Founded in 2001 by the Vietnamese Student Association at UC Irvine, Rose Pageant is an annual student-run philanthropic pageant that has grown into one of the biggest events hosted by a Union of Vietnamese Student Association SoCal member.
Rose Pageant’s main mission is to bring together university students from across Southern California to celebrate Vietnamese culture and womanhood, while also fostering connections with the Little Saigon community of Orange County and raising funds for the Social Assistance Program for Vietnam (SAP-VN), a humanitarian organization that aids underserved and vulnerable people in Vietnam.
This year’s sold-out Rose Pageant was held Jan. 13 at the Saigon Grand Center in Fountain Valley with the theme of “ Nét đẹp tâm hồn phụ nữ Việt Nam” or “The Inner Beauty of a Vietnamese Woman” to highlight core Vietnamese values such as compassion, grace and strength of character.
The main philanthropy project of this year’s pageant is SAP-VN’s Mobile Care project, which aims to bring free quality healthcare to those in need in Vietnam.
Through the efforts of Rose Pageant co-directors Faith Du and Michelle Truong, the Rose Pageant Scholarship was created to help alleviate the financial burden for students who wish to participate in the Mobile Care project.
In addition to the scholarship, proceeds from the show will also be used to allocate money to help aid SAP-VN in obtaining medical supplies and school supplies for local orphanages in Vietnam.
“Since beauty pageants are usually stigmatized due to their emphasis on physical beauty, we wanted to combat this widespread belief and focus on the inner beauty of women through our Vietnamese culture,” said Du, a current fourth-year student at UC Irvine from Fountain Valley.
The girls who are crowned at the pageant make up the Royal Court, which is composed of the Rose Queen, First Princess, Second Princess, Miss Philanthropy, and Miss Congeniality. The winning court members will spend their term as volunteers with SAP-VN and make appearances at local community events.
“As co-director, I was so excited to be part of the legacy of Rose Pageant and expand our philanthropic efforts within SAPVN,” said Truong, a UC Irvine alumna and graduate student. “My personal goal was to make sure the girls felt supported in a healthy learning environment for all as Rose Pageant isn’t just a simple beauty competition. It is an incredible opportunity for young women to form lifelong friendships and connections with their peers.”