Published:  16:27 Monday - January 23, 2017

Last week, Réhahn Croquevielle, a French photographer, opened a Precious Heritage Gallery Museum in the UNESCO-recognized ancient town of Hoi An in the central coast province of Quang Nam.

Located in the UNESCO-recognised ancient town of Hoi An, the museum is the culmination of his five-year exploration of Vietnam’s rich and vast cultural heritage as well as 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups.

A view of the Precious Heritage Gallery Museum

Rehahn told the Daily that the museum would serve as the voice and mirror of the country he has come to love and now call home. “I have found meaning to my life here and for this I am grateful. This gallery museum is my thank-you to the Vietnamese people and I dedicate it to you, Vietnam.” Explaining his decision to open the museum, the photographer said he not only takes photographs of the people of Vietnam, but also shares their diversity with local and foreign audiences.

The museum also displays more than 30 traditional Vietnamese costumes and 200 photos with captions in French, English and Vietnamese featuring the country’s rich cultural heritage. Visitors can retrace his steps and discover the mysteries and magic that Vietnam has to offer. According to Rehahn, the more he discovers about Vietnam, the more he realizes that this country has riches beyond imagination. By traveling by motorbike, Rehahn has managed to learn about traditions of some of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam and share stories about his explorations.

Réhahn is a photographer from Normandy, France, based in Hoi An since 2011. Led by his love of travelling and meeting people, he visited more than 35 countries before making his home Hoi An. He is renowned for his images of Vietnam, Cuba and India, with some citing him as a photographer who captures the souls of his models. Réhahn spends time with the people he meets and builds a relationship before photographing them. Specialising in the ethnic groups of Vietnam, he has travelled to the far reaches of the country on his motorbike to capture the images of these cultures.

The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum is located at 26 Phan Boi Chau Street in Hoi An. It is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Admission to the 250-square-meters museum is free. Spectators can discover over 200 photographs of Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage and 30 of the 54 ethnic groups’ unique traditional costumes. Jewelry items and artifacts unique to each group are also on display.

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 Bui Thi 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).           

"Hidden smile"