Talk with French photographer about Vietnamese pagodas

A discussion “Photographic Narrative: Vietnam Pagoda” with French photographer, journalist and publisher Nicolas Cornet will be organised on November 8 at L’Espace (24 Trang Tien Str, Hanoi).

The 250-page book Vietnam Pagodas in English and French includes hundreds of photos of 31 pagodas and temples taken over the last three years. (Photo from the artist’s Facebook page)

Nicolas Cornet is the author of many books on Vietnam. Through images and models in his books, he addresses issues related to reportage photography, photographic narrative and reports for the press and publishing sector.

His first book on Vietnam, published in 2004, presents Vietnam from the late 1990s to early 2000s; his later works show the country’s changes, and with them, the daily life that follows the evolution of Vietnamese society.

Now, his latest book, Vietnam Pagodas, is published in June 2018. Following an itinerary that travels through Vietnam from north to south, the country’s “major” pagodas, this book presents temples and places of worship revered by its inhabitants.

Published by the Viet Nam News Agency Publishing House, the book consists of five chapters, featuring traditional pagoda architecture, artistic details, daily life of monks and people gathering for worship, and ceremonies.

The first and second chapters are about the beginning of Buddhism in Vietnam and its old pagodas and temples in the North.

The third chapter centres on Hue and the central region. Hue is considered a Buddhism centre in Vietnam, with many famous monks coming from the region.

The fourth chapter introduces pagodas and Chinese temples in HCM City, and the last chapter highlights Khmer pagodas in Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

Throughout the five chapters of the book, the images offer a wide and varied view on the traditional architecture of the pagodas, while focusing on the artistic details of a rich and sometimes unknown national heritage.

Daily life also appears, as in all Nicolas Cornet’s works, to complete the photographic narrative and show the author’s strong attachment to Vietnam for more than thirty years.

This French – Vietnamese dual translation event is free entry./.

VNF