Vietnam takes home second prize at an international photo contest

The National Geographic magazine has picked the entry photo, “My balloon” by photographer Vo Anh Kiet as the second prize winner at the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012.

The National Geographic Traveler Photo contest is a prestigious annual competition organized by the US National Geographic Magazine. It aims to honor the memorable moments of people, natural scenery and wildlife, the spices that make a trip worthwhile. This year, there are four topics for photographers, including Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place and Spontaneous Moments.

11 top photos were selected from more than 12,000 photos of nearly 7,000 photographers from 152 countries over the world. Each photo recorded wonderful moments as well as special feelings of each photographer in various regions worldwide.

The photo “My balloon” by Vo Anh Kiet records a moment when three young H’Mong were absorbed in playing with their balloons on a foggy day in Moc Chau in the northern mountainous Son La Province. This picture is like a dream, and it's timeless not only because it's black and white and there's no sense of modernity, but also because it depicts an activity that children everywhere on the planet have a frolic with balloons”, Photographer Alexandra Avakian, a member of the organising panel, praised that the photo feels like a dream and timeless not only because it’s black and white and looks like it takes place in a different world but also because it depicts an everyday activity enjoyed by children everywhere.