Vietnamese comic book duo Phong Duong will take home a Silver Award at Japan's International MANGA Awards for the first volume of their series Long Than Tuong.
The two authors, Nguyen Thanh Phong and Nguyen Khanh Duong, first debuted their Tran dynasty-era graphic novel in 2004, reports Hanoi Grapevine.
The pair later crowdfunded its efforts to revamp and self-publish the project in 2014, raising VND330 million in just two months and VND582 million overall, according to Thanh Nien.
Phong will represent the pair – and Vietnamese comics in general – in Tokyo at the International MANGA Awards from February 23 to March 3. Founded by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007, the International MANGA Awards receive hundreds of applicants each year and are considered the most prestigious comic book awards for non-Japanese artists.
[Photo via Hanoi Grapevine]
