Hanoi through images: Two contrasting perspectives – Photo introduction and commentary.

At the seminar, scientists, teachers, and students viewed two unique sets of photographs, offering two different perspectives on Hanoi, through introductions by the photographers themselves and commentary by Professor Andrew Hardy, head representative of the French School of Far Eastern Studies (EFEO) in Vietnam.

(A photograph from John Ramsden's "Hanoi of Yesteryear" photo series)

First is the photo collection "Hanoi in the Past" by Sir John Ramsden. He is a veteran British diplomat who worked in Hanoi from 1980 to 1982 as Deputy Ambassador of the British Embassy. During his time in Vietnam, he took thousands of photographs of Hanoi, during the years when the atmosphere of the subsidy period still permeated the lives of the people. John's photographs have been exhibited in England and Denmark under the title Hanoi: Spirit of Place. In 2013, the collection was awarded the Bui Xuan Phai Prize – For the Love of Hanoi. The collection will also be released to readers in the photo book "Hanoi in the Past" on October 11, 2016.

The second photo series, "Beloved Hanoi," is the work of Nguyen Huu Bao, a Hanoi-based photographer. He previously worked as a photojournalist for the weekly magazine Van Nghe and the magazine Xua-Nay. Throughout his photographic career, he has traveled extensively across Vietnam, resulting in numerous acclaimed photo exhibitions such as "Village Memories" and "Street Memories." However, above all, Hanoi remains the place he dedicates the most love and effort to, and the culmination of that love is "Beloved Hanoi," a collection of photographic essays about the life and landscapes of Hanoi in modern times.

Although approaching Hanoi through two different lenses, at two different times, both photo collections share a common theme: the timeless beauty of Hanoi, from its charm during the difficult times of the subsidy period to its freshness in the atmosphere of the open-door era. More importantly, both photo collections vividly demonstrate the most typical qualities of anthropological research. Firstly, anthropology does not study people and society by analyzing numbers or abstract theories, but by immersing itself in life, recording people's daily activities up close, with all its authenticity and vibrancy. Secondly, instead of trying to offer a single perspective on an issue, anthropology always respects and strives to fully describe the diversity in how people live, think, and perceive the world around them.