HCM CITY – As many as 130 photos are being displayed in the exhibition “Người Việt ở Pháp – Một Góc Nhìn” (Vietnamese in France – An Angle of View) on Nguyễn Văn Bình (“book street”) in HCM City.

The photos were chosen from overseas Vietnamese photographer Lê Tấn Xuân’s collections that span 40 years.

The exhibition is divided into two parts: the “Hallmark of Việt Nam – President Hồ Chí Minh in France” and “Activities of the Association of Vietnamese People in France”.

Organised by the city’s Department of Information and Communications, it commemorates the 105th anniversary of the date Uncle Hồ left Việt Nam looking for ways to liberate the country.

“I want to take a part in strengthening the attachment of overseas Vietnamese to the country, and bring a close-up view of the Vietnamese community in France,” Xuân said.

During his 50 years working as a photographer, Xuân took photos and kept a huge amount of valuable photos about activities of Vietnamese in France, including Vietnamese expatriates enjoying Tết, a celebration of President Hồ Chí Minh’s birth anniversary, a ceremony marking Việt Nam’s National Day, Việt Nam Pavilion at L’Humanite newspaper festival, and others.

Xuân was in charge of taking photos of several Việt Nam’s diplomatic activities, including those at the Paris Conference (1968 – 1973) and a visit by Prime Minister Phạm Văn Đồng to France (April 1977).

Xuân, born in 1939 in Cambodia, went to Paris in 1964 to study film and photography at the Ecole National de Photographie et Cinématographie. He became a member of the Association of Vietnamese People in France in 1968.

He has been taking photos of the organisation’s activities since then.

The exhibition runs till April 9.— VNS