Những Thiên Thần Tây Nguyên (The Angels of the Central Highlands) by Ninh Mạnh Thắng won two gold medals and received an honourable mention at the Three Country Grand Circuit 2020 international photo contest. Photo courtesy of the artist

HÀ NỘI — A photo by Vietnamese photographer Ninh Mạnh Thắng has won a gold medal in the child category of the Three Country Grand Circuit 2020 international photo contest.

The black-and-white photo, entitled Những Thiên Thần Tây Nguyên (The Angels of the Central Highlands), depicts children in the Central Highlands of Việt Nam under the protecting arms of a village chief. It was taken in 2020.

The theme behind the image is to send a message of the need to protect children to secure a brighter future, the photographer revealed.

“This is such a meaningful award for me that arrive right on the occasion of the traditional day of Vietnamese Cinema and Photography on March 15,” Thắng wrote on his Facebook account.

The Three Country Grand Circuit 2020 photo contest is organised by Ireland, Montenegro and Serbia, and sponsored by the Photographic Society of America (PSA).

This year's contest, the sixth of its kind, was open to both amateur and professional photographers worldwide and consists of 12 sections, all of which are digital.

Thắng, a photographer from Ninh Bình Province, has won many domestic and international contests. Photo vietbao.vn

Thắng, a native of the northern province of Ninh Bình, is a member of the Việt Nam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA). The 63-year-old photographer has won many awards in both domestic and international contests in recent years. VNS