Cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the exhibition. A part of the exhibition area. The 25th National Artistic Photo Exhibition, themed “The Beauty of Vietnamese Land and its People” was opened on August 29, 2008 at the Vietnam Culture and Art Exhibition Centre in Hanoi . The exhibition displays 218 photos by 225 photographers which were selected from the 4,241 photos submitted by 1,081 photographers participating in the “25th National Artistic Photo Competition” launched by Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists in 2007. According to the organizing committee, although no photograph won the gold medal and many works reflect the same subject, the quality of the works on display at the exhibition is better than those from previous years. Landscape photos account for the majority, reflecting the diverse colours of Vietnam ’s nature. The art council awarded four silver and 10 bronze medals plus 13 consolation prizes for the best photographs. The four silver medal winning works include the “Ancient Town of Hoi An” by Pham Thi Thu of Ho Chi Minh City, “Twinkling on the River” by Nguyen Van Khanh of Ho Chi Minh City, “Lines of Mountainous Areas” by Tran Thanh Phan from Bac Ninh and “Mountain Charm” by Chu Quang Phuc of Vinh Phuc. Vietnam Pictorial reporter Hoang Minh Quoc was awarded a bronze medal. The exhibition runs from 29th of August to 14th of September at the Vietnam Culture and Art Exhibition Centre on Van Ho Street in Hanoi and will be held in Ho Chi Minh City from 31st of October to 12th of November. This is the third time the exhibition has been held on a national and international scale by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists. Photographs that won silver medals: The work “Twinkling on the River” by Nguyen Van Khanh (Ho Chi Minh City ) - Silver medal. “Lines of Mountainous Area” by Tran Thanh Phan (Bac Ninh) - Silver medal. “The Ancient Town of Hoi An" by Pham Thi Thu (Ho Chi Minh City ) - Silver medal.    “Mountain Charm” by Chu Quang Phuc (Vinh Phuc) - Silver medal.                                   Photographs that won bronze medals: “Clouds Coming to Ta Van” by Nguyen Tat Binh ( Hanoi ) - Bronze medal.  “Volunteers” by Le Van Hung (Ninh Thuan) - Bronze medal. “Smile” by Lai Khanh (Khanh Hoa) - Bronze medal. “Affectionate Sunshine” by Hoang Minh Quoc (Ho Chi Minh City ) - Bronze medal.   “Industrial Picture” by Tran Minh Ngoc (Khanh Hoa) - Bronze medal. “Grandma, I’ve Passed the Exam” by Le Huy Tuan (Ninh Thuan) - Bronze medal. “ Chau Doc Floating Village” by Nguyen Hoang Nam ( Hanoi ) - Bronze medal. “Protecting the Forests” by Vo Thanh Quang (Ca Mau) - Bronze medal.   “Bricks Coming out of the Kiln” by Ngo Quang Phuc (Ho Chi Minh City ) - Bronze medal. “Thai Vy Temple Festival” by Nguyen Thanh Vinh (Ninh Binh) - Bronze medal. By Vuong Mo – Le Minh