A view of HCM City’s centre along the bank of Saigon River. — VNA/VNS Photo Mỹ Phương

HCM CITY — A design contest for unique souvenirs for tourists has been launched by the HCM City Department of Tourism and Industrial Product Design and Prototyping Association.

The contest, sponsored by Phú Nhuận Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ), aims to create new tourist souvenirs that express the city’s image of dynamism and creativity as well as meet the demand of both domestic and international tourists.

Bùi Thị Ngọc Hiếu, deputy director of the Department of Tourism, said souvenirs are one of the factors that contribute to increasing attractiveness, encouraging consumption and promoting effective images of destinations.

“However, the souvenirs of the city’s tourism are still not diverse in models and types and are unable to meet the needs of tourists. Therefore, the development of souvenirs has been a matter of concern,” she said.

The contest not only seeks new product designs, but also to develop and produce the products that have a practical application, she said.

All organisations and individuals, especially designers and students, in the country and abroad are encouraged to participate in the contest.

Contestants can register for the contest at https://vi.vietnamdesign.org.vn/souvenir-submission by mid-August.

All entries must be the contestant's original work, completely new ideas, unpublished in any mass media, and have not been produced and traded in the market, and never participated in any domestic and foreign competitions.

They are encouraged to feature the city’s characteristics and cultural values, use traditional and local raw materials, and involve traditional handicrafts.

There will be 30 prizes for the best designs in two categories - conference gifs and tourist souvenirs.

The contest’s organising board will present a first prize worth VNĐ80 million (US$3,415), a second prize worth VNĐ50 million ($2,135), three third prizes worth VNĐ30 million ($1,280) each, and 10 consolation prizes worth VNĐ10 million ($425) each to the 15 best designs in each category.

Each prize includes cash, gifts and vouchers.

The contest’s final round and award-ceremony will be held on the sidelines of the 16th International Travel Expo – HCM City (ITE HCMC 2022) which will take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in District 7 on September 8-10.

The city’s People’s Committee has asked relevant agencies to strengthen efficient solutions to promote tourism development, with the aim of making tourism become “a key economic sector”.

The local tourism industry has posted remarkable growth in the quality of tourism products, revenue, number of tourists and the number of businesses operating in the tourism sector. — VNS