Entitled Workmates, the black-and-white photo was taken by medical doctor and photographer Dinh Cong Tam from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang.

“I have been pursuing the photography of art performances behind-the-scenes since 2015. This image was taken behind the stage of a bội performance in My Tho City, Tien Giang Province. For me, the most unique and impressive thing is to observe the artists whoact the roles of generals and king in bội plays in the southern region.

“The way of painting on the face is clearly specified for each character who is easily recognised by the viewers at first sight,” Tam said.

Workmates is part of his photo collection Mặt Tướng Trong Hát Bội Nam Bộ (Generals’ faces in the Southern Classical Drama) that he has made since 2015 to capture the uniqueness of the intangible cultural heritage that is gradually fading.

'Seaside Picture' by female photographer Ngo Thi Thu Ba. — Photo courtesy of the artist

Two other top awards were granted to Seaside Picture by female photographer Ngo Thi Thu Ba, and Bảy Mẫu Coconut Forest by Phan Vu Trong, respectively.

Seaside Picture portraits a harmonious scenery of fishermen working on the sand with curving sand dunes and blue-coloured seawater, which contrasts with the golden brown colour of the sand. All of these created a vivid picture of the coastal area in Vietnam.

“Vietnam has a long coastline that stretches across the country. Every day, as the people in coastal areas take basket boats to catch fish, they join forces to push the boats from the shore across the sandy beach to the sea. It is the usual routine of their daily work. However, from the viewpoint of photography, they gave me strong emotions. This picture was taken in Ba Ria - Vung Tau,” Ba said about her photo.

Living and working in Hoi An City, photographer Trong enjoys photographing natural scenery and ecotourism. Bảy Mẫu Coconut Forest was taken in February after life returned to normal after the first small wave of COVID-19. At that time, local people in the Bảy Mẫu coconut forest area in Cam Thanh Commune, Hoi An City started to welcome guests back.

Together with the top three photos, which were granted gifts equivalent of US$1,000 for each, 25 other best photos of the Vietnam Photo Expression 2020 are on display at an exhibition in Hanoi.

Launched in August by UNESCO in partnership with the German Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam Today Magazine, and TOONG – the chain of co-working space, Vietnam Photo Expression 2020 is themed on 'Showing We Care, Sharing Our Vision on Culture Diversity'.

The photo contest aims to highlight the beauty of cultural heritage and cultural creativity in Vietnam.

The applicants were encouraged to take into account the core UN principles of cultural sensitivity and diversity, gender equality, human rights and environmental sustainability in taking and selecting photos for submission.

Alongside the ongoing exhibition, the best 28 photos will also be exhibited at UNESCO events and functions. They will also be published in UNESCO publications in Vietnam.

The German Embassy also plans to select some of the photos to present on the embassy’s surrounding wall.

The exhibition is open until December 2 at the TOONG co-working space, 9th Floor, 5 Dien Bien Phu Street. VNS

Photo contest on cultural diversity launched

UNESCO and the German Embassy in Hanoi have launched a photo contest titled "Vietnam Photo Expression 2020: Showing We Care, Sharing Our Vision on Culture Diversity".

Bandung Photo Showcase reveals Vietnamese works

An array of amazing images taken by Vietnamese photographers Phan Quang and Nguyen The Son have gone on display at the Bandung Photo Showcase 2020.