Vietnam to have photo museum
œPhotography has been in Vietnam for nearly 150 years but photos about Vietnam are spread everywhere. The centre will collect photos about Vietnam and Vietnamese people since photography appeared in Vietnam, said Chu Chi Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, about the œhistorical project which is about to be built in Hanoi the National Centre for Artistic Photo Archives and Exhibition.
Why did you say that our photographic documentations have been mislaid?
As I said, photography has been in Vietnam for nearly 150 years. It was brought to Vietnam by the French. After that Vietnamese people got involved in photography. But photos about Vietnam, especially those taken before 1945, have been mislaid.
Photos about the country and Vietnamese people since 1945 are archived but they are kept at various places, such as the Army History Museum, August Revolution Museum, the National Archive Centre, Vietnam News Agency, etc. These agencies collect and archive photos based on their own functions, duties and goals.
The state assigned the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists to build this centre (National Centre for Photo Archive and Exhibition) 15 years ago, but this project was not implemented because we didnt have land for it. Now we have been allocated over 1,100sq.m of land in Cau Giay district, Hanoi and construction will begin soon.
From what sources will the centre collect photos?
One of the major tasks of this centre is collecting the images of Vietnam and Vietnamese people in photos since photography came to Vietnam. The sources of photos may be people, foreign libraries, especially libraries in France and China.
Photos in newspapers are also numerous and they may come from the archives of the Vietnam News Agency, the National Library, etc.
We have the Museum of Art. Photography is also a kind of art, which has its own history. So will the centre be like a photographic museum?
The centre will work like a photographic museum, which Vietnam has never had. The centre will preserve typical works by outstanding photographers, works of all photographic schools which have existed in Vietnam in the past 150 years. The centre will also exhibit the world photographic history.
How about other functions of the centre?
For a long time photos have been used illegally. The centre will have a department that specialises in protecting copyrights of photos like agencies that protect copyrights of literature and music works.
We will sign contracts with photographers to act as their representative in the negotiation of copyright deals. The centre will also archive, announce and purchase photographic works. In addition, we will open training courses on photography.
Source TT&VH