Stunning aerial views of Vietnam in a series of internationally award-winning photographs.

On May 15th, the annual 35AWARDS 2020 international photo contest announced the winning entries in 27 different categories, ranging from aerial photography (also known as drone photography) to portraits, fashion, wildlife, and more.

Each category will select a top series of winning photos and announce the overall winning photo. In addition, the contest will also select the top 100 best photos for the 35AWARDS 2020 and the top 100 photos chosen by readers.

Photographer Pham Huy Trung's work, "Harvesting Reed Grass," won first prize overall in the drone photography category.

Trung said the photo was taken near the Truong Giang River, Binh Hai commune, Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province. He also won the top prize at the 35 Awards in 2018 and 2019. He is a renowned Vietnamese photographer specializing in drone photography, capturing the beauty of landscapes and the rhythm of life across the country.

Additionally, the author's photograph "On the Sand Dunes," taken in Ninh Thuan, was among the top 100 in the reader's choice photo category, and "Crossing the Field" was among the top 100 best drone photos in the competition.

The second prize in the drone photography category went to "Early Morning Fishing" by Nguyen Ngoc Thien (Ho Chi Minh City), depicting a fishing boat pulling in its nets during the anchovy fishing season in the Tuy Hoa sea area, Phu Yen province. Another entry by the same author, "Dance of the Fishing Nets," taken in the Hon Yen sea area, Phu Yen, was among the top 100 best drone photos in the competition.

Mr. Thien said that from May to August every year, boats in Phu Yen are busy heading out to sea to catch anchovies using seine nets. The "dance" of the nets on the sea, with their various shapes, is an interesting subject for photographers to create.

The top 100 drone photos include 21 images by 14 Vietnamese photographers, showcasing the diverse beauty of landscapes, people's lives, and traditional crafts across the country, including "Sunset over Ban Gioc Waterfall" by Vu Phi Long (Son La).

Ban Gioc Waterfall, with its many cascading tiers and a width of hundreds of meters, is located in Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, Cao Bang province. September and October are ideal months to explore the waterfall, when the water is clear and the cascades roar, creating a white, frothy spray.

The photograph "Terraced Rice Fields in the Harvest Season" by photographer Vu Ngoc Tuan (Hanoi) captures the undulating, layered lines of Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai. The rice harvest season in September-October at La Pan Tan's "raspberry-shaped" hills and Sang Nhu's "horseshoe" hills in Mu Cang Chai district always attracts tourists.

Author Vu Ngoc Tuan also has his work "Flower Net," a photograph of fishing in the sea off Phu Yen, which made it into the top 100 drone photos.

The work "Chorus of the Sea" by author Nguyen Thanh Hai (Ha Tinh) captures the process of pulling in a seine net off the coast of Loc Ha, Ha Tinh. Thanh Hai's work "Catching shrimp with a net attached to the bow of a motorboat," taken in the waters of Thach Ha, Ha Tinh, also made it into the top 100 drone photos.

The photograph "Evening on the Reed Fields," taken in Cam Ha commune, Hoi An city, Quang Nam province, was by young photographer Ha Vu Linh from Da Nang.

The photograph "Dance of Drying Reeds" was taken in the reed mat weaving village of Tuy An district, Phu Yen province, by photographer Nguyen Van Luan (Dong Thap). Reeds are the main raw material for the people to weave mats. To make mats, farmers harvest the reeds, split them, dry them, transport the dried reeds back, boil them for dyeing, dry the dyed reeds, and then weave them.

Photographer Nguyen Tan Tuan (Ho Chi Minh City) has a work titled "Mending Nets," taken at Hon Ro port, Phuoc Dong commune, about 7 km southeast of Nha Trang city center (Khanh Hoa province).

Hon Ro is one of the largest fishing ports in the South Central coastal region, specializing in serving offshore fishing vessels. Mr. Tuan said that mending fishing nets for hire is quite arduous for women, but they patiently persevere to earn money to support their children's education.

Additionally, author Nguyen Tan Tuan's work "Buffaloes wading across a lake" also made it into the top 100 best drone photos.

The photograph "Teamwork" by Pham Nghia (Ho Chi Minh City) depicts anchovies being dried at nearly 10:00 AM on August 19, 2020, in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province. The anchovies are caught and sold to traditional drying facilities, undergoing three stages: sorting, steaming, and drying.

The photograph "Flower Boat" by photographer Le Huy Anh (Ho Chi Minh City) depicts a scene of women washing water lilies and arranging them into the shape of flowers in Kien Tuong town, Long An province.

In September and October, floods hit the Mekong Delta, reaching the rice paddies in upstream districts of Long An province such as Tan Hung, Vinh Hung, Moc Hoa, and Kien Tuong town. This is when people harvest freshwater fish and local vegetables like water lilies, water hyacinths, and chives. Many villagers, including young women, agree to pose as farmers harvesting water lilies for photographers to create artistic images.

Author Le Huy Anh also had his photo "Water-filled terraced rice fields" taken in Sang Ma Sao included in the top 100 drone photos.

The photograph "Drying Yellowfin Tuna" was taken in Rach Gia City, Kien Giang Province, by photographer Le Thai Duong (Bac Lieu).

Phan Thanh Cuong's (Bac Lieu) artwork, "Salt Flowers," depicts salt farmers raking salt from dawn in the salt fields of Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district, Bac Lieu province. Cuong explains that while it's still dark, the farmers wear specialized headlamps and rake until morning. Afterward, they pile the salt into mounds and use baskets to transport it to the collection point.

Among the 14 photographers whose images were selected for the top 100 drone photos, there is also photographer Alex Cao (Quang Ngai) with the photo "Net flowers spreading out like water lily leaves on the sea" and Khanh Phan (Ho Chi Minh City) with two photos "Drying fish" and "Harvesting grass".

The 35AWARDS competition features 50 judges from 50 different countries who independently evaluate entries in three rounds. In 2020, the competition attracted 123,400 authors from 173 countries and territories.

Huyen Chau