Vietnamese Rice Industry's Spirit Celebrated at "Vietnamese Rice - Roots and Future" Creative Contest Awards Ceremony in HCMC

On the afternoon of July 2, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association (VIETRISA) summarized and awarded the "Vietnamese Rice - Roots and Future" creative contest. With the desire to awaken love for the homeland, pride in Vietnamese rice, and inspire creativity in the community, the contest was organized and received strong support from a large number of authors nationwide. After one year of launching (from May 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026), the "Vietnamese Rice - Roots and Future" creative contest attracted 1,328 works from 514 authors. Among them were 67 musical works, 446 prose works, and 815 poetry works. The number of works entering the final round included 20 musical works, 43 prose works, and 60 poetry works. According to the evaluation of the Final Judging Panel, the contest's theme was very meaningful, affirming the value of Vietnam's rice industry and directly evoking special emotions of Vietnamese people about the beauty of rice fields, countryside, and the nation. The contest saw the participation of many professional authors, with over 50 members from the Vietnam Writers' Association and the Vietnam Musicians' Association. In the music award category, the First Prize went to the work "Entering the Harvest" (Poetry: Quốc Phong - Music: Đặng Quang Vinh). The Second Prize was awarded to two works: "Essence of Vietnamese Rice" (Music and lyrics: Đức Hòa) and "Renowned Vietnamese Rice" (Music and lyrics: Đào Văn Sử). The Third Prize went to the works "Loving Vietnamese Rice" (Poetry: Hoa Cúc Vàng - Music: Huỳnh Quang Linh), "Rice on the High Hill" (Music and lyrics: Mai Quảng), and "Song of the Golden Season in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle" (Music and lyrics: Nguyễn Đăng Khoa). In the music award category, Dr. Bùi Bá Bổng, Chairman of VIETRISA, presented a Special Prize to the work "Jewel Rising" (Music and lyrics: Thanh Tâm SEA-Minh Đan). For the prose award, the First Prize was awarded to the work "The Rice Plant Full of People's Affection" by author Đỗ Trọng Khơi. The Second Prize went to two works: "Mother's Shadow on the Moonlit Field" by author Lê Thị Hằng and "Three Generations of Rice" by author Bùi Cẩm Trúc. The Third Prize belonged to the works "Precious Seeds" by author Đào Văn Đạt, "Whose Hands Smell of Seng Cù" by author Trần Thị Minh, and "Nostalgia for the Mountain Rice" by author Tăng Hoàng Phi. In the prose award category, Labor Hero Hồ Quang Cua presented a Special Prize to the work "Cherishing the Rice of Our Homeland" by author Lê Thi (a Vietnamese expatriate in Ohio, USA). For the poetry award, the First Prize went to author Đinh Nho Tuấn with the poems "Homeland Fields," "With the Field," and "Farmers." The Second Prize was awarded to the poems "Love Spell," "Martial Arts in the Tay Son Rice Grain," and "Chiêm Thành's Eyes" by author Nguyễn Thanh Mừng, and "Words to Tell the Homeland" and "Lullaby Harvested in My Mother's Field" by author Nguyễn Vũ Quỳnh. The Third Prize for poetry went to authors: Trần Đức Tín with two poems "First Sprouts Ripening" and "Life of Rice After the Storm"; Đỗ Thượng Thế with two poems "In the Meal" and "Rice's Words - Green Sentiments"; and Trần Lê Anh Tuấn with two poems "Season" and "Field." In the poetry award category, the Young Writers' Board - Ho Chi Minh City Writers' Association awarded a Special Prize to author Lê Nguyễn Kiều My (a 10th-grade student at Trần Đại Nghĩa High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City).