In a statement sent to the Daily on August 2, Rehahn, who has been living in the ancient town of Hoi An for six years, says the photo collection is aimed to honor the exotic and colorful richness of Vietnam’s ethnic culture and preserve the vanishing cultural heritage in the age of globalization.
Earlier, the Frenchman, who has taken over 45,000 photos about Vietnam’s landscapes and people, has put on a free outdoor exhibition, also called “Precious Heritage”, in the World Heritage-listed town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam throughout this summer.
In Vietnam, tourists, including those in the country, are often interested in exploring Halong Bay, beautiful beaches in Nha Trang, and Hoi An’s Yellow City, among others. Therefore, Rehahn has tried to depict Vietnam in a different perspective. In six years of traveling around the country, he has witnessed more interesting facets of the nation.
Rehahn published his first photo book about Vietnam in 2014, called Mosaic of Contrasts, followed by “Vietnam, Mosaic of Contrasts Volume II” in late 2015. Last March, his photograph ‘Hidden Smile’ featuring Madame Xong, a boat rower in the Hoai River in Hoi An, found its new permanent home at the Women’s Museum in Hanoi on the occasion of International Women’s Day (March 8).
