Vietnamese photographer Anthony Phạm Tân documents the life of the Catholic Church through photographs of ordinary people, prayer and liturgical celebrations, while training young people and church communities in photography and media skills.
A native of Sa Châu Parish in the Diocese of Bùi Chu in northern Vietnam, Phạm is based in Hanoi, where he supports diocesan media activities and the Catholic photography community.
His work focuses on documenting the everyday expressions of faith, from elderly parishioners arriving at church before dawn to worshippers holding rosary beads, rather than relying on staged compositions or elaborate visual effects.
Phạm began his career with film photography before developing a particular interest in documenting Catholic life. He sees photography as a way to preserve moments of faith and encounters with people for future generations.
Beyond his photography, Phạm conducts media training and provides technical support to church communities across northern Vietnam. His activities have included training and accompanying media teams in the dioceses of Bắc Ninh and Bùi Chu, as well as at St. Peter Le Tuy Theology Institute in Hanoi.
His assignments have also included documenting major Church events, among them the tour of the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Vietnam.
In 2022, Phạm organized The Shower of Motherly Love, a charitable photography exhibition at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi. Proceeds from the sale of photographic prints were donated to support children from impoverished families in remote mountainous areas.
His work combines documentary photography, media formation and charitable initiatives, although freelance work brings financial uncertainties. He continues to approach church photography with an emphasis on authenticity and respect for liturgical celebrations.
“I am not looking for the most beautiful photographs. I am looking for the most genuine moments,” Phạm said.
“For me, photography is not just about light, cameras, or technique. It is about who we have met, what we have seen, and what we have preserved for tomorrow.”
Through his documentation of Catholic life and his efforts to train emerging photographers, Phạm contributes to preserving the experiences of local Church communities in Vietnam, making their religious celebrations and everyday expressions of faith part of a wider visual record of the Church in Asia.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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