Graffiti Championship is a competition for young people who love graffiti (spray painting on walls), within the framework of the 2024 Street Art Festival (Saigon Urban Street Fest). This is the first time graffiti has its own playground for young people to compete.

Ms. Trang Duong - representative of the contest organizer - said the reason for choosing graffiti: "In Vietnam, there is no playground dedicated to graffiti. Through the contest, we want to make an effort to prove that graffiti is street art, different from graffiti. We also clearly state that those who draw graffiti are not street artists."

Ms. Trang Duong said that the graffiti of some individuals has unintentionally affected young people who want to pursue graffiti. The difficulty for the organizers is to help graffiti escape the prejudice of "graffiti", so that young people can confidently pursue this art.

The head of the organizing committee said graffiti is a form of street art, along with rap, hip hop...

Despite efforts to bring graffiti closer to the public, the competition organizers also admitted that they faced many challenges in finding venues for contestants to showcase their talents.

"The contestants all oppose graffiti that spoils the urban beauty. But in reality, they lack a playground to show their talents. Therefore, when organizing the contest, we want young people to see that graffiti also has its own playground, don't just go around drawing randomly," said Ms. Trang Duong.

According to the head of the organizing committee, the contest had 25 contestants (aged 17 and above) participating. After the competition, the judges selected the top 5 to enter the final round, then they will compete in the form of drawing on canvas at the Saigon Central Post Office.

Mr. Khang Huynh - a first generation graffiti artist in Vietnam - representing the jury shared: "As everyone knows, graffiti in Vietnam is often negative. This contest is like a bright spot for everyone to see that graffiti has other aspects that young people are pursuing, deserving of positive recognition."

The street art festival will take place continuously for 3 days, from December 6 to 8 at Saigon Central Post Office (HCMC).