PHOTOS OF VIỆT NAM: A national photo contest called Đất Nước Ngàn Hoa (Country of Thousands of Flowers) has launched on Thursday in HCM City. The event aims to highlight Vietnamese people and their efforts to develop the country. — Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Amateur and professional photographers nationwide are encouraged to send submissions to a photo contest capturing Việt Nam and its development that was launched in HCM City on Thursday.

The event is organised by the Việt Nam Photographers’ Association in co-operation with the city-based Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper.

It is called Đất Nước Ngàn Hoa (Country of Thousands of Flowers), and aims to highlight Vietnamese people and their efforts to develop the country.

The themes of Vietnamese culture and lifestyle are also included. Photos of women and children of ethnic minority groups are welcomed.

The organisers welcome works capturing HCM City’s culture and lifestyle, and local people in daily life.

They also encourage pictures of Trường Sa archipelago and the daily activities of the soldiers who are protecting the country’s sovereignty in the sea and islands.

Panoramic and freestyle photos are encouraged. Traditional methods and photoshopped photos are also accepted.

“Our contest celebrates the 50th anniversary of Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30). Through the event, we hope participants tell and share different stories about Việt Nam and its people through their art,” said Nguyễn Khắc Văn, deputy-in-chief of Sài Gòn Giải Phóng newspaper, a member of the contest’s organising board.

Văn said that the contest also celebrates 50 years of his newspaper’s first issue.

All entries should be taken from April 30, 1975 to March 31, 2025. They can be a single photo or a group of photos with informative captions.

The jury will select 35 pictures to compete for the top prizes, including two gold medals, four silver medals and six bronze medals, and prize money of VNĐ600 million (US$24,600)

The best works will be exhibited.

The contest will receive works in colour, and black and white at the organiser’s website sggp.org.vn/thianh50nam before April 1, 2025. — VNS