In 2007, Vietnam came 55^th in the rankings. The country’s ascendance to the higher position was attributed to good performances by Duong Thien Ly, who scored 51 points at the Miss World Contest 2008 in South Africa, and Nguyen Thuy Lam, who gained 12 points from the Miss Universe 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Vietnam had no points from the three remaining pageants - Miss International, Miss Earth and Miss Tourism Queen International, although it sent candidates to two of these competitions.

At the Miss World contest this year, Thien Ly won the Miss People’s Choice title thanks to the votes of net citizens. She was also dubbed the lady with the longest drive in golf. She was initially considered a potential candidate for the crown.

Meanwhile, Thuy Lam entered the top 15 of the Miss Universe pageant.

Venezuela continues to be ‘the country of beauties’ topping the 2008 list with 644.5 points. Its Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza, earned 284 points. The country’s other representatives also scored highly at the remaining contests: Miss World (153pts), Miss International (126 pts), Miss Earth (69.5 pts), and Miss Tourism Queen International (12pts).