Photographer Dang Long

The project, named “Vietnamese belief”, was initiated by the photographer Dang Long, and will include more than 10,000 photos. The participants' photos will feature the Vietnamese flag.

The project began in late May, when Long shared, via social networks, his own photo in which he is standing under the national flag. Many of his friends proposed to take similar pictures and Long agreed. The number of the participants has rapidly increased, giving him the idea of holding a larger project.

Long said that at present, when all Vietnamese people are looking towards the East Sea, he would like to show the Vietnamese patriotism through images.

The first difficulty for him was to overcome public doubt amid tensions over the East Sea. A number of people took advantage of real patriotic demonstration for their private gain or other purposes, so many were hesitant to take part at first.

At the beginning, he took a few simple photos of a mother and her child. However, some days later, the parents became reluctant, saying it could possibly place them in danger. So the mother asked Long to remove those photos from the project.

After a short time, when the project became more popular, the parents came to understand the real purpose of the project and agreed to allow theirs to be included.

Long said he has travelled to many provinces and met with many people, including a number of disabled people who were very willing to take part.

Long plans to arrange 10,000 photos in the shape of the Vietnamese map. He is also among five young Vietnamese volunteers who will visit Truong Sa Island soon.

Long to arrange 10,000 photos in the shape of the Vietnamese map

The Spratly Islands on the map