Photo contest salutes heritage

The Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards, open to both Vietnamese and foreigners 18 years and older, has been launched to honour the country's cultural heritage.

Participants should email their images, either one photo or a series of photos, of nature, landscapes and people to vietnamdisan@gmail.com by October 1.

Entries can be either colour or black-and-white, of at least 300 dpi and less than 3 megabytes (MB).

A short list of works will be displayed from October 24 until the end of November at cities, including Ha Noi, Ha Long, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, HCM City and Can Tho.

Eleven works will be selected for the awards of Canon cameras of different types, to be granted on November 22 at Rex Hotel in HCM City.

There will be another 10 encouragement awards in vouchers for one-night stays at high-end hotels or resorts in Viet Nam.

The contest is organised by Vietnam Heritage Magazine (under the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam) and the Cultural Heritage Association of HCM City, as an activity to celebrate Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Day on November 23.

War pictures on show

A photo exhibition titled Dong Loc, Mother and Home-town, opened on Sunday, in Dong Loc Historical Relic Site in the central province of Ha Tinh.

Nearly 100 photos were taken by veteran photographer Tran Hong. They highlight heroic Vietnamese mothers and war memorabilia from the Dong Loc T-junction in the province where 10 young female volunteers sacrificed their lives in the war against the US.

The exhibition, part of meaningful activities to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs, will last until the end of the month.

Murals may help langurs

A design contest has opened for Vietnamese and foreign residents to submit for a mosaic portraying the Cat Ba langur in its natural habitat on Cat Ba Island, the northern province of Hai Phong.

It's part of the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project, launched by the US Embassy in Ha Noi. Designs should depict the langur as well as the beauty of Cat Ba Island.

The winner will receive a cash prize of VND10,000,000 and the winning design will be recreated as a mosaic at the entrance of Cat Ba National Park.

All entries must be submitted by August 10. For more information contact HanoiAC@state.gov.

Miss Sport contest under way

Thirty five candidates have gone into training for the Miss Sport of Viet Nam contest at the Ba Na Hills Mountain resort.

The candidates are being coached for performances in swimsuits, evening clothes – and a talent quest.

They will join a qualifying round to select the best of 10 for the final night at the 1,600m mountain on August 5.

The winner will walk away with a crown worth VND1 billion (US$48,000) and a cash-prize of VND500 million ($24,000).

The Miss Sport winner will also secure a berth at Miss Supranational 2012, the fourth edition of the Miss Supranational pageant, in Torun, Poland on August 25.

VNN/VNS