Nearly 120 women from 42 ethnic groups in Vietnam will take part in the second Miss Ethnic Vietnam pageant which will begin next month.

The contestants will compete in the categories of traditional costumes as well as question-and-answer sessions on November 1-4 in Hanoi and November 12-15 in HCM City .

After that, 15 finalists will be chosen to participate in competitions that will highlight their talents and charity work in the final round from November 26-December 10 in HCM City .

At the finale held at Hoa Binh Theatre in District 10 on December 10, contestants will model traditional costumes, evening dresses and swimwear.

The jury will then choose five finalists to take part in a question-and-answer session.

The winner will receive a 100 million VND award (4,880 USD), while the runner-up will take home 70 million VND (3,400 USD).

The show will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television's channels VTV1 and VTV4.

The organisers of the pageant, the Government Ethnic Minorities Committee and the CIAT Advertising and Trade Fair Joint Stock Company, said the contest aimed to promote solidarity among 54 nationalities and to recognise the beauty of Vietnamese women.