duyen as a "Co Doi"
Wearing a stylized folk costume, elaborately designed with traditional elements and theatrical performance, the Vietnamese beauty performed expressive movements, fully evoking the sacred space of the mountains and forests - where "Co Doi" reigns. The music uses the rhythm of Chau Van mixed with modern electronics to increase the emotional effect, affirming the progress in thinking about presenting traditional materials to the world.
Behind that performance is a team of cultural experts, religious advisors, choreographers and designers, showing that this is not just a single competition, but the product of a serious professional process, with the goal of promoting the image of Vietnam through intangible heritage.
When culture becomes “soft strategy”
The inclusion of “Co Doi Thuong Ngan” – an iconic character of Vietnamese folklore – in the talent competition is not simply an artistic decision. It is also a strategic move, culture is used as a soft power tool to subtly and effectively spread Vietnamese identity to the international audience. In the context of beauty pageants increasingly promoting identity and messages, the performance of “Co Doi Thuong Ngan” is a vivid introduction to a mysterious, profound and soft Vietnam – both traditional and modern.
Singer Kieu Anh at "Beautiful Sister Riding the Wind 2024"
Notably, this is not an isolated case. Over the past 5 years, Vietnamese culture has gradually appeared on international stages through many creative forms such as fashion, cinema, performing arts, cuisine and now even beauty pageants. No longer limited to “showing off the Ao Dai” or lotus dance performances, Vietnamese representatives have begun to actively tell stories – storytelling – using indigenous cultural materials.
Typically, in episode 13 of the program "Beautiful Sister Riding the Wind 2024", singer Kieu Anh made a strong impression with the mashup "Phong Nu - Co Doi Thuong Ngan", receiving many compliments from the audience thanks to the way she combined folk music with modern performance.
Singer Kieu Anh made a strong impression with the mashup "Phong Nu - Co Doi Thuong Ngan"
Beauty and Identity: When Soft Power Shapes Vietnamese Culture
Ky Duyen's bringing of "Co Doi Thuong Ngan" to the Miss Supranational stage not only resonated in the beauty community, but also raised bigger questions about cultural identity: How can intangible values such as Mother Goddess worship, ca tru, quan ho, tuong, cheo... not fall into oblivion but become resources for the national brand?
With increasingly clear support from management agencies such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam is promoting the trend of “cultural export” as a pillar of tourism development and national identity. Supporting artists, beauties, and creators to bring Vietnamese cultural heritage to the international stage is a parallel step between the state and individuals, between orientation and practice.
Beauty and identity go hand in hand
From the performance of “Co Doi Thuong Ngan”, we can clearly see an increasingly sustainable trend: Vietnam is using culture as a platform to build the national image on the international stage. But for such moments to truly create momentum, in addition to excellent representatives, there needs to be a whole accompanying ecosystem including creative units, specialized media or long-term support policies for the preservation and transformation of heritage.
Following the journey of bringing Vietnamese culture to the world not only in beauty contests but also in cinema, fashion, exhibitions, tourism... will be one of the remarkable development directions in the coming time. From the appearance of Vietnamese Ao Dai at international fashion weeks, Vietnamese films being selected to compete at Cannes, to indigenous cultural experiences being included in luxury tourism itineraries, all show that Vietnam is gradually moving in the right direction.
In that picture, Ky Duyen's performance is not simply a beautiful moment on stage, but a typical piece in the strategy of elevating Vietnamese identity with a cultural language that is both modern and promising on the global creative map.
