HCM CITY  (VNS) — Nguyen Thanh Ba, a native of Quang Nam Province, has won first prize in a writing contest launched by HCM City's organisations to introduce "good people".

The organisers of Hat Giong Tam Hon Viet (Vietnamese Soul Seeds) contest announced last Saturday that Ba and other winners had displayed writing skills, and conveyed emotion as well as an understanding of literature and social issues.

Ba's work Ong My Va Duong (Mr My Repairs Road) is a true story of an old bicycle mechanic Nguyen Van My, who lives in a poor village of Quang Nam Province's Dien Ban District.

The mechanic My spent three years alone to repair local roads in his Dien Nam Bac Commune. Using his pick and shovel, he began work from early morning till late evening to repair village roads.

The organisers named five other winners of second and third prizes.

Organised by the city's Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper in co-operation with the publishing house First News and Bibica Company, the competition began in July and was aimed at amateur writers nationwide.

Over 200 participants, many of them from remote areas, submitted essays on various people, who are ordinary people but make great contributions to their community.

All the best works will be published this year. — VNS