Vietnam News photographer Nguyen Viet Thanh has earned a golden prize at the first annual Asia Press Photo Contest for his snapshot of a Vietnamese man holding a satellite dish as children watch TV.

Organised by Asia News Network and the China Daily, the contest welcomed works by press photographers from news agencies, journals, newspapers and photo agencies, as well as the work of freelancers.

Photo of journalist Nguyen Viet Thanh was taken during the last Lunar New Year Festival in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang and it is praised as a perfect photo that meets the contest's theme of a changing Asia. The photo won the prize in the Daily Life category.

Mr Thanh is among eight photojournalists having won golden prizes in eight different categories including Daily Life, Sport News, General News, Economic, Scientific and Technical News, Portraits, Sports, Arts and Entertainment News, and Nature and Environment News.

The winners will be rewarded with US$1,000 and return tickets to attend the awarding ceremony due to be held in Beijing, China on June 1.