NINH BÌNH — Beautiful images of the country and people of Viet Nam will be displayed at the Viet Nam International Photography Festival in Ninh Bình Province from November 26.

With the goal of building a national brand for Vietnamese photography, promoting the image of the country and people of Viet Nam, strengthening international exchanges and cooperation through photography activities, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to organise the Viet Nam International Photography Festival every two years.

This year, the festival will be held for the first time in Ninh Bình with a focus on the photo exhibition "Viet Nam Through the Lens of International Photographers".

After the launch, the organising committee received 1,567 works from 98 professional and amateur photographers from 19 countries and territories sent to participate. The Arts Council established by the culture ministry selected 177 works by 93 photographers to display at the exhibition.

According to the organisers, the photos on display vividly reflect the reality of life, the beauty of the country, people and culture of Viet Nam, through the unique perspective of international photographers.

Photos are on the theme of architecture, monuments, festivals, traditional art of Viet Nam; groups of photos of some scenic spots; groups of photos about Vietnamese traditional crafts; and photos of mountainous topics.

The exhibition offers free entry at the Ninh Bình Provincial Library from November 26 to December 3 and is introduced at the website of the culture ministry's Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition: http:// ape.gov.vn. VNS