VietNamNet Bridge – Lai Xa Village in Hoai Duc District on the western outskirts of Ha Noi will open a photography museum celebrating the art form’s early 20th century roots in the village.

Photo finish: Outside of the museum. — Photo daidoanket.vn

This is the first museum built by a Vietnamese community to showcase a local handicraft.

The museum is located in a two-storey house in the middle of the village with total exhibition area of 300sq.m.

Objects, photos and graphics tell the story of the traditional career. There is a recreation of an old studio, an exhibit on the originators of the medium, an explanation of the process of making photos by hand, a demonstration of old studio lighting methods and a collection of beautiful photos by today’s photographers in Lai Xa Village.

The museum, which offers guidance in Vietnamese and English, will officially open on May 15.

Locals hope to turn the museum and the nearby Nguyen Van Huyen Museum into tourism destinations.

The photography trade flourished in Lai Xa Village in the first half of the 20th century. In 1892, Nguyen Dinh Khanh, who was born in 1874 in the village, opened the first studio named Khanh Ky Studio on Hang Da Street in Ha Noi. Then, some 150 studios were opened all over the country with over 2,000 photographers, who are mostly based in Ha Noi. Thirty four studios were opened in Sai Gon and 35 studios in the southern provinces.

Studios run by people from Lai Xa always have word “Ký” or “Lai” in their names like An Ký, Thịnh Ký, Thiện Ký, Phúc Lai and Kim Lai. Photographers from Lai Xa are also working in other countries, including Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. Many photojournalists who have gone on to success began their trade in the village, such as journalist Vu Dinh Hong, who specialised in taking photos of President Ho Chi Minh at the Presidential Palace.

Lai Xa Village has been recognised as the only village offering the traditional photography trade in Viet Nam. The man who opened Khanh Ky Studio is considered the Vietnamese originator of the craft.

The village has opened various training courses and a photography club named after Nguyen Dinh Khanh.

In the past 10 years, the club has organised five exhibitions, three people have become members of Viet Nam’s Association of Photography Artists and five artists have been recognised by the State as photography artisans. 

Master craftsman: Prof Nguyen Van Huy (left) selects photos to display at the museum. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn

VNS