Unlike conventional competitions, the Proud of Our Borderlands Photography Competition has transcended the boundaries of a purely artistic event to become a strategic instrument of external communications. Looking back on its four editions, the Award Ceremony and National Fine Art Photography Exhibition of the 4th Proud of Our Borderlands Competition, held in Quang Ninh in 2026, conveyed a powerful message: the sacred and inviolable nature of Vietnam’s national borders need no longer be expressed through rigid slogans, but can instead be conveyed through the universal language of photography.
Photo: Delegates visit the photography exhibition.
The remarkable increase from 7,000 entries in 2020 to 16,000 in the fourth edition represents more than just numerical growth. More than 4,000 photographers from all 34 provinces and cities across the country have turned their lenses into the eyes of the nation's hinterland, watching over its border frontiers. Every photograph taken along the 22 border provinces sharing boundaries with China, Laos and Cambodia serves as a firm affirmation of Vietnam's territorial sovereignty.
The fourth edition of the Proud of Our Borderlands Photography Competition marks a significant leap forward in both the quality and quantity of participating photographers and works.
Top prize-winning works, such as Ba Quáng – A Corner of Majestic Borderland by Triệu Văn Lịch and Loving Every Inch of Borderland Soil by Giang Sơn Đông, are not only visually captivating but also preserve the very essence of Vietnam's border regions. They capture the grandeur of nature, the rich cultural identities of ethnic communities, and the steadfast resilience of both soldiers in green uniforms and farmers who work tirelessly day and night to safeguard their land. Through photography, the borderlands have been brought vividly into the heart of the nation.
Comrade Trịnh Văn Quyết delivers a speech at the fourth Proud of Our Borderlands award ceremony.
The event's strategic significance was clearly reflected in the keynote address delivered by Comrade Trịnh Văn Quyết, Politburo Member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization, at the fourth edition's award ceremony. He praised the competition's role in fostering patriotism and delivered a profound message:
“National borders are sacred and inviolable; they are the defensive ramparts of the Fatherland, gateways to international integration, spaces for development, and repositories of the cultural identities of Vietnam's ethnic communities. The most sustainable way to protect our borderlands is to maintain the people's trust and support, strengthen the great national unity bloc, continuously improve the material and spiritual well-being of local communities, preserve cultural identities, and nurture the people's confidence in the Party and the State.”
Comrade Trịnh Văn Quyết, Politburo Member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization, and General Nguyễn Trọng Nghĩa, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Standing Member of the Central Military Commission and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, present certificates of merit to the first-prize winners.
The address by the Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization provides both the substance and guiding principles for artistic creation. When images of soldiers tirelessly patrolling through the early morning mist or the radiant smiles of people living in border communities are brought to a wider audience, they become vivid testimony to the sustained efforts of the Party and the State. Photography thus transcends its aesthetic value to become a visual instrument for strengthening the solid “fortress” of people's support.
Comrade Lê Hoài Trung and Comrade Quản Minh Cường, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, present second prizes to the winning photographers.
The value of the competition does not end with the award ceremony. In line with the orientation set out by General Trịnh Văn Quyết, bringing travelling exhibitions to local communities, digitizing the works and publishing multilingual electronic photography books represent strategic steps towards transforming culture into “soft power”. These initiatives provide an effective means of bringing the image of a peaceful Vietnam with its territorial integrity intact to overseas Vietnamese communities and the international public, while directly countering distorted narratives concerning the country's borders, religion and ethnic affairs.
Senior Lieutenant General Trương Thiên Tô, Member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, and Lieutenant General Vũ Trung Kiên, Member of the Party Central Committee and Commander of the Vietnam Border Guard, present third prizes to the winning photographers.
Comrade Hoàng Đạo Cương, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Comrade Nguyễn Tường Lâm, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Chairman of its Inspection Commission, present consolation prizes to the winning photographers.
Comrade Phan Xuân Thủy, Deputy Head of the Central Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization, presents certificates of merit to seven organizations for their outstanding contributions to coordinating and implementing the competition.
The Proud of Our Borderlands Photography Competition, initiated by the Central Commission for Propaganda and Mass Mobilization in coordination with relevant agencies, aims to encourage artists and writers to immerse themselves more deeply in life along the country's border regions and to nurture young photographers as well as artists from ethnic minority communities. This approach is expected to generate a sustainable stream of creative work. Its ultimate goal is to build a high-quality, officially recognized and copyright-protected national photographic archive of Vietnam's borderlands, thereby elevating Proud of Our Borderlands into a national cultural brand.
Translated by MINH KIÊN
VNQD