The third Ho Chi Minh City International Photography Festival will be held from November 19 to 24. It brings together around 100 Vietnamese and foreign photographers, showing how art can help tourism and culture.

The festival’s theme is “Ho Chi Minh City – Creative Culture, Shaping the Future” and it takes place at Le Van Tam Park. The contest is backed by the International Federation of Photographic Art, the Photographic Society of America and the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, and organizers say the event aims to promote photography as a cultural industry, strengthen international exchanges, and link photography with tourism.

More than 30 foreign photographers from the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei will join an international photography camp, according to Doan Hoai Trung, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Photography Association. During the camp they will travel to the Cho Ro ethnic community and the Can Gio area to take pictures of local life and culture.

The festival shows how a single event can connect art, culture and tourism in Vietnam. It highlights the chance for photographers to share their work worldwide and for visitors to see the country’s rich culture.