A shot of fishing in a stunningly white-veined mangrove forest in central Vietnam has won the first prize in the 'People' category of the 2021 Drone Photo Awards.

Photographer Pham Huy Trung captured the scene of a fisherman rowing his boat inside the Ru Cha mangrove forest in Tam Giang Lagoon at a time when all the trees had shed their leaves, exposing startlingly white branches.

A fisherman in the Ru Cha mangrove forest, Tam Giang Lagoon, Hue, central Vietnam.
Photo taken by Pham Huy Trung.

Around 15 kilometers from downtown Hue, Ru Cha is a tiny islet on the Tam Giang Lagoon in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. The islet was formed by large scale encroachments by locals that have narrowed down the mangrove forest to its 5-hectare area today.

This five-hectare area is the only preserved primeval mangrove forest in Hue, serving the dual function of preventing saline encroachment and mitigating storm impacts.

In recent years, it has become a famous tourist attraction in central Vietnam, especially in winter when the mangrove trees shed their leaves.

This year's competition attracted around 14,000 submissions from over 100 countries worldwide. The contest had eight categories: Nature, Wildlife, People, Abstract and Wedding.

A flock of thousands of Pink-footed geese flying over snow-covered ground, immortalized by Norwegian photographer Terje Kolaas, was the overall winner of the Drone Awards 2021.

An exhibition held October 24 to December 5 will showcase works of the overall winner and the eight category winners.

The Drone Photo Awards competition is organized by Art Photo Travel, a non-profit association that creates cultural initiatives aimed at spreading, promoting and enhancing art, monuments, traditions, cultures and natural beauty around the world.