Miss World 2026 at Dragon Ocean Do Son: Elevating Vietnam's destination profile on the global stage

HAI PHONG, Vietnam, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Running from August 12 to August 20, 2026, the series of events under the 73rd Miss World pageant at Dragon Ocean Do Son International Tourist Area has officially drawn to a close, creating major momentum for Hai Phong's tourism industry. Beyond a global pageant, the journey through the port city served as a vital cultural bridge, introducing a modern, vibrant, and culturally rich Vietnam to an international audience.

Dragon Ocean Do Son impresses with world-class, integrated infrastructure

Dragon Ocean Do Son was officially selected by the 73rd Miss World Organization as the host venue for the entire series of key activities in Hai Phong. The event welcomed nearly 120 global contestants, alongside the Miss World Organization and an extensive delegation of domestic and international press, presenting a rigorous test of operational capacity across luxury hospitality, sports, stage production, and eco-tourism.

Reflecting on the milestone, Mr. Pham Minh Hieu, General Director of Van Huong Investment and Tourism Joint Stock Company, the developer of Dragon Ocean Do Son, emphasized: "Partnering with Miss World 2026 is both a privilege and a vital opportunity to demonstrate our operational capability in hosting world-class events. We aim to go beyond simply providing accommodations or facilities; through every contestant's journey, we want to tell the story of a dynamic, modern Hai Phong that remains deeply connected to its natural beauty and local heritage."

Proactive operational execution, combined with an "all-in-one" integrated ecosystem at Dragon Ocean Do Son, proved instrumental in ensuring the event series ran safely and on schedule while leaving a professional impression on the international Organizing Committee.

A multi-sensory odyssey: from championship golf to eco-adventure and world-class entertainment

On August 14 and 15, the Miss World Organization and Dragon Ocean Do Son successfully executed a diverse array of experiential activities, offering delegates a multifaceted perspective on Hai Phong as a premier destination.

The itinerary began with an exhibition round at Dragon Golf Links, Northern Vietnam's first 27-hole international championship course, built entirely over the sea and designed by Greg Norman Golf Course Design. Set against the panoramic sea and sky of Do Son, the experience highlighted Hai Phong's rising profile as a luxury sports and resort destination.

The journey continued at the Dragon Mangrove Forest, a coastal ecosystem spanning over 282 hectares. Here, delegates planted nearly 200 mangrove trees, reinforcing a message of sustainability and marine conservation. Contestants also immersed themselves in coastal heritage, catching crabs and snails, hand-painting national flags on traditional conical hats (nón lá), and sampling regional OCOP specialties (Bang La jujubes, green bean cakes, and Nui Ngoc tea), offering a genuine encounter with Vietnamese culture, the daily lives and distinctive cuisine of local fishing communities in this port city.

The experiential energy surged at Legend Park, a mythical-themed amusement park where delegates took on nearly 20 state-of-the-art thrill rides. Simultaneously, other contestant groups immersed themselves in the refreshing waters and vibrant atmosphere of Dragon Beach, weaving together an itinerary that seamlessly blended athletics, eco-tourism, culture, and entertainment.

Triumphant execution of Miss World 2026 pageant segments

In addition to destination experiences, Dragon Ocean Do Son successfully hosted several major competition segments of the 73rd Miss World pageant.

The official proceedings commenced on August 13 with the Press Conference & Sash Ceremony at the upscale Dream Dragon Resort. The defining moment arrived as pageant officials presented each contestant with their official country sash. Before the international press corps, donning the national sash marked the formal beginning of their quest for the crown while honoring their role as cultural ambassadors.

On August 17, the newly introduced Head Chef Beauty challenge transformed the culinary spaces at Dream Dragon Resort into a global cultural exchange. Supported by a professional culinary team, contestants collaborated to craft dishes fusing international techniques with signature Vietnamese ingredients.

Finland's Kiia Huutoniemi commended the spirit of teamwork and the rich variety of local produce. Meanwhile, host delegate Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc of Vietnam and her team secured a victory with their refined Lotus Stem Salad with Shrimp and Pork, presenting the subtle flavors of Vietnamese cuisine to the global panel.

The media highlight arrived on the evening of August 18 with the Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest (VBFF) XVI, which doubled as the pageant's Top Model competition at Dragon Beach Square.

Widely regarded as one of the largest-scale artistic highlights of the event, the beachfront stage harnessed the natural backdrop of the Do Son sunset over open waters as a natural canvas for the collections. Outstanding technical execution, spanning concert-grade acoustics, dynamic lighting, and precise stage management for nearly 120 delegates at Dragon Beach Square, delivered a high-fashion spectacle showcasing world-class runway talent.

On the afternoon of August 19, the Hai Phong leg concluded on a high note with the high-intensity Miss Sport (Sport Challenge).

Nearly 120 delegates tested their endurance on a 1.25 km track run to determine the top qualifiers. The competition reached its peak as the Top 20 advanced to a back-to-back aquatic challenge featuring kayaking (40 m×2) and swimming (40 m). The emotional awards presentation at the Lagoon area celebrated the athletic discipline, resilience, and physical fitness of the global delegates, while showcasing Dragon Ocean Do Son's infrastructure for multi-sport international events.

The Miss World 2026 itinerary at Dragon Ocean Do Son concluded with strong, positive media coverage. By integrating global pageant milestones with real-world destination experiences, from oceanfront golf and mangrove conservation to grand coastal squares, the event successfully positioned Hai Phong as a diverse destination for tourism, ready to host major international cultural and sporting events in the future.

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Miss World 2026 at Dragon Ocean Do Son: Elevating Vietnam's destination profile on the global stage

- Students from 25 countries participated in the largest edition to date, engaging in global cultural exchange amid Budapest's rich historical and multicultural heritage

- Screening and awards ceremony featured K-Food dishes made with Jongga Kimchi, bringing film and food together in a cultural celebration

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 6^th DAESANG Eat & Travel Film Festival (E.T.F.F.), a global university student smartphone film festival hosted annually by Daesang Group, concluded successfully with a screening and awards ceremony in Budapest, Hungary, on August 16.

Now in its sixth year, DAESANG E.T.F.F. is a global cultural exchange program reflecting the Group's core value of "Respect," bringing together university students from diverse cultural backgrounds to travel, collaborate, and create short films centered on the theme of food. This year, the festival expanded its reach beyond Asia to Europe and brought together students from a record 25 countries, further establishing the festival as a global platform for cultural exchange.

Budapest was selected as the festival's first European host city for its rich history and cultural diversity. As a major Central European city where Eastern and Western cultures have long intersected, Budapest provided participants from around the world with opportunities to experience different cultures, engage with one another, and find inspiration for their filmmaking.

The 48 university students from 25 countries across Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe were selected through a highly competitive process and divided into eight teams of six. From August 4 to 16, the teams explored Budapest together. Over nearly two weeks, participants experienced local culture and cuisine while handling every stage of the filmmaking process themselves, from script development and filming to editing and promotion. Each team produced a smartphone short film of up to five minutes on the theme of food.

The completed films were unveiled at a screening held in Budapest on August 16. At the screening, guests were offered a selection of dishes made with products from Jongga, Daesang Group's global kimchi brand, including kimchimari guksu, kimchi jeon, kimchi bossam, kimchimari gogijjim, and kimchi gimbap. The event offered audiences an opportunity to experience kimchi, an iconic K-Food enjoyed worldwide, in a variety of ways. Bringing film and food together in a cultural celebration, the event was enthusiastically received by attendees.

One audience member at the screening said, "It was a special experience to enjoy kimchi dishes while watching films made by university students from around the world. I was particularly impressed by kimchi bossam, as the savory flavor of the meat complemented the rich flavor of the kimchi."

An awards ceremony followed the screening. The Grand Prize winner was selected based on evaluations by two professional judges, Um Tae-hwa, director of Concrete Utopia, and Professor Park Ji-hoon of the Seoul Institute of the Arts, as well as votes from the audience. Awards were also presented for Best Film, Best Promotion, Best Actor, and Best Participation.

Team "ONEderful" won the Grand Prize for Colors of Budapest and received KRW 10 million in prize money. Director Um Tae-hwa, who served as a judge, praised the film, saying, "The film stands out for its clever direction, capturing the fleeting moment of falling in love through vivid colors. In particular, the striking contrast between the green backdrop and the red rose brilliantly visualizes the characters' emotions."

Shim Hee-jun of Korea University, a member of the Grand Prize-winning team "ONEderful," said, "Rather than focusing on discrimination and hatred, we wanted to portray the process of respecting and understanding one another in a warm and heartfelt way through the themes of color and love."

The award-winning films and a behind-the-scenes video documenting the participants' filmmaking process will be released on the official DAESANG Eat & Travel Film Festival YouTube channel.

Choi Sung-soo, CEO of Daesang Holdings, said, "We successfully concluded our first European edition of the film festival. It was especially meaningful to see consumers from around the world enjoying a variety of kimchi dishes, reaffirming kimchi's growing prominence on the global stage. Going forward, we will continue to support young people around the world as they develop into globally minded individuals who embody the value of 'Respect.'"

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Daesang Group Successfully Hosts 6th University Student Smartphone Film Festival, Its First in Europe