Canon brings Vietnam’s heritage to ancient Hanoi

The ancient capital is the fifth pit stop on the exhibition’s epic journey around Vietnam which has been eagerly anticipated by lovers of photography in the city.

With a total of 65 entrants, Hanoi has the highest number of participating photographers in the exhibition.

The 1000-year-old city is a key part of Vietnam’s amazing line-up of heritage attractions and will be a fitting host for the exhibition which will be shown at two different venues: the Ho Chi Minh Museum from November 8-14 and Thang Long Imperial Citadel Relic from November 22.

Many of the Hanoian photographers represented are widely respected in their field and have won various awards.

Canon helped reproduce the images in full-scale clarity with its large format printer Canon Image PROGRAF iPF8000S featuring eight different tray colors and its advanced technology prevents scratches and image fade, ensuring that the images are of the very highest quality.

These works of arts display the full range of Vietnam’s natural and cultural heritage, capturing everything from normal working life to colorful traditional festivals.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition at Ho Chi Minh Museum, president and CEO of Canon Marketing Vietnam Ltd Nick Yoshida said: “As keen proponents of the visual medium, we understand the work these photographers put into producing these pieces of art. To demonstrate our admiration and respect for the work we have printed each image using the specialised capabilities of industry-leading large format printer. Our care and attention to detail are all the 1000 amazing images being exhibited across Vietnam deserve.”

“This is a second time I have taken part in the Vietnam Heritage Photo contest,” said Bui Dang Thanh, one of the respected Hanoian photographers whose work is featured in the exhibition.

“As a photographer, I consider Vietnam’s heritage as sedimentary strata of Vietnamese culture that we are always searching, extracting and storing.  Through the contest, I want to introduce this treasure to the public. It is my job as a photographer to shine a light on this fantastic resource and it is exciting for me to work on a theme which is promoted throughout the country, attracting attention from visitors and locals.”

Since its launch June 2013, the competition has received 6,016 photo files on the subject of heritage encompassing natural heritage, cultural heritage objects (architecture, sculpture, painting, handicrafts) and intangible cultural heritage (music, dance, festivals, folk games, creed and religion).

The total of 3,800 single images and 267 sets of work from 339 participating photographers is twice that of last year’s contest.

The contest and exhibition are part of events associated with the 9th Vietnam Heritage Day, which takes place on November 11.

The purpose of the day is to bring the attention of people in Vietnam to the value of their natural heritage. The exhibition takes place in 17 different points in 16 provinces and will continue its journey after Hanoi to Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, Bac Lieu, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Dong Nai and An Giang, Thua Thien - Hue, Lam Dong, Quang Binh from now until February 28, 2014.

The award ceremony for the Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards 2013 will take place at the Independence Palace in Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of November 21, 2013 – a date that was chosen to coincide closely with this year’s Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day.

Outstanding photos will be printed in a prize catalogue produced by Vietnam Heritage magazine which belongs to Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Heritage Association and Canon. They will also be displayed on: vietnamheritage.com.vn - the magazine’s iPad application; the magazine’s Facebook page; and Canon Vietnam’s Facebook fanpage.

Canon is a global leader in photographic and digital imaging solutions.  Canon Marketing Vietnam Co. Ltd operates under the guidance and support of Canon Asia Marketing Group and Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd., which is the regional marketing headquarter for Canon’s South & Southeast Asia region.

Prizes, donated by Canon Marketing Ltd Vietnam, include:

- Grand Prize - 1 Canon EOS7D and 1 Pixma iP7270 printer;

- First Prize - 1 Canon EOS60D and 1 Selphy CP900 printer;

- Second Prize - 1 PowerShot N and 1 Selphy CP900 printer;

- Third Prize - 1 Ixus132 and 1 Selphy CP900 printer.