Canon helps promote Vietnam heritage values

The Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards is an annual activity that calls for photographers across the country to submit their best works that depict various aspects of Vietnam’s heritage.

This is the third consecutive year that Canon, a global leader in photographic and digital imaging solutions, has sponsored the initiative, and will be the first time that the exhibition has visited colleges throughout the country.

Through this, Canon is seeking to promote the culture and history of Vietnam to students, in turn encouraging them to preserve national heritage.

The exhibitions will see the 100 best photos printed in large format (resulting in more than 1,000 prints), then taken to 11 provinces across Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Can Tho, Hanoi, Danang, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, Vung Tau, An Giang, and My Tho.

Since being launched in July, the 2014 Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards has attracted attention from numerous professional and amateur photographers from across the country.

In a good sign for photography in Vietnam, this year’s competition has seen a significant increase in the number of entries, especially amongst younger photographers aged 18 to 25.

With the theme “The Soul of Vietnam”, the competition seeks to depict a peaceful and beautiful Vietnam through the camera lens.

Just two months after launching, the contest had received 4,402 photography artworks, including 2,795 single photos and 254 photo series.

Entries covered a diverse range of topics, including: natural heritage; tangible cultural heritage such as architecture, sculpture, and crafts; and intangible cultural heritage such as music, dance and festivals.

From the immense terraced fields in grain season, to its deep blue peaceful waters, through to images of daily life or work, of Vietnamese people, the entries have depicted Vietnam in a diverse range of ways.

“This year's Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards has more participants, so we are very delighted. With support and feedback from the judges, photographers, managers, our partners and the press, we hope that our organising process will get better so that the contest will be more well-known,” said Le Thanh Hai, editor- in- chief, Vietnam Heritage Magazine.

“By joining hands, we can help to spread the values of arts, humanity and heritages to everybody through photography, so that we can bring a positive meaning to raising awareness in preserving and upholding Vietnam's heritages,” he added.

Nick Yoshida, president and CEO of Canon Marketing Vietnam said, “After three years working with the Organising Committee, we have seen this contest go from strength to strength. Through the nationwide series of exhibitions, Canon hopes to assist in preserving and promoting Vietnamese beauty, as well as nurturing the love of photography among Vietnamese photographers.”