[Photos] Vietnam’s World Famous “Aquascapists”

Surprise fact: Vietnam is a perennial powerhouse when it comes to aquarium design.

The annual International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) is the largest planted aquarium contest in the world. Here, aquarium designers are judged not only by their creative displays of aquatic plants, but also the longevity their artificial ecosystems provide for their residents.

Grand Priz 2013 by Ngo Truong Thinh

In 2013 (Ngo Truong Thinh), 2011 (Tran Hoang Long) and 2009 (Nguyen Tien Dung) Vietnamese “aquascapists” took home first prize for their beautiful designs, netting nearly $10,000.

Grand Priz 2011 by Tran Hoang Long

Grand Priz 2009 by Nguyen Tien Dung

As we await the announcement of this year’s results, let’s take a look back at some of the winning projects from the past few competitions.

IAPLC 2012 - Nguyen Thi Xuan Thuy

IAPLC 2012 - Tran Hoang Long

IAPLC 2012 - Ngo Truong Thinh

IAPLC 2012 - Nguyen Minh Quan