Vietnamese residents aged 15 to 35 have been invited to participate in a photo contest "I Love My City, My People" organised by Galaxy Publications in coordination with the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the French Cultural Centre L'Espace in Hanoi.

The event is part of the activities taking place during the French Year in Vietnam and Vietnamese Year in France, which culminates in 2014.

The topic focuses on anything that expresses your passion for an area in Vietnam where you were born, grew up or live, or your feelings for your love of the land.

Participants can email no more than 12 photos, taken with digital or film cameras and mobilephones, that tell a story, to the address ilovemycity@gmail.com for the contest's online phase through December 7. Awards will be announced on December 10.

The second phase, called the 48h Project, will take place on December 13-14 with four award winners joining 16 professionals, including French photographers, who will be part of four teams taking photos in Ho Chi Minh City. These will be uploaded to the website www.ilovemycity.vn .

In the third phase from December 20-22, an exhibition of the best shots will take place at the Galaxy Cinema on 116 Nguyen Du street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition, a workshop with Nicolas Cournet, a veteran French photographer, will be held at the Pullman Saigon Hotel for photography enthusiasts of any age on December 20. The event will be open to about 100 people.-VNA