HÀ NỘI — A photo capturing a colourful coral reef by Trần Bảo Hòa won the top prize at the national tourism art photography contest which wrapped up yesterday in Hà Nội.

The photo Colours of the Sea defeated 16,370 entries sent to the organising board to become the winner.

Alongside Hòa’s photo, the organisers also gave prizes to another 10 excellent photos.

With the theme "I Love Việt Nam", the contest opened in January with organisation by the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Việt Nam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA).

The contest aims to introduce Vietnamese culture and people to foreigners, raising awareness of tourism and attracting more visitors to Việt Nam. The contest is one of the means of promoting domestic tourism and turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector, according to Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương, vice chairwoman of the VNAT.

The contest was launched for the first time in 1990. This year, the eighth edition of its kind received entries from nearly 1,000 professional and amateur photographers who are Vietnamese citizens at home and abroad, as well as foreigners living and working in Việt Nam.

“They capture the beauty of the land and the people of Việt Nam from creative angles,” she said.

“The contest provides a plentiful source of beautiful photos for promoting national tourism. I’m sure that they will urge tourists to discover the country’s beautiful landscapes, diversified culture, festivals and people.”

The exhibition of 180 photos will run until July 11 at the National Museum of History, 1 Phạm Ngũ Lão Street, Hà Nội. — VNS