Top prize: Ha Noi researcher Giang Quan wins the Grand Prize at Bui Xuan Phai Awards ceremony. —VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI  (VNS) — The Bui Xuan Phai – For the Love of Ha Noi Awards were announced yesterday by the Vietnam News Agency's Sports & Culture newspaper.

The awards, started in 2008, were named after the famous painter Bui Xuan Phai (1920-88) in honour of his career and aims to continue spreading his love for Ha Noi.

The awards' organisation board gave four different awards – Grand Prize, Idea Prize, Job Prize and Work Prize – to five recipients.

Ha Noi researcher Giang Quan won the Grand Prize for his 30 books on Ha Noi.

"I have been awarded the prize at the age of 89 after 70 years of writing," Quan said at the award ceremony. "I'm very moved. Artist Bui Xuan Phai and I worked together for about 20 years when I was working at the Ha Noi Culture, Sports and Tourism Department."

Quan was not born in Ha Noi. His family moved to the capital in 1950. All his books since then have been about Ha Noi.

The board gave German Michael Waibel the Work Prize for his book titled Ha Noi – Capital City and writer Tran Chien for his two books on Ha Noi.

Ha Noi - Capital City's annotations are in Vietnamese, English and German.

It has 600 photos that tell stories of the capital's millennium-old history, rich culture and multifaceted lifestyles. It is Waibel's second work on Vietnamese metropolises. It includes several articles by local people, and reflects the challenges faced amid sustainable development.

On his behalf, Ha Noi Goethe Institute Director Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch received the award. She also presented the book Ha Noi – Capital City to late artist Bui Xuan Phai's family.

The newly established Ha Noi Studying and Development Centre grabbed the Job Prize, and a project to restore space at Kinh Thien Palace in Thang Long Imperial Citadel by Thang Long Vestiges Preservation Centre won the Idea Prize.

The winners received trophies and VND20 million (roughly US$900) in cash for the Grand Prize, and VND8 million for the others.

The Bui Xuan Phai Awards aim to honour the contributions of individuals and organisations to society, culture and the arts in Ha Noi. — VNS