Miss Grand International titleholders Christine Juliane ‘CJ’ Opiaza and Emma Tiglao expressed their excitement and gratitude to be invited to visit Vietnam, where they will be joined by their pageant family.
The Filipino beauty queens are set to arrive on Sunday, June 28, with Reina Filipinas President Jojo Bragais, Miss Grand International President Nawat Itsaragrisil, MGI All Stars winner Vanessa Pulgarin and Miss Universe runner-up Preveenar Singh.
Opiaza shared that it was MGI All Stars second runner-up Nguyen Huong Giang who extended the invitation. The Vietnamese beauty queen will be having her fan meet, followed by the Miss International Queen Vietnam finals.
‘We’ll be present on her fan meet, and her press conference for winning for Vietnam. And then the next day will be the Miss International Queen Vietnam Coronation Night,’ Opiaza said at the Reina Filipinas first grand call.
Bragais said he was surprised to also receive an invitation to visit Vietnam together with titleholders. ‘I was invited because after my judging for MGI All Stars, I got attention from Vietnamese people, they call me ‘Juju,” he said.
‘They told me they want to give what the Vietnamese people want, that is to see me up close. And that will also be my chance to thank them for the love and attention for [Jojo Bragais Shoes] and me,’ he continued.
The visit will also serve as a reunion for the beauty queens. Nguyen competed with Pulgarin onstage, while Opiaza, Tiglao and Singh were involved in productions throughout the competition in Thailand.
Opiaza hosted the welcome event and the first preliminary round, and was a presenter at the grand final. Singh joined her in hosting the first preliminary phase. Tiglao, the reigning Miss Grand International, was a presenter during the first preliminay round, and hosted the second round and the grand final.
Tiglao expressed her profuse gratitude to Nguyen and the Vietnamese people for the invitation to visit Vietnam from June 28 to 30. Opiaza revealed that they will be visiting different places in the country.