Vietnamese photographer wins Agora's Spring photo contest

The photo is a spectacular capture of several women in white ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and white conical hats (a Vietnamese icon) crossing a bamboo bridge with bunches of pink water lilies in their hands with the backdrop of the same lilies blooming in profusion on the stream that the bridge spans. The stream flows to the famous Huong (Perfume) Pagoda in Hanoi.

The shot by Tran Quang Huy that won the Agora Spring 2020 photo contest.

The photo captured the hearts of Agora users who voted it the best shot of the contest, delivering Vietnamese photographer Tran Quang Quy the $1,000 prize.

Agora, a global photography social network, announced Sunday Quy’s image was chosen from over 14,000 entries.

Quy said with this photo, he wanted to show the beauty of Vietnamese culture to the world. "This group of friends were all wearing the ao dai, Vietnam's national garment. This outfit is inseparable from the image of Vietnamese women, both within Vietnam and beyond its borders, especially at official ceremonies, conferences and weddings."

Water lilies are used for decoration and making tea in Southeast Asia. Their stalks are edible and can be eaten raw with fermented paste or braised sauce as dips, or cooked in a sour soup or hotpot.

Around 70 kilometers southwest of Hanoi, the Huong Pagoda is a vast complex of Buddhist temples and shrines built into the Huong Tich limestone mountains. The way to the pagoda is an unforgettable stream lined by limestone outcroppings and wild flowers.

Every year, thousands of spring pilgrims visit the pagoda to celebrate a month-long festival, the biggest such event in the country lasting from the sixth day of the first lunar month to the last day of the third lunar month.

Earlier this month, an aerial shot of Da Nang’s famous Golden Bridge held up by two giant hands won Tran Tuan Viet Agora’s world’s best architecture photo of 2020 award.