HÀ NỘI — Haunting moments in wartime, peaceful Hà Nội landscapes and portraits of famous people feature in a photo exhibition that opened in Hà Nội yesterday.

The exhibition Photos Going with Years displays more than 100 photos taken by 22 veteran photographers of the Hà Nội Association for Photographic Artists. Many of them have received noble prizes of the State and associations. The oldest is Nguyễn Nhưng, 103, who is known for photos depicting the war against the US in the north.

Đặng Đình An, chairman of the association, said the exhibition honours photographers for their work during the process of building and protecting the country. They also helped establish the photographic movement of the capital and the country.

“These photos are not only beautiful artistic works but they are also valuable in term of historical archives,” An said.

“The photos recall different historical periods of the country. Visitors will also have a chance to see beautiful landscape of Hà Nội which have seen much changes today such as Ngọc Sơn Temple, Thầy Pagoda, Lai Xá Village and the Old Quarter.

“We also contemplate famous people who passed away such as President Hồ Chí Minh, General Võ Nguyên Giáp, writer Nguyễn Tuân and composer Văn Cao,” he said.

In the exhibition, photographer Phạm Tuệ, 90, displays a unique photo capturing ethnic people at Bắc Hà Market, the northern province of Lào Cai. It’s different from all photos displayed at the exhibition because Tuệ printed it on dó (poohnah) paper. He took the photo in the 1960s.

“I want my photos to look authentic Vietnamese, dó is the traditional paper of Việt Nam, so I decided to print my photos on this kind of paper to create some different effects for my works,” said Tuệ.

The exhibition will run until Monday at Exhibition House, 93 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Hà Nội. — VNS