3 Vietnam photos among 20 finalists at international contest

One taken by Tran Tuan Viet shows young men lifting a teammate who is hugging a wooden ball at a ball wrestling festival in Van village in the northern province of Bac Giang’s Viet Yen District.

The men, in loincloths, and the ball are covered in oozing mud.

Young men lift a teammate who is hugging a wooden ball at a ball wrestling festival in Van village in the northern province of Bac Giang. Photo by Tran Tuan Viet

Held from the 12th to the 14th of the fourth lunar month every four years, the festival has become a unique tradition.

It commemorates the victory of four brothers, Truong Hong, Truong Hach, Truong Lung, and Truong Lay, over a bunch of demons in a mud-ball wrestling match in a marsh in the 4th century CE.

The festival also includes ancient rituals and spiritual beliefs, with farmers praying for bumper crops and good weather for the rice season.

The second photograph taken by Dang Hong Long captures the scene of women drying wooden trays of fish under the baking sun in Long Hai fish market in the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province near HCMC.

Women dry wooden trays of fish in Long Hai fish market, Vung Tau. Photo by Dang Hong Long

The market is 12 km away from Vung Tau, the popular beach town. Batches of fish are brought to the market from the sea at dawn and either sold fresh or after being dried.

The final entry, by Nguyen Hieu, shows a man rowing a boat in a misty Tuyen Lam Lake, around seven kilometers from the Central Highlands city of Da Lat.

A man rows a boat in a misty Tuyen Lam Lake. Photo by Nguyen Hieu

Organized by the U.S.’s ViewSonic Corporation, this year’s contest attracted 11,000 entries from 100 countries and territories.

The winner of the contest went to a captivating submission from Turkey titled “The Return of the Buffalo Shepherd” that shows a buffalo shepherd back home with his herd, which consists of about 500 buffaloes.

The total prizes of the contest were US$20,000.

In celebration of the exceptional talents showcased, ViewSonic is hosting exhibitions in London, Taipei, and, for the first time, in Ho Chi Minh City. These exhibitions will serve as platforms to showcase the outstanding artworks of both the winners and finalists.