The award-winning photo features women in non la or conical hats and colorful Ao ba ba (the traditional garment in the southern region) harvesting waterlilies. The photo was snapped in Moc Hoa District, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta province of Long An.

Harvesting Waterlilies- This photo was captured at Moc Hoa District, southern province of Long An.

“There are many tourists who come to southern Vietnam to experience the feeling of boating along the rivers... and they can see these images,” the organizer stated.

Waterlily can be found everywhere in Vietnam, but the flowers proliferate in the Mekong River Delta area. The vivid white and purple flowers are not only ideal for adorning the house, but also a rich source of food for local residents.

According to photographer Khanh Phan, the best time to shoot the photos of waterlily is in the morning. After nine o’clock, its petals will close slowly, hiding a part of the flower’s beauty. Thus, she arrived at the pond before the night, waiting until dawn for taking the best shots.

“Vietnamese traditional trade villages are my favorite themes for creation,” Khanh Phan told The Hanoi Times “Foreign tourists are always astounded to see the beautiful images that are hardly found in their countries.” “Some traditional trade villages of making incense in Hue city, planting waterlily in Mekong River delta or planting Lotus in West Lake in Hanoi are photographers’ endless source of inspiration,” she added.

Some 200 award-winning photos taken by Khanh mostly depicted Vietnamese traditional trade villages. The photo of waterlilies entitled Flowers on the water earned Khanh a prize in the People category of the SkyPixel Aerial Photo & Video Contest 2019. Another flower themed photo- Washing waterlilies- won the People category of the Drone Siena Photo Award 2019. Meanwhile, the Incensing work was on the list of ‘Top 50 finalists of the AGORA Awards 2019’ - the biggest photography contest in the world.

Founded in 2018, MIPA Photography Award is a premier photo award striving to share and promote the art and passion of photography at all levels across the globe. The platform provides photographers of all levels of expertise a chance to share their passion with the world. The award aim to bring people together and connect different cultures through the power of photography.

Some outstanding aerial shots of Khanh Phan are below:

Flowers on The Water- The women are washing waterlilies, a flower that grows in rivers and lakes in southern Vietnam. Waterlilies are washed, tied into bundles and sold on the market. In addition to beauty, waterlilies are a favorite food, an ingredient for some  hotpots and family dishes.

Washing waterlilies- In Mekong River Delta, women ride boats to pick water lilies, then wash and sell them at the local market. Waterlilies planting has been a traditional work for women in southern part of the country for generations. The edible flowers are also a delicacy.

Mending net- These women are mending holes in fishing nets after a fishing trip at Hon Ro Port in Nha Trang Vietnam.

Following mother across the field - A girl, her mother, and their herd of cows walking through the pasture on their way home after a day of labor.

Making soy sauce - The women are checking the quality of soy sauce. Soy sauce making is a traditional craft in Ban town, Hung Yen in Vietnam. Soy sauce made from glutinous rice, soybean and incubated for three months before being used.

Incensing work- Khanh Phan captured a woman drying incense sticks, a process in making incense. Vietnamese believe that incense is a tool to connect the livings with the spirits. When people burn incense, they can talk to spirits and pray.

Drying incense - another photo themed traditional trade villages snapped by Khanh Phan