Photography - Painter Tran Van Hung, stage name Hung Hoa Lu, came to art on his own path with a passion for the beauty of the people and culture of the Central Highlands.

Passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Literature, Hue University of Education, school year 1977-1981. After graduating, the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training assigned him to work at the Department of Education of Gia Lai-Kon Tum province, in charge of editing the Journal and specializing in writing certificates of merit for the Department of Education of Gia Lai-Kon Tum at that time. Having a talent for drawing, he also received paintings from the shop to draw to earn extra income. In the 90s, when his salary was low and his family's economy was difficult, he quit his job at the agency to open a drawing studio, write and draw advertising signs, and take pictures on holidays and Tet. The number of customers taking pictures increased, so he quit his advertising drawing job to pursue a career in service photography, opened a studio, and made cement statues of animals for taking pictures.

Gradually, he became passionate about art photography. In his spare time, he learned Adobe Photoshop photo editing software and bought a computer to make the first restored photos of Gia Lai province. After months of being passionate about art photography, thanks to modern technical equipment and his talent for portraiture, combined with the use of Adobe Photoshop, his photos received many medals and photography cups from countries around the world. His first works were two award-winning photography works from many countries around the world and participated in the 28th Central and Central Highlands Regional Exhibition in 2023 in Dak Lak province. The birth of this photographic work is the awareness of the philosophical categories of Present and Future.

In response to Gia Lai Cultural Heritage Conservation Day 2024, the Provincial Literature and Arts Association launched an art composition contest with the theme "COLORS OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS". He participated in 3 new works, of which the 100cm X 151cm oil painting "Mother's Afternoon" won 3rd prize.

At the Workshop “Gia Lai Artists with Local Cultural Heritage” organized by Gia Lai Provincial Museum in November 2024. With the encouragement of friends and artists, and his own love for the beauty of the village, having spent his whole life traveling throughout Gia Lai province, he determined to present a solo exhibition of his works in 2025.

Coming up with the idea of ​​creating a Cultural Heritage Youtube channel

Visitors enjoying the program "Weekend Gong - Enjoy and Experience" organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai every Saturday night from 7pm to 9pm at Dai Doan Ket Square, often see an elderly person with long hair, holding a camera, regularly present in the performances, that is photographer Hung Hoa Lu. He is probably the only cameraman, with the largest number of films, not missing any performance, filming from the beginning until the end of the program and storing high quality films. As a photographer, he has brought thousands of images, the country and people of Gia Lai to most countries in the world to introduce to the public.

He shared: The unique bare feet of the Bahnar and Jrai people really moved him, no matter how busy he was, he still arranged time to take out his camera to work. He invested in video cameras, editing machines, and hard drives to save those moments. Later, he will transfer all of these precious films to the Gia Lai Provincial Museum to preserve and introduce to the public.

The program “Weekend Gongs - Enjoy and Experience” every Saturday night is a gong program combined with traditional dance (suang), folk songs, bamboo musical instrument performances, and reenactments of traditional ceremonies and festivals. In addition, visitors can experience dancing or playing gongs, enjoy jar wine, and grilled chicken brought from their villages to the city by artisans to offer to visitors.

Along with the weekend gong program on Saturday evening, there is also the Cultural Heritage Festival organized annually by the Gia Lai Provincial Museum with many attractive activities attracting a large number of participants. In addition, the program "Gia Lai Cultural Colors" is organized every Sunday morning; the Ethnic Culture Festival program is organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Gia Lai province. The gongs, musical instruments, costumes, and props used by artisans in the program are all original, true to tradition. These activities take place in an open, natural space on green grass, under the trees, without drama; interspersed with the gong program are activities of weaving, brocade weaving, and experiencing the cuisine of original rustic dishes from the village.

Those programs gave him the idea to build the YouTube channel CULTURAL HERITAGE, he said: Up to now, the channel has more than 600 videos, 550 thousand views, 14 million viewing hours. The most viewed places are: Da Nang City, followed by Da Lat, Quy Nhon, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh Cambodia, Kon Tum, Bien Hoa, Tuy Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ngai... I am very happy that I have contributed to broadcasting most of the provinces and cities across Vietnam.

The positive effects in the work of preserving and promoting the value of the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space in Gia Lai that his YouTube channel CULTURAL HERITAGE has built have spread to the world, just like his photographic works exhibited at the Global Art Photography Association. Currently, outside of Vietnam, the country that watches the most Gia Lai gong shows is: the United States, followed by Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Russia, Korea, Brazil, Philippines, Spain, Turkey, Japan, Laos, Argentina, Germany, Ukraine...

As a photographer and a painter, he will continue to accompany all programs to preserve and maintain cultural identity, promote the heritage value of the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space in Gia Lai province so that the public nationwide and international friends can better understand the culture of the Central Highlands people - Vietnam, contributing to promoting socio-economic development, international integration and linking with local tourism development.

Examination Department