Dayana Mendoza from Venezuela was crowned as Miss Universe 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 13.
Asians didn’t perform well in the 2008 contest with only one contestant making it into last 15. Riyo Mori from Japan was the 2007 winner, with another three Asians (India, Korea and Thailand) making it into the last 15 last year.
Miss Japan Riyo Mori was crowned Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico City on May 28.
Ms Mori is 20 years old and has been dancing since she was 4. She loves travelling the world and enjoys visiting museums and watching musicals.
Contestants from 77 countries competed in three categories throughout the two-hour event, i.e. swimsuit; evening gown; and personality interview.
Zuleyka Rivera, Miss Universe 2006, crowned her successor before an estimated 1 billion worldwide viewing audience in over 170 countries.
Riyo Mori is the second woman from Japan to hold the title; the first Miss Universe from the country was Akiko Kojima, way back in 1959. [Photo by Fadil Barisha].
Miss Universe series
