If he had more time, Nicolas Cornet, a French photo-journalist would have talked more about Hanoi both in French and Vietnamese. However, he prefers to use his photos to tell his stories.
Cornet said he has closely followed the changes in people and Hanoi through his own photo journalism. That is why when visiting an exhibition showcasing Cornet’s photos of Hanoi at the French Culture Centre L’Espace in late 2010, many people who were born and grew up in the city suddenly recognised scenes they had taken for granted for a long time.
Hanoi in his photos is not merely a reminiscence, but is always moving. Viewers can see the city through photos portraying people’s daily lives, high-rise buildings or ancient, moss covered pagodas.
“His photos are unexpectedly lively,” a common comment made by many visitors. For them, Cornet’s photos are beautiful, not only in terms of lay-out and colour, but also of containing the city’s flavours such as steamed glutinous rice and green tea that are served on the city’s pavement kiosks.
After three years of collecting images and ideas, Cornet has published a pictorial book about Hanoi to celebrate the city’s 1,000 th anniversary.
Since 1987, Nicolas Cornet has spent a couple of months each year returning to Vietnam and feels it is his “home country”.
Besides working for many of Europe ’s well-known daily newspapers and magazines such as L’Espresso, Mare, Le Republica, Figaro Magazine, Le Monde, Ulysse, Geo, Grands Reportages and Nouvel Observateur, Cornet has given lectures on photography and press photography. He has already hosted a series of personal exhibitions in France, Germany, Switzerland and Vietnam.
