Hanoi (VNA) -ꦆ Photo Hanoi'23 – The first international photography biennale in the capital city has almost completed its journey this year. For over a month since April 21, the capital city has been vibrant with more than 40 exhibitions, seminars, workshops, and classes.

The French Embassy in Vietnam and the municipal authorities have teamed up to create the biennial event, sharing an ambition of "transforming Hanoi into a photography city in Asia." Thierry Vergon, Director of the French Institute in Vietnam and the coordinator of the biennale project, affirmed that Photo Hanoi'23 will offer the world a clearer view of what is happening in the Southeast Asian nation. This is also an opportunity to understand more about different cultures and to help Vietnamese photography mature through exemplary cases of global photographic achievements. In terms of communication, photographers, curators, and international collectors will converge in Hanoi to participate in the event, he added. They will share their experiences on social media as well as their networks upon returning home, hence the image of Hanoi will be further popularised. Echoing the view, renowned French photographer Philippe Marinig asserted that international cultural-art activities always bring economic benefits because they are an effective channel for promoting local brands and images. Vietnam is a country that is ascending and there are still many opportunities for the artistic photography market here, he said. He believed that art festivals open up passions. At these events, young artists learn a lot and can build relationships with curators and collectors. Hailing Photo Hanoi'23, Marinig stressed that it has been initially successful in promoting the image of Hanoi, shaping the photography market, and creating an ecosystem for photography, including galleries, museums, artists, curators, collectors, critics, and the public. The role of international photography festivals has been affirmed. So how to enhance and improve the organisation of the upcoming events is a complex challenge for the organisers. Drawing experiences from the organisation of the Photo Phnom Penh Festival, which has been organised since 2008, Valentin Rodriguez, Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy in Cambodia, held that continuity is very important. Even during the COVID-19 period, the festival was still organised. Furthermore, to support artists in increasing their income, Rodriguez suggested that art festivals can go hand in hand with training and teaching activities. Artists can engage in teaching workshops within the framework of the festivals or at art schools. He believed this is an important element for building a professional and cohesive photography ecosystem. Pascal Beausse, director in charge of the photography collection at the National Center for Visual Arts in France (Cnap), held that it is necessary to pay attention to equality while collecting works, especially in terms of gender ratio and regional representation of artists. From the perspective of an insider, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Director of the National Institute of Culture and Art of Vietnam’s VICAS Art Studio, was confident that art festivals in the country still lack a foundation of research data and often remain time-bound, commemorating certain events of the country. Moreover, organisers need to maximise domestic and international resources, leveraging cooperation with foreign organisations, Ha said. She also proposed carrying out training programmes to enhance the organisation capacity, specifically in the areas of fundraising, strategic partnerships, and communications./.