Veena Singh makes history as first Thai-Indian Miss Universe Thailand

Praveenar “Veena” Singh, 29, was crowned Miss Universe Thailand 2025 last night, winning the title on her fourth attempt in the national beauty pageant.

She became the first Thai-Indian beauty queen to secure the crown, which will see her represent Thailand at Miss Universe 2025 in Bangkok this November.

A graduate of Thammasat University, Veena had previously competed in the national pageant three times, placing second runner-up in 2018, first runner-up in 2020 and second runner-up again in 2023, before finally achieving victory this year.

Born in Chiang Mai province to Indian parents, she entered the 2025 competition as Miss Universe Saraburi. She spent part of her childhood with relatives in Yala province before pursuing higher education in Bangkok, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts, majoring in Russian.

In February 2023, Veena made history as the first married contestant to compete in Miss Universe Thailand, after the global Miss Universe Organisation revised its rules in 2022 to allow married women, divorced women, mothers and members of the LGBTQ+ community to enter the competition.

Beyond beauty pageants, Veena has gained international attention elsewhere. According to the Hindustan Times, her appearance at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May drew praise from supermodel Bella Hadid, who told her: “You look so beautiful. You're to die for. The face… so beautiful.”