Addressing the event, General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang said the 17th edition of the awards, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Hanoi Liberation Day (October 10, 1954 - 2024), continues to praise the works, authors, ideas, and efforts in building and preserving the values of the capital city of time-tested culture.

She hailed the efforts and creativity by the VNA’s The thao va Van hoa (Sports and Culture) newspaper along with partners in popularising the awards to honour the big loves for the capital. The awards now have gone beyond all boundaries of time, space, and nations to bring the image of Hanoi closer to friends across the five continents.

Le Xuan Thanh, Editor-in-chief of The thao va Van hoa and head of the organising board, said the awards aim to make a modest contribution to discovering and expressing gratitude to the authors, works, ideas, and efforts helping enrich the culture of Hanoi.

This year, the Grand Prize was presented to architect Prof. Dr Hoang Dao Kinh, born in Hanoi in 1941.

For the last nearly 50 years, Kinh has substantially contributed to the restoration of many cultural and architectural structures nationwide. In particular, he is deeply attached to his hometown, Hanoi, through the rehabilitation of various historical relics and cultural heritage sites symbolising the millennium-old city such as Tay Dang Communal House, Kim Lien Pagoda, Tay Phuong Pagoda, Thay Pagoda, the Temple of Literature, and the Hanoi Opera House.

Apart from the Grand Prize, three others were also presented at the ceremony.

The Work Prize went to a book entitled “Ha Noi thoi can dai – Tu nhuong dia den thanh pho (1873 - 1945)” (Hanoi in Modern Times – from Conceded Territory to City) by Doan Thi Dien. This is a meticulous and comprehensive study of the transformation of Hanoi into a western-style modern city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The materials used in this book, published by the Hanoi Publishing House and the Nha Nam Publishing and Communications JSC, could help authorities institutionalise the State’s regulations to create a legal corridor for proper urban development management, and also assist with the research and popularisation of the city’s culture.

The Job Prize was presented to US saxophonist Kenny G’s music video “Going Home”, produced by the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper and IB Group Vietnam. In this MV, the artist performed “Going Home” at famous places of Hanoi, including Hoan Kiem Lake, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, the Temple of Literature, and Long Bien Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Idea Prize was won by an idea to renovate the landscape around Thien Quang Lake and its vicinity which was studied and developed by the People’s Committee of Hai Ba Trung district in 2023.

The “Bui Xuan Phai: For the Love of Hanoi” Awards were launched in 2008 by The thao va Van hoa and the family of painter Bui Xuan Phai (1920 - 1988), who is renowned for his paintings of Hanoi./.VNA