Now entering its fourth year, the awards aim to support human rights communications in Vietnam while contributing to efforts to promote the country’s image abroad under the Government’s external communications strategy for 2026-2030.

The awards have grown beyond a photography and video competition into a broader communications initiative highlighting stories about Vietnamese people, daily life and the country’s development through visual storytelling.

The program seeks to discover and spread positive social values while highlighting Vietnam’s achievements in protecting and promoting human rights across a variety of fields, with people placed at the center of development policies.

In her speech at the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy said communications on human rights had become an important part of modern national information governance amid global digital transformation and increasingly intense competition and information warfare in cyberspace.

 A country’s image today is shaped not only by economic or technological strength, but also by its ability to spread values, build public trust and project its image internationally, she added.

According to the organizers, positive information, authentic images and human-centered stories about Vietnam help strengthen the country’s official communications presence, promote its image and enhance its soft power internationally.

The awards are open to both professional and amateur authors, including Vietnamese citizens and foreign participants aged 15 and above. Entries in photography and video categories should reflect the country’s development achievements while conveying positive and humane messages under the theme “Happiness from Simple Things.”

Submissions will be accepted online through August 30, 2026, via the official website at Happy Vietnam.

Award winners are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2026 in Hanoi. Alongside the awards ceremony, organizers plan to hold exhibitions, cultural events and communications activities in localities across the country and on domestic and international media platforms.

Hoi An fisherman goes viral in award-winning international photograph

VOV.VN - A light-hearted everyday moment featuring a fisherman in Hoi An has gone viral after helping a British photographer win the overall prize at the 2026 Photographer of the Year competition, drawing widespread attention from the global photography community.