In the first days of the New Year 2019, Thuy Lien had a conversation with photographer Luong Nam Nhat Long from Hue, First Prize winner in the category of Young Authors in the 2018 Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards for the photo “ Out of Class”
Hi Long, please talk about why you took part in the 2018 Vietnam Heritage photo contest?
I was wandering randomly on Facebook and stumbled on this photo contest ad of Vietnam Heritage, and the exciting ao dai theme made me register.
I browsed through the pics of ao dai I took that had some element of heritage, and stopped at the one of young female students on Trang Tien Bridge. In this picture, a film crew was re-enacting a scene of students of Dong Khanh School of the old times for a music video background.
How did you feel about winning the first prize in the category of Young Authors in the 2018 Contest of Vietnam Heritage Photography?
I was happily overwhelmed. I knew I won a prize, but not which one. When I came into that room and heard my name, I was dumbstruck. People had to call me again to come up the stage. I was overjoyed.
In Hue, there are so many great masters of photographing ao dai, while I am not even a professional at that. All children of Hue love their native land as much as I do, I guess. But I both do and don’t want Hue to develop, because its quintessence is in peaceful and slow pace of life, not boisterous like other cities.
What is photography in your life?
I took photos all the time to record moments of my life, but with my smartphone only because that was all I had. I liked my pictures and sent them to the contests of photos taken with a smartphone. I got a prize, which was a real photo camera.
Actually, my major is IT, which has very little to do with photography. Programming is mechanical in nature. It is not artistic at all. I currently work as a photographer for a few newspapers in Thua Thien – Hue and freelance in web programming.
How does your family react to your working as a photographer?
Denne historien er fra April - May 2019-utgaven av Vietnam Heritage.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2019-utgaven av Vietnam Heritage.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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TYPICAL TRADE VILLAGES GOING “EXTINCT”?
Ha Thai Village of Thuong Tin District of Hanoi started its traditional paint trade in the 17th century. In the 30s of last century, the paint village of Ha Thai learned polishing techniques and the use of materials such as egg shell and snail. It was during this time that elder Dinh Van Thanh of Thai Ha Village was invited to an exposition in France to demonstrate the art of lacquer painting.
Tourism remains far away from Hue village's reach
Villagers in the 550-year-old Phuoc Tich Village on the outskirts of former imperial Hue City have dreamed of bumper tourism in the village for 10 years, but their dreams have yet to come to fruition.
Traditional wedding of the White Yao people
Having a son coming of age, a White Yao family begins selecting a wife for him among the White Yao young girls in the same hamlet or one nearby.
Xin Man at a glance
In April, the last fiery flowers of the cotton trees spark on mountain slopes. With the long-brewing desire inside to conquer the scenic tourist path from Bac Ha (Lao Cai) to Xin Man, the most desolate highland district of Ha Giang Province, we hit the road on a beautiful weekend.
Silver carving by Po Ho Creek
Following the tunes (“Spring comes to Muong Hum hamlet high up the mountains with heart-rocking distant singing…” ) of talented composer Nguyen Tai Tue, we come to Seo Po Ho hamlet to visit Red Yao artisans diligently blowing life into silver, creating wonders of sophisticated craftsmanship, worthily contributing to the cultural traditions of their tribe.
The fabulous Phu Tho tea hills
Today’s Phu Tho Province was the land chosen by Hung Kings, the first rulers of Vietnam, to be their capital. Considered the cradle of the Viet people, this area still preserves the temples of Hung Kings and many other historical relics such as pagodas and shrines.
Bridges that distill the love of the native land
Every Vietnamese has a bridge to be nostalgic about.
EXPLORING PU MAT CONSERVATION ZONE
Pu Mat National Park belongs to Nghe An Province. At 93,113 ha, it is the only remaining primeval forest in Northern Vietnam.
Cultural touches grieve locals of the royal city
Culture has served as the most sensitive part to Hue natives and they are always ready to fight for the cultural values that have existed in a long period of time in this former imperial capital city.
A DIVINE FLAGPOLE OF THE VIETNAMESE
Lung Cu Peak of Dragon Mountain, rises 1470m above sea level and belongs to Lung Cu Commune, Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province. Sharing a border with China, this mountain has witnessed the long history of the Vietnamese fighting against foreign aggressors. That is why Lung Cu is considered a sacred place of the Vietnamese people.
