From journalism, media, and advertising to fashion, cinema, digital content, gaming, and virtual spaces, images have become a primary mode of expression, shaping how people absorb information and emotions. The rapid development of technology, smart devices, and online platforms has made creating a photograph faster than ever. Yet that convenience has also produced a paradox: when anyone can take a photo, the boundary between casual users and professional photographers grows ever more blurred.
In reality, there is a long distance between enjoying photography and being able to make a living from it. Many people enter photography driven by passion — through short courses or self-study — but after a few years find themselves stagnating, uncertain in the face of rising demands from the market and the public. Without a theoretical foundation and without the ability to develop ideas and visual thinking, they can be easily swept along by short-lived trends and struggle to build a sustainable professional path.
Against that backdrop, formal photography education is gradually affirming its role as a necessary foundation. In recent years, photography has been incorporated into teaching at many higher education institutions nationwide. Photography knowledge has become a foundational subject in several faculties at Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi, the University of Culture, and the Academy of Journalism and Communication. The expansion of training reflects not only social demand but also a shift in how photography is viewed as a creative field with genuine academic depth.
According to Associate Professor, Dr Nguyen Van Hieu, rector of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts under Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi, students there do not learn photography as a stand-alone subject; they study it as part of visual communication and the creative industries. Photography is positioned within a wider ecosystem that includes graphic design, film production, digital post-production, virtual reality (VR), user interface and user experience (UI/UX), and the application of AI in image processing.
At the Ha Noi Academy of Theatre and Cinema, formal photography is delivered through a four-year programme. Beyond equipment skills, students are equipped with theoretical grounding and knowledge of composition, lighting, visual emotion, visual language, and different genres of photography, from portraiture and photojournalism to stage, cinematic photography, and contemporary art.
Alongside domestic training, practical experience and international cooperation have also been increasingly prioritised. Photography students and trainees now have more opportunities to join media and creative design projects, as well as competitions and photography festivals from regional to global level, where they gain exposure to international standards and professional workflows.
From an artistic perspective, painter and curator Nguyen The Son argues that producing high-quality work requires photographers to rely on more than technique; they must also have a solid grasp of the principles and history of fine arts. Many Vietnamese or Vietnamese-origin photographers who have succeeded internationally share a background in painting and interdisciplinary artistic practice. A newer issue — one that has also sparked debate — is the future of photography amid the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.
However, technology may replace certain operations, but it cannot replace human thinking, emotion, or lived experience. Training institutions have introduced new technologies into their curricula, but the focus remains on helping learners master technology as a tool rather than becoming dependent on, or led by, it. More broadly, photography training is not merely a matter for individuals or schools; it needs to be framed within wider strategies for cultural development and the creative industries in contemporary society.
