Two Vietnamese photographers have been awarded for four panoramic photos at Epson International Pano Awards, the world’s largest panoramic photo event. 

Shot last May, ‘River Flowers’ by Tran Minh Dung, which scooped third in the Open Built Environment and Architecture category, depicts hundreds of boats docked along Van Lam Wharf in northern Ninh Binh Province, 60 kilometers south of Hanoi. The boats were to carry tourists along the Ngo Dong River which were hugged by ripened rice paddies.

In its 10th run, organizers announced the winners last Saturday. This year’s contest received 4,913 entries from 1,258 photographers in 72 countries and territories.

Dung’s second shot, ‘Hoi An At Night’, was named among the category’s top 50.      

Around 30 kilometers south of Da Nang City, Hoi An grew from a small rural village to the busiest trading port in Southeast Asia in the 16th century, famed for its ceramics and high-grade silk. Now, the 400-year-old town is popular for its slow pace of life and pedestrian-friendly streets.

Two of Nguyen Ngoc Thien’s entries were chosen among 50 top-scoring panoramic photos in the Amateur Built Environment and Architecture category.

‘Dancing Nets’ was taken in July this year on Hon Yen Islet, central Phu Yen Province. A mere 15 kilometers to the north of provincial capital Tuy Hoa, Hon Yen has long attracted travelers with its pristine coral reefs visible during low tide.

Phu Yen, a poverty-hit coastal province with a population of around 860,000, boasts a diverse topography of mountains, rivers, lagoons, bays, and islands, ideally explored during the sunny season from January to August.

Thien’s second shot depicts the golden highland rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai in northern Yen Bai Province during last September’s harvest.

Mu Cang Chai is a seven hour drive to the northwest of Hanoi, perched 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level at the foot of Hoang Lien Son Mountain. H’Mong ethnic communities started carving rice terraces into the mountains here centuries ago and continue to plant and harvest the crop today.

The overall contest winner was Australian photographer Mieke Boynton with a shot she calls 'Dragonfire', showing the braided rivers of southern Iceland. She is the first female photographer to win the title.

Other prize-winning photos included ‘Waterfall’ taken by Spanish photographer Carlos F. Turienzo in Lofoten Islands, Norway, 'The Veins Of A Tree' by Canadian photographer Tim Shields, and 'The Wanaka Tree' taken in New Zealand by Australian photographer Rowena English.