Two Vietnamese photographers win big at int'l Monochrome Awards

Le Viet Khanh won third prize in the architecture category for his shot "Buddha on the Top of Indochina" which captured a bronze statue of Buddha on Mount Fansipan at a height of 3,143 meters above sea level.

"This photo is an extremely rare moment when clouds follow the wind over the top of the mountain, but just enough to see this structure. The photo was taken on a very cold winter morning, after all-night-long heavy rain in this mountainous area," Khanh said.

"In order to build this statue, all materials were carried by local porters to the top of the mountain via a narrow steep trail."

"Buddha on the Top of Indochina" by Le Viet Khanh.

Dubbed the "Roof of Indochina", Fansipan is located in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai Province, nine kilometers southwest of Sa Pa Town, a famous tourism destination.

Another shot titled "Old Man Cham" by Saigon lensman Nguyen Tan Tuan won third prize in the portrait category. The photo depicts an old man from the Cham ethnic minority reading an ancient Cham book.

"Old Man Cham" by Nguyen Tan Tuan.

The Cham are descendants of an ancient kingdom that once spanned large parts of central and southern Vietnam a millennium ago.

The contest attracted 7,000 photographers from 91 countries and territories to compete in categories like abstract, architecture, street, portrait, landscape, beauty, nature, fine arts and nude.

Monochrome Photography Awards organizers said its mission is to celebrate monochrome visions and discover the most amazing photographers worldwide.