HA NOI (VNS)— Vietnamese clowns won first prize at the 2013 International Clown Contest in the Circuba - Cuba's Circus Festival, which took place on July 16-22 in Havana.

Ta Duy Anh, Tran Manh Cuong and Nguyen Tien Hung jested their way past clowns from Cuba and 12 other countries to take the prize.

Nilda Collado, president of the panel of judges, said that the event allows Cuban clowns to compare their potential and skills with foreign artists. Anh also saw the event as a chance for Vietnamese clowns to meet others in their profession and spotlight Vietnamese circus acts to international friends.

The Cuban clowns were runners up and Argentina's ‘fools' came third. The Vietnamese troupe also received awards from the Cuban association of writers and artists UNEAC and Puebla University in Mexico.

The Circuba began as a festival in 1981. This year almost 80 artists from 14 countries took part.-VNS