The awards were initiated in 2008 by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s Sports & Culture newspaper and the family of the late famous painter Bui Xuan Phai (1920-1988) to honor those who contribute to spreading the love for the capital city.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung thanked the VNA and Bui Xuan Phai’s family for organizing the awards which, he said, have made an imprint in the heart of many Hanoians.
VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi (L) presents the prize to Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.
VNA Director General Nguyen Duc Loi stated that after 10 years of organization, the Bui Xuan Phai – For the Love of Hanoi awards have affirmed its role and position in the country’s socio-political and cultural development.
The awards were classified into the four categories: Grand Prize, Idea Prize, Job Prize and Work Prize.
This year, the Grand Prize was granted to cultural researcher Huu Ngoc, who has contributed to connecting the Vietnamese culture with the world.
Born in 1918, Ngoc has a profound knowledge of French, English, German, and ancient Chinese. He has written 34 books, including a prized book entitled “A Sketch of Hanoi Culture” in French and English, which then was given by the Vietnamese Government as a special present to the heads of state at the 7th Francophone Meeting in the capital city in 1997.
The researcher also wrote regularly for more than a decade for the two foreign language newspapers published by the VNA: Le Courier du Vietnam in French and Vietnam News in English.
Previous winners of the Grand Prize were presented to Nguyen Vinh Phuc, a scholar specializing in Hanoi research (in 2009), writer To Hoai (in 2010), Prof. Phan Huy Le (2011), Guitarist Van Vuong (2012), Photographer Quang Phung (2013), Researcher Vu Tuan San (2014), Researcher Giang Quan (2015), and Photographer Le Vuong (2016).
The Idea Prize went to Hanoi’s Department of Transport for its project on reducing traffic jams and environmental pollution for 2017-2020 with a vision to 2030.
This year two Job Prizes were awarded, one to the Hanoi administration for the establishment of the Hoan Kiem Lake walking street, which is closed to traffic on weekend nights, and another to Paul George Harding, a US war veteran, who has helped clean the capital’s lanes by removing posters from walls.
Late Writer Bang Son, with his two books “Thu lang thang nguoi Ha Noi” (Hanoians’ wandering pleasure) and “Thu an choi nguoi Ha Noi” (Hanoians’ cuisine pleasure), and Photographer Nguyen Huu Bao, with his photo book “Ha Noi dau yeu” (Beloved Hanoi), received the Work Prize.
Source: VNA