Former Miss France Indira Ampiot has arrived in Vietnam to begin her Miss World 2026 competition in Ha Long Bay.
The 21-year-old beauty queen, who won the national Miss France title in 2023 representing the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, landed in the country over the weekend. Official events for the international beauty pageant officially got underway on Sunday, August 9.
Upon her arrival, Ampiot replaced her Miss World France sash with a simple rectangular badge bearing the name of her country. She was immediately ushered into her first official photo shoot alongside fellow contestants from Belize, Indonesia, and the Cayman Islands.
In an update published on her Instagram account, Ampiot told her followers that she would not forget them and promised to share every detail of her daily routine. She summarised that everyone at the venue was extremely kind and added that her initial media interviews had gone super well.
Following her airport arrival, Ampiot undertook a three-hour journey to reach Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northeastern Vietnam famous for its emerald waters and limestone islands. The coastal location in Quảng Ninh Province is serving as the primary base for all 130 contestants taking part in Miss World 2026.
Charity Work and Cultural Welcome
On the day after reaching the site, Ampiot traveled across Quảng Ninh for a charitable event titled Share Smiles, Spread Love. She participated alongside the reigning Miss World titleholder, Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand.
During the event, the contestants visited an orphanage to meet with resident children and present them with gifts. Ampiot recorded on social media that she felt proud to launch her Miss World journey with a message of hope.
Ampiot, who had previously expressed a personal desire to visit Vietnam, also attended the Halo Bay Show, a coastal performance featuring synchronized water jets, light effects, and music. All participants later attended a traditional welcome dinner, where each delegate received a traditional Vietnamese conical hat.
Preparations for the Final
Throughout the multi-week gathering, Ampiot is sharing hotel quarters with Belgian representative Olga Lombardo. The two French-speaking contestants posted a joint video introducing their room set to the song House Tour by American singer Sabrina Carpenter.
Ampiot and Lombardo also published a dancing clip on TikTok featuring Audrey Ho Wen Tsai, who is representing the South American French territory of French Guiana.
On Tuesday, August 11, Ampiot underwent her initial costume fittings ahead of the official opening ceremony scheduled for Wednesday. Over the coming weeks, candidates will compete in preliminary evaluation trials to secure a spot among the top 30 finalists before the grand finale on September 5.
