Miss Vietnam 'kidnapped to stop her coming to Britain'

Relatives of Vietnam’s reigning beauty queen, who disappeared a week ago, said today that they believe she was kidnapped by her boyfriend to stop her moving to Britain to study.

Trieu Kim Oanh said her daughter Pham Thi Mai Phuong was forced into a car last Tuesday by a group of young men as she was leaving an English class.

The 18-year-old had recently been awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Luton.

Phuong was crowned Miss Vietnam last September during the country’s first national pageant for decades. Communist Vietnam had discouraged beauty contests for years as a sign of capitalist decadence.

Oanh said Phuong’s boyfriend, a policeman and the son of Haiphong Police Chief Nguyen Binh Doan, had repeatedly said he did not want her to go to Britain.

When Oanh reported her daughter’s disappearance to the police, Doan told her that Phuong was with friends.

A police official in Haiphong said today that the authorities were still investigating.

“We have received confusing information. We are still working on the case,” he said.

Oanh said her daughter had called home several times to reassure her family that she was OK, but was unable to tell them where she was. Oanh said her daughter sounded nervous.

Yesterday, Phuong called again to say she was fine but that she was unable to come home, Oanh said.

“We are worried for Phuong’s safety and would not dare to allow her younger sister to go to school as she could be harmed,” Oanh said.