HÀ NỘI — Happy Vietnam is not only a contest and a communication programme, but also a festival where every Vietnamese person can tell stories of their happy lives.

The remark was made by Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, Minister of Information and Communications, at the award ceremony of the Happy Vietnam Photo and Video Contest 2023 on December 19.

Former Việt Nam Vice President Trương Mỹ Hoa and Minister of Information and Communications Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng hearing the stories behind a photo at the exhibition. — Photos courtesy of the ministry

Happy Vietnam marks the first time the ministry has organised a contest on an online platform (vietnam.vn) whose objective is to encourage Vietnamese people, at home and abroad, to use photos and videos to promote the country's image.

Over 7,000 videos and photos have been submitted to the contest since its launch in June 2023, of which 28 were selected for awards and 84 for exhibition. The two first prizes went to photographer Bùi Cương Quyết for his work "Fly High, Vietnam", and videographer Nguyễn Thành Paven for "Đà Nẵng, A City of Biodiversity".

"The viewership of the 7,000 videos and photos on vietnam.vn has surpassed 90 million, of which 40 per cent come from abroad," said Hùng.

"Fly High, Vietnam" depicting athlete Châu Tuyết Vân and her teammates waving Việt Nam's flags upon winning their first gold medal at SEA Games 31.

Nguyễn Thành Paven told Việt Nam News that it took him six months ranging through jungles and diving to sea-beds to make the video. His goal was clear: to promote Việt Nam globally as a country of rich biodiversity.

"Filming wildlife is my passion and this video will be the starting point for my career as a wildlife filmmaker," said Paven.

Nguyễn Thành Paven (second from left) and Bùi Cương Quyết (third from left) taking the first prizes on the platform.

He also revealed that he was working on another video featuring in-danger primates in Việt Nam, which would soon be made public.

Bùi Cương Quyết told Việt Nam News that his motivation for taking the photo was not the prize, but "to capture the once-in-a-lifetime moment and share it with the world". Now the job has been done as everyone knows about his photo. — VNS