"Collecting bang grass", "Drying rice paper" and "Spread the sedge to dry" are three of seven Vietnamese photos honored in the People category of the Drone Photo Awards 2022.
Of these, the first mentioned, taken by Vietnamese lensman Nguyen Huu Binh in My Hanh Bac commune, Duc Hoa district, the southern province of Long An, won the Highly commended prize.
The photo is of a man harvesting bang grass (Lepironia articulata), which is used to produce straws replacing plastic ones as a way to better protect the environment.
"My Hanh Bac has alkaline soil, so farmers only can grow bang grass. In the afternoon sunlight, with an aerial view, the scene of a farmer pulling grass bundles across the green water field creates a vivid natural picture," Binh said.
In April, this photo had won first prize in the Portrait category of SkyPixel 7th Anniversary Aerial Photo & Video Contest.
The "Drying rice paper" entry by Nguyen Phuoc Hoai received a Commended prize.
Located on the banks of the Con River in the south-central province of Binh Dinh, An Thai is a traditional trade village over 100 years old that makes dry vermicelli and rice paper.
The rice paper is put on a bamboo griddle and brought out to dry in the sun. Rice paper from An Thai is thin and used to make spring rolls and other dishes.
The village is also famous for rice vermicelli, green bean vermicelli and pho noodles. The traditional Song Thang vermicelli made from green beans is a particular specialty.
"Spread the sedge to dry," taken by Nguyen Linh Vinh Quoc, also won a Commended prize.
The photo depicts women in Phu Tan village, Tuy An district, the south-central province of Phu Yen spreading dyed sedge grass to dry. They work like puzzle artists, arranging the plants in alternating colors, creating wonderful patterns.
The traditional craft village is over 100 years old. Every year, farmers harvest sedge in the fourth and eighth month of the lunar calendar. In the harvest season, very early in the morning, farmers flock the fields of Go Mud, Dong De and Go Giua.
Phu Tan village residents make two types of sedge mats: those that keep their natural color and those that are dyed.
"Crossing the cabbage field", snapped by Nguyen Phuc Thanh, won a Commended prize.
The photo of a woman crossing a cabbage field in the harvest season was taken on the outskirts of Lam Dien commune, Chuong My district, Hanoi. The district produces vegetables that are sold in downtown Hanoi.
"Spring on the tea hill", by Pham Huy Trung, picked up a Commended prize.
It is spring season as workers start a new day of harvest on a tea hill in Bao Loc, a Central Highlands town. The photograph foregrounds the scene with a tree on which yellow flowers are blooming in profusion.
“Season of anchovy fishery” was taken by Nguyen Ngoc Thien on the Hon Yen coast in An Hoa commune, Tuy An district, about 15 kilometers from Tuy Hoa town, Phu Yen province. It won a Commended citation as well.
Many local fisherman families along the coastline of Phu Yen province follow near-shore currents to catch anchovies during the peak season.
Salted anchovy is the most important raw material for making traditional Vietnamese fish sauce.
"Finned nets to catch squid" by Nguyen Tan Tuan also won a Commended prize.
The photo was taken in Binh Chau beach, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province, central Vietnam, with hundreds of offshore fishing boats.
Fishermen in central Vietnam use nets to catch squid near the shore. They will drop nets circling the squid, then pull their drawstrings to tighten the bottom. Finally, they will push the squids into the net and use a racket to shovel them onto the boat. This method allows them to catch squid both day and night.
The Drone Awards is among the most well-known worldwide competitions on aerial photography and videos. It’s a project of Siena Awards, dedicated to a photographic genres different from traditional photography.
The competition is open to the aerial photography and videos whose platforms also include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, and parachutes.
The participant with the highest scoring image will be endowed the title of “Drone Photographer of the Year”. Also, there will be a winner for each category.
The winners will receive the Pangea Prize Crystal statuette during the Awards Ceremony which will be held in Siena in October. The winning images will be showcased in Siena at the "Above Us Only Sky" exhibition for more than one month.