More than 200 students traveled on several double-decker buses to compete with one another during a contest to prove their photography skill on Sunday.

This year’s final round of the Teenagers Photo contest, which is organized each academic year, took the finalists group by group on a double-decker bus tour around Ho Chi Minh City through many popular downtown destinations such as the Saigon Central Post Office, the Reunification Palace, the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and the iconic Ben Thanh Market.

During the journey, the contestants had to take photos from moving buses, which accounted for 70 percent of their final scores.

The remaining 30 percent came from photos taken around the campus of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in District 1.

Each contestant then chose and submitted 10-15 photos at the end of the competition session. 

The final results are scheduled to be announced in May 2023.

Dang Khoa, a student at Nguyen Hue Middle School, said that this was the first time he had taken a double-decker bus around the center of Ho Chi Minh City, from which he got new perspectives on seemingly familiar landmarks in the southern metropolis.

“It’s a fresh feeling,” said Khoa. 

“Seeing the beautiful sights of Saigon from the double decker bus is amazing.

“I feel that many places I have visited such as the Reunification Palace and Bach Dang Wharf are beautiful in a completely different way.”

Le Minh Thuan, from Dong Khoi Middle School, commented that taking photos on a double-decker bus was an interesting but challenging experience.

It was difficult to take pictures while the vehicle was in motion, especially to focus on the subject and to get the right frame, requiring photographers to be skilled at using cameras.

Tran Huu Nguyen, from Tran Hung Dao Middle School, pointed out that the photographers were restricted to the bus deck and were limited in the angle at which the camera pointed toward the subject.

“Therefore, the contestants have to be more flexible and quick to detect beautiful frames and details along the road,” Nguyen said.

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