Miss Vietnam Embraces both Khmer and Vietnamese Cultures and Values

Miss Vietnam Embraces both Khmer and Vietnamese Cultures and Values The Miss Universe 2013 final competition will be held in Moscow on Saturday, November 9th. Miss Truong Thi May is representing Vietnam in the competition. May says she is proud to tell people that she is half Vietnamese, half Cambodian. Born in Phnom Penh, her Cambodian-Vietnamese father died when she was six years old. She grew up among Khmer Krom residents in Bach Lieu province. Miss May is trilingual. She speaks English, Vietnamese and Khmer. "My mother always encourages me to speak the Khmer language, to preserve the Cambodian tradition and culture." During the upcoming Miss Universe 2013 competition, May says she wants to highlight the plight of Vietnamese and Cambodian women who are less fortunate than she is. May says she knows what it's like to be poor and hungry. "I know in both Vietnam and Cambodia, many people are still facing difficulties in their lives. I must help make their voices heard around the world. I understand their sufferings because my family was poor once." May spoke to the VOA Khmer Service's Reasey Poch via Skype from Moscow.