A French photographer has captured these images for “The Precious Heritage Collection”.
Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups and Réhahn Croquevielle, a Hoi An-based photographer, has spent the last 10 years traveling and taking pictures of them to preserve the beauty of each tribe. He has compiled this decade-long mission in a stunning photo project called “The Precious Heritage Collection by Réhahn”.
“People seem to be unaware of how fast the numbers of the ethnic groups are dwindling around them,” Réhahn’s team wrote in a statement. “It’s as if a part of cultural history is going to sleep forever and no one seems to be doing anything to wake it up.”
The Co Tu in Vietnam are known as the “People of the Forest” for their strong affinity with nature. |
Two Ma girls. Among the various ethnic groups living in the Central Highlands, the Ma are considered indigenous, with an ancient history of a so-called “Ma kingdom”, though this hypothesis has triggered debates among researchers. |
A Tay girl. There are about 1.7 million Tày people living in Vietnam, making them the second largest ethnic group in the country after the majority Kinh (Viet) ethnic group. |
Réhahn has met nearly 40 Vietnamese ethnic groups in the past five years alone,
On his path, he has also encountered sad stories of vanishing tribes in the far-flung areas of Vietnam. In May 2016, Réhahn had the chance to meet the Brau ethnic group in Kon Tum Province, only to find out that there are only 397 Brau left in the country and there traditional costumes have been lost.
“Réhahn believes that perhaps one of the reasons why there is little care of cultures disappearing in some regions is because that culture isn’t valued outside the community,” “The Precious Heritage Collection by Réhahn” wrote. “His hope is to be the voice and mirror of the Vietnamese people – this way when their culture is reflected back at them through someone else’s eyes, they will see how important it is.”
Réhahn and a Co Tu ethnic minority woman. |
Réhahn is still planning to meet all 54 ethnic groups personally to document the beauty of their unique cultural legacy.
Photos by Réhahn Croquevielle
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