Miss Universe Vietnam H’hen Nie has caused a sensation by donating her entire winnings of VND1 billion (US$43,123) to the community, with the money expected to be spent on a range of social causes for the poor.
Placed among the five finalists in the pageant in Thailand, Nie revealed on a pageant Instagram page that projects to be funded would include scholarships for poor students and building more libraries in rural areas.
“She’s decided to donate 100% of her prize for social activities. She wants to complete her promise with her village to provide scholarships for poor students and complete her social project Room to Read,” the Instagram post said. “Such an amazing act of her.”
Nie is an ambassador for Room to Read, a non-profit organization that aims to build more libraries in rural regions and supports school girls studying around the world, ABS-CBN News reported. The money was donated by various pageant sponsors and her management company.
The first member of an ethnic minority to win the Miss Universe title in Vietnam, Nie also made history as the first Vietnamese to reach the final five in the international judging.
She revealed that her parents had wanted her to get married at the age of 14, but she chose to study and fulfil her own dreams. Nie worked as a domestic worker in Ho Chi Minh to earn money so she could attend college, where she is studying economics.
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