A photo in the award-wining collection Tuyết Diêm (Baked Salt) by Nguyễn Ngọc Hòa.

HÀ NỘI  A photo collection highlighting the hardships facing salt workers in the central province of Phú Yên has won the highest prize at the 2020 Heritage Journey Photography Contest.

Captured by photographer Nguyễn Ngọc Hòa from the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, the photo collection depicts the process of making stewed salt – a kind of salt that requires baking grain salt at high temperatures until the grains turn into a smooth texture. The workers’ jobs, from collecting grain salt in the fields to loading heavy vases containing the salt into a kiln, and from firing up the kiln to straining and packaging the refined salt, have been presented vividly through the collection titled Muối Hầm Tuyết Diêm (Tuyết Diêm Baked Salt).

In the Collection Category, first prize was given to Khám Phá Hang Tiên (Discover the Fairy Cave) by Nguyễn Hải. The collection portrays the amazing interior of Tiên Cave, which is among the largest in the cave system at the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park.

The top five included Nghệ Nhân Vẽ Tranh Thờ Người Dao (Ethnic Dao Master of Worship Paintings) by Nguyễn Hữu Thông; Chùa Ve Chai (Ve Chai Pagoda) by Trần Ngọc Anh; Khám Phá Đáy Biển và Cổng Tò Vò trên Đảo Lý Sơn (Discover the Seabed and Sea Arch on Lý Sơn Island); and Mẫu Sơn Huyền Ảo Trong Băng Giá (Incredible Icy Mẫu Sơn Mount) by Nguyễn Xuân Chính.

Autumn on Yến Stream by Nguyễn Hữu Thông

In the Cover Photo Category, Mùa Thu Suối Yến (Autumn on Yến Stream) by Nguyễn Hữu Thông grabbed the Special Prize, while Người Giữ Hồn Nghề (Traditional Craft Keeper) by Lê Việt Khánh bagged First Prize.

The top five featured Thiếu Nữ Lô Lô (Lô Lô Young Ethnic Girl) by Huỳnh Mỹ Thuận; Mùa Ngô Ở Mù Cang Chải (Maize Season in Mù Cang Chải) and Rừng Xanh Hoa Chuối Đỏ Tươi (Green Forest and Red Wild Banana Flower) by Nguyễn Hữu Thông; Huyền Thoại Hồ Suối Tía (Legend of Suối Tía Lake) by Nguyễn Minh Tân; and Vịnh Lan Hạ (Lan Hạ Bay) by Nguyễn Ngọc Hòa.

Photogrphers Ngô Trần Hải An and Trương Thế Cầu shared the Single Photo Category prize for Ngược Chiều Vun Vút (Runway Take Off) and Chúng Tôi An Toàn Thân Thiện (We Are Safe and Friendly), respectively.

According to the organisers, the national carrier Vietnam Airlines in-flight magazine Heritage, the contest, which ran from June 1 to August 31, was widely supported by photographers nationwide.

More than 90 collections and  nearly 300 single photos were submitted to the contest, and the five judges had their work cut out to select the best cover photo from hundreds of entries. 

The winning photos, together with photos selected from the most recent Heritage photo tour to the southern central coastal region, have been introduced to the public through an exhibition, which is taking place at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, until September 25.

The photos will also be featured in different publications of Heritage, aiming to offer readers, including a large number of foreigners, a panoramic view of the Vietnamese people and their rich culture, as well as the country's stunning landscapes. VNS