THIS year’s winner of Vietnam’s Moc Chau beauty contest has a US father while her mother is of Dutch and Cuban heritage. She’s also pregnant, which is fine with the judges since contestant 1386 is a four-year-old cow.
The Miss Milk Cow contest has been an October fixture since 2004 in the popular backpacker destination of Moc Chau 200km west of Hanoi, helping to promote dairy farming in Vietnam.
Owners armed with hairdryers and Vaseline jelly primp the contestants for the beauty pageant, adorning their heads with a bright red bow before the cows take centre stage.
Two contenders gave birth to calves during the October 15 event, earning their owners a special prize of 2 million dong (R1 097).
“The contest is part of our life. I love it,” said Truong Thi Khanh, a former teacher who found his vocation as a dairy farmer and now owns 33 cows.
The contesting cows are judged on the basis of a solid torso, legs, gait and obedience as they take two rounds of the arena in a two-hour finale.
And, of course, the amount of milk they produce.
The champion, a Holstein-Friesian known for its high yield, outshone 125 finalists from the region with its daily milk output of 42 kg.
Owner Bui Van Dinh, 61, took home a milking machine, a trophy and a cash prize of 55 million dong. – Reuters