Situated in in Quang Ninh Province, it offers an unusual combination of exciting experiences, whilst providing a genuine insight into the hard-working lives of the country’s miners.

Coal miners at the mine generally have to get up before dawn and work all day in the cold, dark and damp, but today the beautiful pageant contestants make the day much brighter.

Contestants don protective gear

Including hardhats

Pleasant surprise for miners getting off elevator finishing night shift 

One miner’s eye’s appear to gloss over 

Nguyen Thị Ngọc Van (left) can’t hide her delight at meeting home town miner from Haiphong

Phung Bao Ngoc Van (left) from Hanoi says coal miner reminds her of her father

Visit by contestants – a real treat – in mine’s 50 history 

And to more than 4,000 workers 

Le Xuan Son, editor-in-chief of Tien Phong newspaper (third from right), hopes contestants would see importance of coal to economy’s health