A painting contest was launched in Hanoi last week to encourage Vietnamese kids to express their emotions about daily life.

Under the theme Here Is My Life, the contest is being held by Mitsubishi Asian Children’s Enikki Festa – a pan Asian festival that aims to promote understanding and literacy through art.

The festival’s goals include both helping people in Asia learn more about each other and promoting literacy.

Vietnamese organisers of the event, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition said it has gained popularity in Vietnam since its inception in 1990.

In the course of seven festivals held since then, children aged 6-12 from throughout Asia have exhibited 327,443 illustrated diaries at the events.

Children can use crayons, coloured wax, and felt-tip pens to draw five A4-sized paintings. The organisers then ask the children to caption their work with a note about their inspiration for the piece.

"I will depict a naughty cat who belongs to my neighbour. It usually leaves a rat head in my house," said Nguyen Hai Anh, a primary school pupil. After taking a painting course at the Children’s Palace, Hai Anh plans to enter the painting contest and hopes to be short-listed in Vietnam.

Hai Anh will have to draw four other paintings to finish off her collection, giving her potential audience a glimpse of daily life through the eyes of children.

Vi Kien Thanh, deputy-head of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, said the Vietnam selection will take place before the end of the year.

He added that judging has been historically difficult, because the standard of work was so high, showing individuality and imagination.

This year, eight entries will be national contests in 25 countries across Asia. Selected entries will be sent to Japan for judging before January 16, 2009.

The awards ceremony will be held in Hanoi for the first time next July, said Thanh. The winners will be invited to attend the awards ceremony with their parents.