Miss Grand International 2017: Everything You Need to Know About the Welcome Ceremony

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Miss Grand International 2017's Welcome Ceremony Press Presentation took place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center last night followed by the Welcome Dinner at the Pullman Saigon Center Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The event was started by a speech from Mr. Tran Minh Tien, the head of the Vietnamese organising committee (who is also the CEO of Lasta Multimedia and Let's Viet television). He welcomed the Miss Grand International Organization and the delegates to Vietnam and spoke about how MGIO's advocacy 'Stop the War and Violence' resonates with the peace loving Vietnamese people. The President of the Miss Grand International, Mr. Nawat Itsaragrisil, then spoke about how proud and happy the organization is to be in Vietnam for Miss Grand International 2017 and paid homage to the three locations in Vietnam that will host the pageant. He also explained to the live global audience what kind of qualities the winner of Miss Grand International should possess. Tien then presented Itsaragrisil with a nón lá (traditional Vietnamese conical hat) and a khăn rằn (scarf with which Vietnamese soldiers identified themselves during the Vietnam war) as symbolic gifts to celebrate the country's first stint as host of the Miss Grand International Pageant. 

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Then it was time for the highlight of the evening - introducing 72 young women who all have the dream of becoming Miss Grand International 2017 to the media and global audience watching the livestream feed on the MGI facebook page. Miss Chile, Nicole Ebner, has also made it to Vietnam, but sadly not in time for the press presentation. The group competing in the 5th edition of this pageant must be considered as one of their strongest ever and the girls looked stunning in their evening wear. Most of the gowns were on point, reiterating what a tough competition this will be. 

PHOTO GALLERY (Photos Leonardo Rodrigues)

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Following the presentation of the delegates, the reigning queen, Ariska Putri Pertiwi from Indonesia was welcomed on stage to speak about her reign as Miss Grand International. Her advice to the delegates competing for the crown was that consistency really pays off. She highlighted the fact that the competition does not just take place on the final night but throughout their 3 week long experience at the pageant. Immediately after, the girls and dignitaries were treated to a delicious dinner at the Pullman. Everyone was in high spirits after taking part in a highly successful event. 

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Some tidbits from the evening: 

* We are so impressed with the way Miss Grand International is being organised. Everything has been running like clockwork and great effort is being put into making sure that everything goes according to plan. 

* The girls are being taken care of by dozens of chaperones, who are all friendly, polite and always ready to help. 

* Kudos to the Miss Grand International Organization for an excellent and high quality Welcome Ceremony. The girls were treated like Hollywood stars with a red carpet event and an elegant cocktail event before the press presentation and dinner. 

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II PHOTO GALLERY (photos Leonardo Rodrigues)

* The dinner following the Welcome Ceremony was enjoyed by one and all. There was lots of singing and dancing. It was a most enjoyable ending to a long and busy day. 

* The hotel where the girls are staying is absolutely top notch. The food is phenomenal and the girls are being well taken care of. There is also always water for them, which is very important in a pageant. 

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* The reigning queen (and Global Beauties' Miss Grand Slam 2016) looked absolutely amazing. Her dress was out of this world and she was so well-spoken and nice to everyone. We are proud to have her as our Miss Grand Slam. 

* The web and media team have beens have been doing an incredible job at making sure that photo updates go out really fast and the social media accounts remain active. 

The girls are attending a charity marathon early this morning and then visit the War Remnants Museum later today. Stay tuned for more updates... 

Photos: Leonardo Rodrigues / Global Beauties