The Life In Vietnam Photo Contest Has Closed And Here Are The Winners!

We Called On Our Members And They Provided

We received 100’s of great submissions from within our community. Between myself, and other judges from our sponsors, I can tell you we truly enjoyed reviewing the beauty and storytelling in each one. Thank you to everyone who joined and shared their inspirational moments and creativity.

Now it’s time to reveal the winners!

First Prize Winner

HCMC Winning ticket – Anthony Desgre

lottery ticket in hcmc

This photo has been taken at Binh Than – Nguyen Van Troi Market. – HCMC Winning ticket.

These lottery ticket vendors are part of the Vietnamese cityscape. On a bike, on a street corner, sitting on the sidewalk. Those are often elderly people, the face, the hands marked by time …. we rarely. We rarely raise our heads to watch who they are, we just focus on these tickets and their numbers …. is the winning ticket there? 

This ticket vendor was blind and was just seating on the steps on the edge of Nguyen Van Troi Market, smoking his cigarette with the tickets in his hands.

Second Prize Winner

The Night Barber of Hanoi – Jeremy Canuto

barber-in-hanoi

I took this shot on Nguyen Thi Thap, Cau Giay, Hanoi. To me it represents a lot of elements of Vietnam and the culture. The ingenuity of the people to create street businesses is something Vietnam is famous for. This not only shows the clever business idea, but looks back at many years of barbers who have occupied sidewalks to cut hair. The halo above the barber and his client make the image standout from the cold Hanoi winter. 

To me, this photo sums up my feelings about Hanoi’s desire to keep their culture but adapt it to modern society to allow for services to be offered outside of regular hours or locations. Although this was taken in Hanoi, similar scenes are found in every town and city and give Vietnam its charm and creativity.

What was the theme? 

Inspiring Moments, Inspiring People, Life in Vietnam.

Contestants were to Interpret the theme any way they saw fit. We wanted people to explore what they loved about Vietnam and the great experiences they have whilst on holiday here or even on a day-to-day basis.

Lots of people in our 160,000+ member community are expats, travelers, and Vietnamese people. And within those, we have an amazing pool of talented and passionate people who shared their moment of inspiration to take a photo and tell a story. 

What did they win?

1st Prize

  • Free Luxury Resort 2-Night Stay – Worth 10,000,000 VND – Azerai Can Tho
  • Free Photo Tour – Worth 3,500,000 VND – Vietnam In Focus
  • 2,000,000 VND F&B Voucher – Zion Sky Lounge & Dining, Ho Chi Minh City
  • Free 5* Halong Bay Cruise for 2 people – Worth 8,000,000 VND – Halong Hub
  • 1,000,000 VND Cash prize – Vietnam Is Awesome

2nd Prize

  • Free Luxury Resort 1-Night Stay – Worth 5,000,000 – Azerai Can Tho
  • 1,000,000 VND F&B Voucher – Zion Sky Lounge & Dining, Ho Chi Minh City
  • 500,000 VND Cash prize – Vietnam Is Awesome

Why did we hold this photo competition?

As you know, our mission is to promote our country’s awesomeness to all travelers around the world. That’s why we run a successful community that is always active in helping others and sharing funny moments, travel advice, and making new connections with like-minded people. You can Join us on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about Vietnam and have a real conversation!

How was it judged?

The photos were judged on their relevance to the theme: Inspiring Moments, Inspiring People, Vietnamese Life. This included the value of the message conveyed, both in the photo and in the written caption. Photos were also judged on their technical achievements such as framing, timing, exposure, and any other creative elements.

The photos were judged by our sponsors and key leaders in Vietnam’s photography, hospitality, and tourism industry:

Alex Sheal – General Director – Vietnam In Focus
Khanh Nhien Tran – Business Development Manager – Zion Sky Lounge & Dining
On Nha Nghi – Director Of Sales & Marketing – Azerai Can Tho
Alan Brownbridge – Editor-In-Chief – Vietnam Is Awesome

Meet our sponsors

Azerai Can Tho is a peaceful retreat set on a lush Con Au Islet, a private island on the Hau River and in the Mekong Delta with 60 Rooms and 5 Pool Villas accessible only by boat. Azerai Can Tho offers seclusion and privacy on a campus that is lush with greenery and mature banyan trees. Only 2.5 hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City, the resort is only a few minutes from the city of Can Tho.

Zion Sky Lounge & Dining A true gem of Sai Gon nightlife experience, where you can soak in scenic city views as you enjoy exceptional cuisine, drinks and live music performances.

Vietnam in Focus runs acclaimed photography tours throughout north, central and south Vietnam. Vietnam In Focus research, design and lead tours that help you to experience real local life as well as improve your photography. 

Halong HubWith 25-year experience in the travel industry and 10 years of operating luxury overnight cruises in Halong Bay, Halong Hub serve international travelers with easy booking features and exceptional service to Vietnam’s premier destination. 

The Runners-Up

1. Anchovies – Benjamin Tortorelli

boat in hoi an

While I was in Phu Yen, I got really curious to see how local fishermen bring back to shore the anchovies they caught with their huge fishing nets. Turns out that they sail back close to the beach, load anchovies into buckets and then use basket boats to carry them to the beach. It is so much work and really inspiring to see.

2. Meo Vac – Jean Adrian

meo vac market

Meo Vac is a small town located at the extreme north of Vietnam, close to the chinese border that stretches out as far as the eye can see behind the massive limestone mountains surrounding the region. It’s an unavoidable stop of the increasingly popular Ha Giang loop.

Each Sunday, the quiet city takes on a whole new look for an open-air theater. The area’s different ethnic groups, including Lolos, Daos and H’mongs, drape themselves in their most beautiful traditional costumes to turn the town into one of the most colorful rendezvous in Vietnam. Vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants, rice or corn alcool, kitchen tools, clothes, a chubby pig or dry fish, there is nothing you cannot find in this market. The local ethnic groups also come here to share the latest news of their village around a Thuoc Lao, a water-pipe tobacco, and one (or a few) drinks.

This picture represents for me the strong cultural rituals rooted in these northern-hills tribes and transmitted from generation to generation. It also displays the infamous Vietnamese Squat I have been trying to master for years but without great success so far. Photo By Jean Adrian.

3. Hairdresser – Thuy Nguyen

Hoian haircut

Hairdresser places fascinate me in Vietnam. There is always a scene to steal that could come right out of a movie but that is as real as it can, and truly part of the Vietnamese daily routine. This photo was taken in Hoian, before the shops opened, and these 2 men took advantage of the comfortable seats to read and extend their short night. Photo By Thuy Nguyen.

4. 100 Hundred Years Difference – Jean-Francois Perigois

bitexco

As photographer, resident in Cambodia since 15 years I used to travel a lot to Vietnam also capturing a maximum of the old colonial and modernist architecture in the country too. I love the mix in Southeast Asia of those different architectures were you can have as “neighbors” buildings made with 100 years’ difference. 

So mainly walking through the streets and some alley of Ho Chi Minh City and other towns, I like to discover new places for get another kind of view of the cities. I particular love that shot who really shows important things from the past and modern building the Bitexco tower. This one was taken at 47 – 57 Nguyễn Thái Bình, Nguyen Thai Binh, Ho Chi Minh City

5. Captivated By Vietnam – Dominic Cookman

village life in hanoi

This photo was taken at the incense village outside Hanoi in June 2022. I was on a photo tour and it was only my second full day in Vietnam. I was already captivated by Vietnam, its people and its culture and looking at the image will always take me back to that time.

6. Nam Định – Nguyễn Tiến Dũng

nam dinh

Nam Định , gợi cho tôi về một hình ảnh người Cha tảo tần mưa nắng – Nam Dinh, reminds me of an image of a father who spends time in the rain” 

7. Laid back – Josh Yenson

man in d7 saigon

Walking the streets of district 7, I hear someone shouting across the street. To my surprise he was calling me to come speak to him. We spoke for a good few minutes while he laid on his bike. He asked if I needed a lift anywhere and said that he’s got all the time in the world.

So after snapping the photo he drove me down the street to a small local coffee shop. Where we spoke further and he was more than happy to share some places that he thought I might want to go to in the future.

That’s one thing that surprised me about the people of Vietnam, their willingness to help and their friendliness is so infectious that it feels like you’re a part of this community.

8. Sai-gone – Luke Neville

airplane street in hcmc


Blink, and you’ll miss it. The hustle, the bustle, the endless motion. A city which never sleeps, full off opportunity and dreams. A resilient city, of migrants, locals and expatriates – all doing what they can to earn their keep. I’ve never known a city quite like it.

One where you’re never too far from a roadside cart of fresh, juicy noodles. One where you cross rivers of motorcycles.

Or a place where you’ll always hear the city humming its chorus of hard work and accomplishment. The pace of change here is unmatched. Buildings are torn down and skyscrapers creep up. Blink, and you’ll miss it.

Sai-gone.

9. Càu Long Biên bridge – Arnold Michael

long bien bridge

Càu Long Biên bridge 2013, as many tourist i had to go to stand on the track of the trainline and take some fotos. Something i would never do in Switzerland but here it is a touristic attraction.

This foto is timeless and shows our way towards the future. At the end waits maybe someone like here in the middle of the track.

10. Captain Cool – Jamie Bates

fishing in da nang

There’s always something new and interesting to spot in Vietnam.

Even after years of living in Da Nang and getting up early to catch sunrises and people watch I’d never managed to see how these big fishing boats actually got into the water until this day.

On this day, after watching the locals dance and do some exercise as the sun rose, I managed to spot one of the locals on his boat and watched in awe as his boat was towed into the water by another, far off fishing boat.

Those axles and wheels actually stayed on the boat and it was really something to see. The thing that really was inspiring was how easily and effortlessly they made the whole process look.

The guy on the boat even looks like some cool heroic figure; standing there all nonchalantly.

How can I see these awesome places for myself?

We are sure you’re inspired to see some of the amazing locations, people, and off-the-beaten-track spots that Vietnam has to offer. A great way to do that is to book a tour through our experiences page – handpicked and vetted by our group ambassadors to ensure awesomeness!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and experience it for yourself!