Photo narrative of the Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam

During his trips from North to South, Vietnam's landscapes appeared through his lens like a vivid picture, telling stories about the land and its people.

On the morning of December 9, in Hanoi , the photography exhibition "Where Eyes Meet: Visual Narratives Through Poetic Journeys" by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to Vietnam Meynardo Los Baños Montealegre officially opened, attracting the attention of a large public and art lovers.

The exhibition features 87 works documenting the journey of harmony between artist Meynardo Los Baños Montealegre and the camera lens. During his travels from North to South, the landscape of Vietnam appears through his lens as a vivid picture, telling stories about the land and its people.

From the H'Mong community in the high mountains of Ha Giang , the towering limestone pillars of Ha Long, Ninh Binh to the quiet beauty of Hoi An ancient town, a dawn on the sea of ​​Da Nang, Vung Tau... have outlined a multi-faceted, multi-colored Vietnam, both familiar and poetic.

Many notable works include "The Colors of Hoi An," "Ban Gioc Waterfall" ( Cao Bang ), "Dawn breaks" ( Da Nang ), "After a day of work," "Blooming mountain flowers," "Panpipe artists" (old Ha Giang), "Rock" (old Vung Tau), "Running with Summer" (Hanoi), "Forgotten agarwood tree" (Moc Chau), "Hoa Binh - clear sky and clear clouds" ...

The collection takes viewers on metaphorical journeys: the footsteps of a traveler, the detour of a person's life, the traces of time on each landscape. Each frame is a testament to looking closer, deeper to realize the extraordinary hidden in the most seemingly ordinary things.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Meynardo Los Baños Montealegre said he is not a good speaker, but a “silent storyteller.”

The things he wanted to convey were all contained in the visual stories recorded during his 5-year tenure in Vietnam. He is attached to this land as a diplomat and also a photography enthusiast. For him, photography is “seeing with the heart” to fully feel the beauty of life.

He believes that in diplomacy, there are times when “people cannot look each other in the eye” due to differences in culture, history or context, but time will create harmony when “eyes meet and hearts touch each other,” and deep understanding is established. Therefore, the exhibition theme “Where Eyes Meet” is the most meaningful way for him to conclude his term in Vietnam.

The exhibition is also a journey to help him understand more deeply about the country, people and culture of Vietnam; contributing to promoting cooperation between the two countries in the year of celebrating the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam-Philippines Strategic Partnership, towards the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026.

Philippine Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam Meynardo Los Baños Montealegre delivers the opening speech. (Photo: Phuong Thanh/VNA)

Ambassador Montealegre said his term will end in January 2026. He took this opportunity to express his deep gratitude to the leaders of the Party, State, ministries, localities and the people of Vietnam for their support to him personally and the Philippine Embassy during the past time.

Photography is one of the passions of Ambassador Meynardo Los Baños Montealegre. He has organized and participated in many international art exhibitions, typically the personal photo exhibition "Images and Impressions" at the Philippine Center Gallery (New York, USA), the exhibition "Colours of Life Collection" at the JMA Gallery (Vienna, Austria), "Internationale Foire d'Automne Herbstmesse" at LuxExpo (Luxembourg), "Cultural Colours" in Hanoi on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Philippines...

At the “Happy Vietnam 2024” Photo and Video Contest, his work was voted “Most Favorite Photo.” He is also the author of the photo art book “The Storyteller Without Words” published by the Philippine Foreign Service Institute in 2022.

The exhibition is open until December 10 at the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hanoi./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/loi-tu-su-bang-hinh-anh-cua-dai-su-philippines-tai-viet-nam-post1081933.vnp