“Vietnam-where I live” is not merely a design competition. It seeks images that can symbolize or create a trademark for Vietnam. The competition received more than 500 entries from across the country including “A glance of Hanoi”, “Glamorous My Tho”, and “Long An”.
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“A glance of Hanoi” by Vu Thi Thanh Thu, 20, is a kaleidoscope of the capital city, from the world-famous Old Quarter to traditional cuisine like pho. The author uses two main colors: blue as a symbol of a peaceful city and red to represent the enthusiasm and love for Hanoi. Thu talks about her top prize-winning design: “I had to draw it twice. In the initial sketch, I used water colors that simply failed to highlight my idea. I finally succeeded on the second try the following day”.
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Tran Minh Pha, 18, impressed the jury board with his design entitled “Long An”. Through the image of a girl with her hair mirroring the blue Vam Co river, Pha wanted to express gratitude to his hard-working mother. He said people around the world have many places to go but only one place to return: their homeland.
“The girl’s hair is decorated with peanuts, one of Long An province’s specialties. This is one unique way to promote my home province,” Pha explained.
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“My Tho” by Pham Thien Phu, 23, portrays the Mekong Delta city of My Tho with the Tien river surrounding prosperous communities. The design contains a full story on the history, architecture, culture and people of My Tho.
“My Tho boasts both traditional and modern beauties. The alluvium-rich Tien river running around the city is like a mother hugging her daughter,” Phu told VOV.
Ha Thi Hang, CEO of the London College for Design and Fashion, elaborated on the competition: “Vietnam is beautiful and attractive but I feel that we still lack signature images for both individual regions and the country as whole. This competition aims to fill the gap”.
