Vietnam’s ‘Bike with flowers’ wins Sony World Photography award

The photo “Bike with flowers”, taken on Hanoi’s “ceramic street” by Nguyen Phuc Thanh, won the Travel category of Sony World Photography Awards 2022.

The photo, taken in November last year, depicts a traditional flower street seller cycling in Hanoi.

“The bike has been shot just as it passes a wall bursting with flower decorations, giving the apprearance that they are spilling from the rider’s baskets,” the World Photography Organisation said in a release as it announced the 10 category winners and over 100 shortlisted.

The ceramic wall on Yen Phu dyke, along the Red River, was made from 2007-2010. This is an art work to celebrate 1,000 years of Thang Long-Hanoi. Guinness World Organization recognised it as the longest ceramic painting in the world, about 3.85 km long.

The artistic wall passes through the districts of Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba Trung. The ceramic bears the imprint of northern Vietnam’s Bat Trang, Chu Dau, and Phu Lang pottery villages.

The “Harvested grass”, taken by Vietnamese lensman Nguyen Huu Binh, entered the last round of the Travel category. It was taken in December last year in My Hanh Bac commune, Duc Hoa district, the southern province of Long An.

Eagle grass is a plant that grows wild in most of the Mekong Delta and is known as an endowed material for people here to develop handicraft villages.

Another Vietnamese work shortlisted in the Travel category is “Terrace fields in the pouring season”. Hong Nguyen took the photo in May 2021 at the terraced fields of Sang Ma Sao commune, Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province.

Terraced fields are a form of distinctive farming by the Ha Nhi and H’mong ethnic people in Vietnam’s northwest region. The fields have high slopes and winding terrain, creating impressive landscapes.

Their amazing beauty is a tourism attraction of the region, bringing a significant source of income for many locals.

Over 170,000 images were entered to this year’s competition, with over 100 photographers shortlisted in addition to the 10 category winners. Each winner receives digital imaging equipment from Sony and will go on to compete for the prestigious Open Photographer of the Year title and a $5,000 prize.

The overall winner of the competition will be announced on April 12. Selected work by winners and shortlisted entries will be exhibited as part of the Sony World Photography Awards at Somerset House, London from April 13-May 2, 2022.