Photographers asked to stimulate creativity

Artists should work on their techniques and get closer to reality so they can capture the country's integration and development progress, said Vu Quoc Khanh, President of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) at a ceremony to mark the occasion on March 15.

On March 15, 1953, President Ho Chi Minh signed a decree to set up the National Photography and Cinema Enterprise in Thai Nguyen province. The enterprise grew quickly and paved the way for the development of the country's photography industry.

Many photographers took part in the two wars of resistance against French and American aggressors, and 47 of them lost their lives during the Vietnam war against the US.

According to Khanh, despite the fast development of the industry in modern times, the most famous photos in the country were those taken during the war and the revolution, some of which have won prestigious international prizes.

Like their colleagues in the cinema industry, many of the most outstanding photographers of the last 25 years did their apprenticeship on the front during the Vietnam War, working side by side with first-generation war photographers.

Today, images captured by Le Minh Truong, Vu Ba, Dinh Ngoc Thong, Van Bao, Mai Nam and Nguyen Huu Thong are cherished as an important part of Vietnamese heritage.

The VAPA was set up in Hanoi in 1965 to promote photographic creativity, theory, criticism and training in support of the revolutionary struggle and in line with socialist ideology.

The association's membership has increased rapidly, from 51 at the beginning to 920 today.

Since 1987, a year after the beginning of the renewal process, countless photos contests and exhibitions have been organised in Vietnam to encourage artistic creativity.

Now a fully-fledged member of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), the association runs numerous short training courses and has achieved international fame.