HÀ NỘI Photographs, capturing the breathtaking moment of rescuing crew members from a stranded ship and airborne assault training, won the photojournalism category of the 80 Years of Heroic Army Photography Contest.

The competition was organised by the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army in collaboration with the Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Photographers' Association and the Vietnam Journalists Association.

It is part of the activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the National Defence Festival.

The competition, launched in April 2024, aimed to promote and affirm the Party and State's correct policies and guidelines on military and defence, building a strong Vietnam People's Army, and establishing a solid national defence framework.

It also contributes to affirming the position, role, function, and mission of the military; fostering patriotism, national pride, and a sense of responsibility among all military personnel and citizens; and building a streamlined, strong and modern army that meets the requirements for national construction and defence in the new context.

With two themes, Vietnam People's Army and National Defence, and two categories of images, artistic photography and photojournalism, the competition was open to professional and amateur journalists and photographers in Việt Nam and abroad, foreign citizens in Việt Nam as well as officers and soldiers of the people's armed forces.

The competition received 4,502 entries, including 1,601 photojournalism works and 2,901 artistic photographs from 1,495 photographers in 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

Lieutenant General Đỗ Xuân Tụng, Deputy Chief of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, emphasised that the entries closely adhered to the themes, regulations, and guidelines of the competition.

He said the photographers invested their effort, intellect and creativity to produce a rich array of visual works that depict and highlight the portrait of soldiers and the images of Uncle Hồ's Army in fulfilling their roles as 'combat troops', 'working troops', and 'productive labour troops'.

Many emotionally charged moments capturing the beauty of soldiers in readiness for combat, training, studying, working, and everyday life were recorded, he added.

The organising committee selected and awarded 48 prizes, including two First Prizes, four Second Prizes, six Third Prizes and 12 Consolation Prizes for each category of photojournalism and artistic photography.

According to them, the winning photographs reflect the spirit and determination of the military and people while conveying the historical and heroic values of the Vietnam People's Army. They also inspire patriotism, national pride, and a sense of responsibility for protecting the homeland.

In the photojournalism category, the two outstanding works that won first prize are The Breathtaking Moment of Rescuing Crew Members from a Stranded Ship by Nông Việt Linh and Airborne Assault Training by Vũ Ngọc Hoàng.

Meanwhile, in the artistic photography category, the two First Prizes were awarded to The Power of the Cobra SU-30 MK2 by Nguyễn Tiến Anh Tuấn and The Power of the 'Fire Dragon' S-300 PMU1 by the group of photographers Xuân Tùng, Văn Thuần, Văn Oánh, Văn Toản and Hải Ngọc. 

The 80 best works will be displayed at the Vietnam Military History Museum and other locations during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army. VNS