A ceremony took place on September 24 at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi to award the winners of the ninth national tourism photo contest Explore Vietnam.
A photo titled “Thuyen hoa” (literally “Boats carrying flowers”) by Tran Minh Luong wins top prize. The contest is run by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) aiming to introduce Vietnamese culture, land, and its people to both domestic and foreign travelers, while striving to attract more visitors to the country.
Second prize goes to a photo known as “Trong suong” (or In the mist) by Nguyen Quang. The contest was first launched back in January and has so far received 15,610 entries by 1,118 authors from 63 cities and provinces across the country, including 14 foreigners residing in Vietnam.
A photo known as “Vu cong tren bien” (or Dancers at sea) by Nguyen Tien Trinh claims third prize. Applicants are encouraged to capture natural beauty, historical sites, cultural practices and values, along with customs, festivals, and people of the country.
In total, 13 prizes are awarded with one first, two second, and three third prizes on offer, worth VND15 million, VND10 million, and VND5 million (equivalent to US$650, US$430, and US$215) each respectively.
In addition to the main prizes, five consolation prizes worth VND2 million (equivalent to US$85), are also announced.
This year’s contest aims to celebrate the 60th founding anniversary of the tourism sector (July 9, 1960), in addition to responding to World Tourism Day on September 27.
A total of 181 artworks have been selected from the photo contest to be put on display at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi from September 24 to September 30.
The photo contest was first launched in 1990 and has since gone on to attract thousands of entries each year with images submitted by both professional and amateur photographers who are either Vietnamese citizens or expats living and working locally.
