With over 250,000 followers on Facebook, photographer Ngo Tran Hai An (from Lam Dong province), born in the 1980s, is one of the most influential figures in the travel community. He has traveled through all the provinces and cities in Vietnam and more than 40 countries, using photography to promote the beauty of Vietnam to the world .
This time, he returned to Gia Lai to create a photo series as part of the "Honoring Vietnamese Ethnic Culture" project, capturing the beauty, life, and work ethic of the Bahnar people. The fact that an influential social media photographer chose Mơ Hra-Đáp (Tơ Tung commune) as his destination has helped bring this village to greater attention on the community tourism map.
His photo collection captures many moments of the day, each a captivating slice of culture and life. These include mornings spent following Bahnar girls to the stream to fetch water, and visits to the communal house to document the transmission of weaving skills, spinning techniques, and fabric making between generations.
As evening falls, the scene unfolds with rice pounding, boys dressed as "mud spirits" reenacting the pơ thi (funeral) ritual to bid farewell to the deceased, and elderly people strolling along to the sounds of the goong instrument. Meanwhile, young women roast chicken and cook sticky rice in bamboo tubes to entertain guests, smoke swirling around their hair. Their faces glow in the sunset light.
And as the sun sets behind the mountains, the gong festival begins. The entire village glows with firelight, and the sound of gongs echoes throughout the hills...
In each frame, viewers feel as if they are touching the breath and life of the Bahnar people: innocent, simple, and full of vitality... Ngo Tran Hai An shared about the photo series: “When light, people, and memories meet, these photographs become a tribute to time. There are things that, if we don't see them today, we may never see them again. That's why I wanted to undertake this photo project, a journey to capture the beauty and cultural essence of the Bahnar people in Gia Lai with all my love for photography and my respect for our ethnic heritage.”
The photos of Mơ Hra-Đáp that he shared on social media quickly received likes and comments. Many people expressed their desire to visit the beautiful Bahnar village nestled amidst the eastern Trường Sơn mountain range.
The choice of social media influencers like Hai An to film and tell stories in community-based destinations is opening up a new direction for promoting the image of local areas. Instead of large-scale campaigns, authentic, emotional, and culturally profound images create a powerful ripple effect, touching the hearts of viewers.
Mơ Hra-Đáp thus emerges not only as a developing community tourism destination, but also as a vibrant cultural space where time, people, and traditions are intertwined in every wisp of smoke from the kitchen hearth, every beat of the gong. And through the lens of photographer Hai An, that beauty is retold in the gentlest language, of light, of love, and of reverence.
The beauty of Mơ Hra-Đáp captured through the lens of photographer Ngô Trần Hải An:
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/ve-dep-lang-mo-hra-dap-qua-ong-kinh-nhiep-anh-gia-ngo-tran-hai-an-post572229.html
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