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HO CHI MINH CITY: Skin whitening, child marriage, a restricted education: Vietnamese model and literacy activist H’Hen Nie has defied traditional expectations placed on her, and is now determined to show the next generation a different way.
The winner of Miss Universe Vietnam 2017, who hails from the Ede ethnic minority group in the central highlands, was 14 years old when her mother, a farmer, suggested that she look for a husband.
“I was very afraid of getting married. At that time I liked to swim, slide down the slopes and play in the woods,” the 28-year-old told AFP.
She was being led down the path of many poor and marginalized ethnic minority children in Vietnam: marrying young, dropping out of school, and having a lesser chance of reaching positions of power compared to most Kinh in the country.
But H’Hen had other plans, explaining: “I was competitive and I loved studying. And I had many dreams.”
Skin whitening, child marriage, a restricted upbringing: Vietnamese model and literacy activist H’Hen Nie has defied traditional expectations placed on her and is now determined to show the next generation a different way. (Photo: AFP / Nhac NGUYEN)
Today, as the first woman from an ethnic minority to win the Vietnam crown, H’Hen is widely regarded as a trailblazer, later representing the country on the Miss Universe world stage and finishing in the Top 5.
She is now an ambassador for the nonprofit Room to Read, which focuses on the education of girls in the developing world, a topic that comes into focus as the coronavirus exposes inequalities globally.
A recent report from the Malala Fund found that 20 million more girls of secondary school age are at risk of dropping out of school permanently compared to boys when the crisis is over.
The charities also warn that years of progress in the fight against child marriage are unraveling as desperate families, mired in poverty due to the pandemic, marry off their young daughters, meaning they are less likely to complete your education.
Refusing to settle
In Vietnam, the legal age of marriage is 18, but UNICEF says one in ten girls has been married before. Among ethnic groups, the figure is almost double.
Growing up with six siblings in a traditional stilt house, H’Hen knew from a young age what was expected of her because of her gender and ethnicity, but defiantly rejected pressures to conform.
Even beauty became a battlefield.
Colorism, the prejudice against darker skin tones, is a widespread phenomenon in Asia. Today, in the wake of the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests, a backlash has begun against archaic beliefs that a light complexion is more desirable.
But even as a child, H’Hen was ahead of the times. Her mother tried to convince her to use skin whitening products.
“I refused to take it and ran away to play,” H’Hen recalled. “Teens often bought cream that made their faces extremely white … but I didn’t want to be like them.”
And while she never flatly rejected her mother’s marriage suggestions, she instead turned to her books and taught herself Vietnamese, her passport out of the rural village where only a local dialect was spoken.
A decade later, sitting in a gilded chandelier convention center in Ho Chi Minh City, H’Hen is helping select a local designer to dress her Miss Universe Vietnam successor.
H’Hen Nie is now an ambassador for the nonprofit Room to Read, which focuses on girls’ education in the developing world, a topic that comes into focus as the coronavirus exposes inequalities globally. . (Photo: AFP / Nhac NGUYEN)
His early days in the bustling city were less glamorous. She worked as a maid to fund her corporate finance degree, and the family agreed to her ambitions as well.
She says: “My mother started saving money for my studies. It was a great sacrifice. I think my brothers maybe they didn’t get that much food, they certainly didn’t give them candy.”
EMPOWER GIRLS, CHANGE LIVES
After a couple of years in the country’s mall, she got her chance as a model and soon became the first ethnic minority woman to win the Miss Universe Vietnam title.
But her victory brought out racists, who claimed her skin was too dark to be beautiful.
“They made fun of me so much that it became normal,” says H’Hen.
Teasing only increased her determination to instill confidence and a love of learning in girls from disadvantaged families.
“What I couldn’t bear was his comments about my people. I didn’t want others in my community to be criticized for their skin … so I spoke up.”
On the advice of her mother, now her greatest champion, H’Hen invested all the money from the Miss Universe award in scholarship programs for schoolchildren.
Since his victory, he has raised tens of thousands of dollars to build libraries in Vietnam’s rural central provinces and has helped girls from Asia and Africa complete high school.
H’Hen also advises older girls who want to continue their studies.
“I think I’m a bit biased when I meet girls from my community in Ho Chi Minh City,” she laughs.
“If you are a student, I encourage you to study more. If you have difficulties, I will offer to share your tuition.”
Given the tools to be successful, he says, nothing can stop them.
H’Hen insists: “I want to share this message and change some lives.”
