HÀ NỘI — A photo collection presenting an ancient art of wooden puppetry, which is primarily performed for holy beings, not humans, has been awarded top prize at the Heritage Photography Award - Heritage Journey 2024.

Beating more than other 400 entries, the collection Múa Rối Đầu Gỗ (Wooden Puppet Dance) by Phan Huy Thiệp has been granted the special prize in the important ‘Cultural Heritage’ category, offering viewers a chance to explore one of the most unique water puppet performances in Việt Nam.

A photo in the award-winning collection Múa Rối Đầu Gỗ (Wooden Puppet Dance) by Phan Huy Thiệp. Photos courtesy of Heritage Photography Award

The collection includes nine images telling the story about the unique puppet performance that very few people know about. It is exclusively performed in temples and is not staged elsewhere, primarily performed for the saints, rather than for human audience.

The ancient art of wooden puppet performance, known as 'Hầu Thánh' or 'Ổi Lỗi', is currently preserved at the Đại Bi Temple Festival in Nam Giang Commune, Nam Trực District, Nam Định Province. This annual festival unfolds from the 20th to the 22nd of the first lunar month.

Notably, the festival at Đại Bi Temple stands as the sole venue in the country where singing and puppet dancing are dedicated to the saints within the temple. The term ‘Hầu Thánh’ specifically honors Zen Master Từ Đạo Hạnh, a revered figure associated with the origins of Vietnamese puppetry.

Wooden puppet performance exclusively performed for the saints rather than for human audience.

Wooden puppet performances celebrat a peaceful country, the prosperity and happiness of the people, praise the saints and wish for the well-being of kings and everyone for a life of abundance.

Together with the Heritage Photography Award, the Múa Rối Đầu Gỗ photo collection has also received a gold medal from the Việt Nam Association of Photographic Artists, the patron of the competition.

The collection Múa Rối Đầu Gỗ and other award-winning entries are on display at the Exhibition Centre, 93 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Hà Nội.

The exhibition also features 30 works produced during two on-site photo tours – a creative component of the photo contest. These tours were collaboratively organised by Heritage Magazine, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Thái Nguyên, and Land Rover Vietnam.

Notably, selected photos captured during these tours will be auctioned to support the victims of typhoon Yagi.

Đại Bi Temple Festival in Nam Giang Commune, Nam Trực District, Nam Định Province.is the sole venue in the country where singing and puppet dancing are dedicated to the Saints within the temple.

Lê Hoàng Dũng, Editor-in-Chief of Heritage Magazine and Head of the 2024 Photography Award Organising Committee, has rallied photographers, artists and collaborators to participate in this impactful fundraising initiative. He said the purpose is to: " Restore the northern provinces to their former beauty, much like the images we’ve captured throughout the years.”

In its tenth year, the Heritage Photography Award - Heritage Journey 2024, organised by Vietnam Airlines’ inflight Heritage Magazine, garnered over 400 photo collections submitted by 156 photographers from 63 provinces and cities across the country. This year’s entries more than doubled the previous year’s count.

As one of the photography awards with high professional quality, the award also serves as an effective channel for promoting the image of the country and the people of Việt Nam, while contributing to the enhancement of professional standards in the field of photojournalism. VNS