Born and raised in Tay Ninh, photographer Nguyen Hai Trieu always feels that his hometown is a rich land of unique festivals and a culture with its own unique mark. The photo series that he has diligently recorded over the years is a journey to preserve memories and spread that beauty - a Tay Ninh rich in identity, where daily life and spiritual beliefs blend to create unique cultural slices.
Bodhi leaf dance on Ba Den mountain
Hai Trieu shared: “I always feel that my hometown contains many unique cultural values. I want to capture as many images of the people and festivals of Tay Ninh as possible – so that these beauties are not only preserved in the memories of local people, but also reach international friends.”
The photo series follows the rhythm of Tay Ninh's life through the festival seasons of the year: from the spring festival of Ba Den mountain - where tens of thousands of people flock to make a pilgrimage to the traditional New Year of the Khmer people, along with long-standing craft villages such as making incense, rice paper or clay pigs... It is not only a slice of time but also contains respect for working people and folk beliefs.
Tay Ninh not only impresses with its poetic scenery or rich local cuisine, but is also the birthplace of Cao Dai - a unique religion, imbued with national spirit. It is the flesh and blood attachment to this land that has fostered in the people here a deep empathy with traditional values, while nurturing a quiet but lasting pride in their homeland.
For Hai Trieu, photography is not about finding something new in the distance, but about understanding and appreciating the closest things. In the middle of a brilliant summer, when Tay Ninh is in the festival season and the fields are shining with golden sunlight, his photo series is like a sincere invitation: come, listen and feel the land of the Southeast region through the lens of a native son.
Potato flour making village in Hoa Thanh
The photo series follows the rhythm of Tay Ninh's life through the festival seasons of the year.
