Vietnamese 'Ripe rice valley' entry scores gold at international photo contest

"Ripe Rice Valley" by photographer Cao Ky Nhan won a gold prize in the Open-Nature/Landscape category at the Epson International Pano Awards 2022.

The contest awarded gold prizes to entries scoring 86% and above. The Ripe Rice Valley was placed 15th in the list of 50 best panoramic landscape photos at the contest, with 87% marks.

The photo was taken in Phong Nam commune, Trung Khanh district, Cao Bang province at the end of September 2019, a time when the whole valley was cloaked in the golden yellow glow of ripened rice plants. The golden glow shines amidst hills rolling into the distant horizon and the Quai Son river meandering through them.

Cao Bang's ripe rice season usually lasts from end-September to mid-October every year, which is an ideal time for visitors to schedule their visit to this border province.

The province, located in the northeast of Vietnam, has its north and northeast sides bordered for 311 km by China's Guangxi province.

It has a natural land area of 6,725 square kilometers, which is a limestone plateau mixed with mountains and soil, and stands at an average altitude of over 200 meters. Mountains and forests account for more than 90% of the province's natural area.

Non Nuoc Cao Bang in Cao Bang has been recognised as a UNESCO global geopark, becoming the second of its kind in Vietnam. The first is Dak Nong Geopark in the Central Highlands of Dak Nong.

The Cao Bang geopark covers six districts - Ha Quang, Tra Linh, Quang Yen, Trung Khanh, Ha Lang and Phuc Hoa, and is also a part of Hoa An, Nguyen Binh and Thach An districts. The 3,000 square kilometer geopark is home to nine ethnic minority communities including the Tay, Nung, Mong, Dao and San Chay.

Another Vietnamese entry, "City in the fog," taken by Cao Ky Nhan was 20th in the top 50 panoramic landscapes listing.

Epson International Pano Awards was founded in 2009 by Australian landscape photographer David Evans (2017 AIPP Australian Landscape Photographer of the year) with the support of Epson Australia, and has since grown into a collaboration between dedicated professional photographers, industry professionals and sponsors worldwide.

The event showcases the work of panoramic photographers in countries cross the world and is the largest competition for such photography. This year, the competition received 4,129 entries from 1,197 professional and amateur photographers in 98 countries.