HÀ NỘI — Portraits depicting the beauty of Việt Nam’s different ethnic groups by French photographer Réhahn will be part of the Precious Heritage exhibition at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, starting Wednesday.

On display in Hà Nội will be a selection of 35 photographs through which Réhahn shows the country’s rich and diverse ethnic culture.

His famous portraits of young children and old women from across the country represent both large and small ethnic groups, from communities that have hundreds of thousands of members to just a few hundreds like the Ơ Đu and Rơ Măm.

Posing in their traditional costumes, they symbolise their ancestral customs, the ancient knowledge passed down from one generation to another, the challenges in preserving it and the hope of keeping it alive.

The renowned photographer believes that the “most efficient way to preserve the culture of the ethnic groups is to promote them outside their community, to create a sense of pride for their heritage and ancient customs. Sometimes, you need someone else’s vision to make you realise what you have.”

Associate Professor Võ Quang Trọng said the Precious Heritage exhibition showcases the natural beauty of Vietnamese people in their traditional costumes through the lens of the French photographer, and will enrich the viewer, making him/her feel happy and proud.

Earlier, the Precious Heritage exhibition was inaugurated as a free outdoor exhibition in the ancient coastal city of Hội An in the central province of Quảng Nam on July 1, and will run through this summer.

The photographer has lived in Hội An for the past six years, and so far has reached out to 45 of the total 54 ethnic minority communities in Việt Nam.

In January 2016, he was nominated as the second most renowned online French photographer on photography website xxlpix.net.  — VNS