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My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Vietnam | Monday, October 11, 2010 | 5 photos

"An East-meets-West, Cross-Cultural Encounter in Vietnam"
Vietnam has a long history of struggling against foreign occupation. In ancient times, Vietnam was ruled for more than one thousand years by China before it was colonised by France for several decades.Ho Chi Minh, known as Uncle Ho, led an independence movement to liberate Vietnam from the French colonial regime.The country was later divided into South Vietnam and North Vietnam. They engaged in the Vietnam War before North Vietnam won the war and reunified the country under communist rule. Today, Vietnam is developing into a modern country and is keen to embrace Western culture while traces of influence from the Chinese and French are also perceptible particularly in terms of architectural styles and some aspects of the Vietnamese way of life. However, Vietnamese people are still proud of their unique culture and customs and they do all they can to preserve them for future generations.

CAPTIONS
1.Motorcycles racing down streets are a common sight in many cities of Vietnam where people use them as a major mode of transport.
2. A street vendor wearing a Vietnamese traditional conical hat chooses a spot on a bridge to sell goods. Fishing boats anchored offshore can be seen in the background.
3. Worshippers hold incense sticks and pray for blessings before a statue of Guan Yin (unseen), a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhist belief revered as the goddess of mercy or compassion.
4. A souvenir shop in Vietnam sells assorted handicrafts and locally-woven cloth and scarfs.
5. The statue of Ho Chi Minh holding a little child in his arm in front of Ho Chi Minh City Hall built in a French colonial style.

WHY I SHOULD BE CHOSEN
I think I deserve to be chosen because I like taking photographs and I have a lot of experience in taking photographs of the places in foreign countries I have visited.
If I am given the opportunity to visit Bhutan, I am confident my experience in photography will be a definite plus.
I will use my experience to get the best possible shots of people in Bhutan, their life, their culture and customs in Bhutan, and I promise to take my fondest memories of Bhutan captured on my camera back to share with you.