The awarding ceremony of the 8^th National Tourism Art Photo Contest entitled "I love Vietnam" took place in Hanoi on July 6, with 11 out of 16,370 works were honoured.

The photo entitled 'Sac mau cua bien' (Colours of the sea) by Tran Bao Hoa wins the first prize.

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

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

'Ta Phin mua do nuoc' (Ta Phin in water-pouring season) by Tran Quoc Loc is awarded the second prize.

The second-prize work 'Thang Hoa' (Sublimation) taken by Pham Gia Chien

'Bay len nao Viet Nam oi' (Flying up, Vietnam) by Tran Anh Tuan wins the third prize.

'Dua voi o ho Lak' (Elephant race in Lak lake) by Nguyen Ngoc Hoa is awarded the third prize.

A consolation prize is given to 'Thach nhu hang Tien' (Stalactite in Tien cave) by Le Duc Dat.

'Chieu mua he' (A summer afternoon) by Tran Quoc Loc is given a consolation prize.

The photo 'Con do mot net xua' (Timeless beauty) by Do Trong Danh wins a consolation prize.

'Gia dinh vooc cha va chan nau' (A family of red shanked douc langur) by Ha Phuoc Thanh receives a consolation prize.

The consolation-prize photo 'Mua yeu' (Wedding season) by Le Thai Duong.

'Noi hanh phuc bat dau' (Where love begins) by Tran Cao Bao Long wins a consolation prize.

With the theme "I Love Vietnam", the contest opened in January with organisation by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Vietnam 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 Vietnam. The contest is one of the means of promoting domestic tourism and turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector, according to Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, 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 Vietnam.

“They capture the beauty of the land and the people of Vietnam 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, persified culture, festivals and people.”

The exhibition of 180 photos will run until July 11 at the National Museum of History, 1 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Hanoi./.

VNF/VNA