The event was attended by representatives of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, authorities from several districts of Santiago, the Embassy of Cuba in Chile, members of the judging panel, participating artists, and a large number of Chilean friends.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong reviewed the 55-year journey of Viet Nam–Chile relations, noting that Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with Viet Nam. Since then, the two nations have developed increasingly substantive relations, including the establishment of a comprehensive partnership in 2007 and the signing of a free trade agreement in 2011 — the first such agreement between Viet Nam and a Latin American country.
Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong emphasised that the achievements of bilateral cooperation over the past 55 years should not be confined to official exchanges but must be reflected in the cultural and artistic lives of the two peoples. This was also the reason why the Embassy of Viet Nam in Chile launched the competition in September 2025, posing the question of how Chilean artists perceive Viet Nam. A total of 27 submissions offered 27 different perspectives, with many artists drawing inspiration from Viet Nam’s natural landscapes, such as forests, lotus flowers, the sea, and rice fields.
At the event, Patricia Abarzúa Muñoz, President of the Chile–Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Friendship, shared reflections on more than six decades of ties between the peoples of the two countries — starting from their first contact in 1962 to March 25, 1971, when President Salvador Allende and Foreign Minister Clodomiro Almeyda signed the document establishing diplomatic relations with Viet Nam. She affirmed that today’s efforts continue on the path charted by President Ho Chi Minh and President Salvador Allende.
During the ceremony, the judging panel awarded the first prize to artist Leandro Araneda Muñoz for the work “Reverdecer” (Rebirth); second prize went to Daniel Ponce for “Bosques del Encuentro” (Forests of Encounter); and the third prize — the APECH Award named after renowned painter Gracia Barrios — was presented to Mauricio Díaz Castro for “1, 2, 3 Viet Nam.” Three honourable mentions were also presented to Constanza Iturriaga Castro, Paula Fuentes Avendaño, and Sebastián Hermosilla. The first- and second-prize-winning works will be preserved at the Embassy of Viet Nam in Chile.
