The 80-year-old photographer has been popular with street vendors, homeless people-- even drug addicts and street gangs-- and whilst his work documented important historical milestones, it was also famous for its powerful honesty in portraying the life and problems of those he encountered.

Established in 2008, the awards are named after painter Bui Xuan Phai (1920-1988), the founder of modern art in Vietnam. He is known for his paintings of Hanoi’s old quarter, landscapes and young women. His works are displayed in several national and international museums. He received the highest national award, the Ho Chi Minh Prize, posthumously in 1996.

Photographer Quang Phung

How meaningful is the award to you?

 I have just joined only one photo competition in which I received the golden medal with the work "Tóc mây”. I was very proud of this. The photo’s character is a girl whose farher is a French solider.

The Grand Award of the 2013 Bui Xuan Phai - Love for Hanoi Awards is recognition for my efforts and it will give me the momentum  to continue my passion for photography

What is the difference between a senior and a young photographer?

It is a decisive factor for a person to understand about photography. For many years, Vietnamese photography has been way off the mark. Photography must be based on real life.

In reality, many young photographers own modern cameras and are full of enthusiasm, however, they still fail to create high-quality work. What are your comments on this?

Photography must be scientific first and then artistic. Many people are  spontaneous enthusiastic, but do not understand the principles of  photography. Humanity is an object of photography, and photography has the power to expose inequality in society, and that's one of the things it must do.

Moments in nature without any computer manipulation make your photos more realistic? Could you share your concept of photography?

I call myself a professional photographer with independent thought. I have hundreds of interesting photos called “Love on Hoan Kiem Lake’s bank”. How could I get access to a foreigner who loves a Vietnamese girl. How could I listen to their feeling in a comfortable way?

Before talking to them, I have to find out what people who want to get married in Vietnam have to do? Your friendly behaviour and look are very helpful to the work.

I took thousands of photos of drug users. Taking photographs of a drug-addict needs patience.

When I went to the US, I applied Vietnamese people’s traditionally friendly way of behaviour. I said “hello” to a drug user with a friendly face. Initially, he was upset, thinking that I was trying to annoy him. Without patience, I would give up on my purpose. However, I still tried to get close to him by sitting near him and smiling. Finally, he said that “It's been a long time since anyone treated me like this, so I respect you. Then I could talk to him more and take photos of him. Nonetheless, I pretended to be inexperienced in taking photos.

Which experience does photography give you?

The work helps to improve to my photography skills-- from holding the camera to getting the right posture to take photos, particularly how to take photos unseen.

Thank you!