Nguyen Thu Thao of Vietnam is The Miss Globe 2026. The 21-year-old took the crown on Friday, November 6, at Siam Niramit Phuket in Thailand, from the outgoing titleholder, Chayathanus Saradatta of Thailand. It is Vietnam’s second Miss Globe title and its first since 2017. The Philippines’ Sasha-Juli Lacuna finished in the Top 11 and won the Miss Social Media award. Our earlier Miss Globe 2026 coverage follows Lacuna’s campaign in Phuket.
Who Is Nguyen Thu Thao
Thu Thao was born in 2005 in Tuyen Quang province in northern Vietnam and is a student at the National Economics University. She stands about 1.8 meters tall, a height Vietnamese press made much of before the finals. She has described her family as not well off.
Her road to Phuket was short. She made the Top 40 at Miss Vietnam 2024, then won Miss Tourism Vietnam in May 2026, and that title earned her the Miss Globe slot. In Phuket she placed in the Top 6 of the national costume segment with a design inspired by a Vietnamese folk singing tradition.
The Answer That Closed It
Five finalists reached the question round: Vietnam, Thailand, Ukraine, Argentina and the Netherlands. Thu Thao’s question asked which one value she hopes the next generation will carry. She chose a single word, bravery, and tied it to her own background: growing up with limited means, she said, gave her the drive to keep striving. After the crowning she said the win surprised her, because she had not expected to take the title.
The Results
- The Miss Globe 2026: Nguyen Thu Thao, Vietnam
- First runner-up: Suttida Iadpoo, Thailand
- Second runner-up: Mariia Zheliaskova, Ukraine
- Third runner-up: Sybèl Hoekman, Netherlands
- Fourth runner-up: Pilar Macias, Argentina
Vietnam’s Miss Globe Story
Vietnam’s only earlier Miss Globe winner was Do Tran Khanh Ngan in 2017, in Albania. Since then the country has come close without winning: Lam Thu Hong was fourth runner-up in 2022, and Do Ha Trang repeated that placement in 2024. Vietnamese pageant queen Huong Giang sat on the judging panel in Phuket.
The Philippines in Phuket
Lacuna, Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2026, placed in the Top 11 after the Miss Social Media award gave her an automatic place in the Top 21. She did not reach the Top 5, and the Philippines stays at two Miss Globe crowns: Ann Colis in 2015 and Maureen Montagne in 2021. Lacuna had topped one major pageant forecaster’s final hot picks heading into the finals.