Female photographer promotes Vietnam’s beauty through her lenses

Female photographer Phan Thi Khanh, alias Khanh Phan, has established her fame among photography communities both at home and abroad.

Despite not receiving official training in photography, she has won many acclaimed domestic and international prizes for her artistic photos covering the land and people of Vietnam.

Photographer Phan Thi Khanh has travelled across the country to capture beautiful scenes and distinct cultures of ethnic groups. (Photo: nguoiduatin.vn)

Khanh, 36, encountered photography at the end of 2017 as a way to bring beautiful moments to life through her lenses.

She might never have thought that she would bag up to 30 prizes and her name would become popular at famous photography forums just after three years of practicing photography. Khanh was admitted to the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists in December 2019.

Inspired by topics such as natural landscapes and daily life, Khanh has travelled across the country to capture beautiful scenes and distinct cultures of ethnic groups. During her trips, she often heads to traditional craft villages to seek out interesting people and cultural histories, which are valuable material for her photos.

“I feel lucky to be born in Vietnam, a charming country with time-honoured history, rich culture, and friendly people,” Khanh said.

Khanh’s artworks have won much praise from juries at prestigious international photography contests and festivals.

Most recently, in February 2021, she clinched gold in the People/Culture category with her photo “Children Dancing with Gongs”. At the 2020 Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA). Taken in December 2018, the photo features children dancing with gongs at a festival of the Jrai ethnic minority people in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

Khanh also bagged silver in the Advertising/Travel/Tourism category with a photo entitled “Drying Fish”, taken in July 2020 at Long Hai fish market in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Domestically, Khanh was awarded a gold medal and consolation prize for her two photo collections entitled ‘Landmark 81-Aspiration to Rise’ and ‘Preserving the Craft of Silver Carving in Dong Xam Village in Thai Binh Province’, respectively, at the Youth Photography Festival 2019.

She was also first prize winner at the Vietnamnow photo contest, hosted by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in 2020 to promote the country’s tourism, for her photo ‘Discovering En Cave’.

In addition, her photos have been exhibited at many cultural, arts and diplomatic events as well in art galleries in the US, UK, France and Belgium.

Often published and shared on social networks and online photography forums, Khanh’s photos have received great praise and numerous comments and shares from viewers both at home and abroad, with many foreign users even committing to visiting Vietnam to admire the landscapes featured in Khanh’s pictures with their own eyes.

According to Khanh, international contests provide her with the opportunity to test her skills, and reach foreign viewers while promoting the image of Vietnam to the world. These events have also helped her update her skills with new photography techniques and trends while gaining experience from foreign colleagues.

She hopes that her photos will contribute to advertising a beautiful Vietnam to international friends as well as art lovers and travellers around the world.

Selected photos by Khanh Phan: (Photo courtesy of photographer Khanh Phan):