Family in Hai Duong City takes photo in same position for 28 years

The story of Ninh Thi Phuong Linh's family photos in Hai Duong City began in 1996, when she was one year old.

Linh’s father is a mechanical engineer who often works away from home. Before her daughter’s first birthday in December 1996, her mother wanted to take family photos to preserve memories for her first child. Mrs. Pham Thi Nhat hired a photographer nearby, who had also taken their wedding photos, to capture this memorable moment.

The scene was the living room of a bungalow, with a table in front of it with fresh flowers and sweets. "It was like any other traditional family photo, back then," the 57-year-old woman said.

A year later, the mother wanted to take a similar photo on her daughter’s birthday. The setting, space, and decorations were the same, except that Linh was older and knew how to smile at the photographer.

Noticing the changes in her daughter, Mrs. Nhat came up with the idea of ​​preserving the photos every year in the same style. Her husband works far away and rarely comes home, and Linh's birthday is also close to their wedding anniversary, so she agreed with her husband to set December as the month for the family to gather and take photos together.

In 2000, a new member of the family, Linh's younger brother, appeared. Every year, in December, the family of four dressed up, placed fruit on the table, and stood in the living room asking the photographer to capture the moment of reunion.

"The photos not only preserve memories but also remind us of the emotional bond between everyone in the family," Ms. Nhat said about the purpose of taking annual photos.

As time passed, Linh and her sister grew up, and the shooting location changed from the living room of a bungalow to a more spacious multi-storey house. However, the background of the table decorated with cakes, candies, and fresh flowers remained the same.

To gather family members when her husband works away from home and her children study in Hanoi, Ms. Nhat has to plan a month in advance.

One year, Linh’s father was so busy with work that he was at risk of not being able to return home in time for his daughter’s birthday. In order to not interrupt the family’s traditional photo shoot, he had to work continuously without days off, saving time to go home.

Later, he transferred to Hai Duong for work, but there was still a time before the photo shoot when the company reported an urgent matter, so he had to postpone the time to resolve it before returning home, where his wife and children were still waiting to complete the photo shoot.

"Even though he is busy, my husband always tries to get a full photo of all members," said Mrs. Nhat.

In the past 28 years, there has only been one time when the family photo shoot was missed. That was in 2011, when Ms. Nhat’s mother and mother-in-law were hospitalized. The photo shoot was planned to be moved closer to Tet, but her nephew who lived in the same house had an accident, and the family had to take turns supporting and caring for him.

Missing the photo shoot that year was regrettable, but it was unavoidable.

Although the family has maintained a tradition of taking photos for many years, Phuong Linh and her younger brother do not always feel comfortable.

During high school, the two sisters often felt uncomfortable posing because they had to follow the instructions of the older photographer. "Every year when taking pictures, the boys were instructed to put their hands in their pockets or cross their arms in front of their chests, while the girls would lightly touch the flowers or lean over to pose," Linh said.

She felt reluctant because young people like her no longer posed in that old-fashioned way. So one year, despite her mother's earnest request, her daughter reluctantly took a photo with a frowning face and pajamas on.

But since Mrs. Nhat was diagnosed with cancer and scheduled for surgery in 2019, the way Linh and her sisters viewed their family photos changed. "That's when I realized I needed to spend more time with my family because I didn't know how many days I would have left to be with my loved ones," she said.

Since then, the two sisters have appeared in photos with the happiest and most excited spirit because they clearly understand that this is the event their mother looks forward to most in the year.

In early December 2024, the family completed the latest photo shoot, bringing the total number of sets to 29. Since last year, Phuong Linh's husband and daughter have also appeared in the frame.

The 29-year-old calls this special collection a "family chronicle" that helps record the journey of "children growing up and parents aging".

Phuong Linh believes that although technology has changed and few people still develop film and print photos, her family still wants to maintain tradition. Even the photographer, after all these years, is still the same person.

"The photo collection over the years will be a valuable document and treasure for future generations about the image of a happy family with beautiful traditions," she said.

Recently, to celebrate her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, Phuong Linh posted a series of family photos on her personal page, receiving many positive responses. Some people expressed their desire to do the same photo shoot as her family, while others shared the photo shoot as a reminder to spend more time with their loved ones.

Receiving positive feedback, Linh realized that the photos not only preserve memories but also remind her of the importance of bonding between children and parents. She also hopes that when her daughter grows up, she can continue the tradition as her mother and grandparents did.

"Now I just hope that all members stay healthy so that we can appear more often in family photos in the future," Linh said.