The contest was jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists and the Federation of International Art Photography (FIAP) to celebrate the 30 th FIAP Congress in Vietnam and the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Speaking at the ceremony, MCST Deputy Minister Le Tien Tho stressed that this is the first time Vietnam has hosted such a large art photo exhibition with the participation of many photographic associations throughout the world.

The exhibition, which lasts until August 8, offers a good chance for Vietnamese photographers to share experiences and promote the image of the Vietnamese land and people to international friends, he added.

The photo contest included two competitions: one for black and white photos and the other for those taken by young photographers. The contest received 658 entries, including 420 black and white photos, and 238 photos of young photographers, from 42 countries and territories worldwide.

Vietnamese photographer Pham Thi Thu bagged a gold medal for her excellent collection of black and white photos entitled “Di chung da cam” (the after-effects of the Agent Orange).

The host country also won a world cup for young photographers under 16 and a gold medal for young artists aged between 16-21.