Réhahn has been photographing the people of Vietnam’s tribes for the past five years.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Although he’s originally from France, Réhahn currently lives with his family in Hội An, in central Vietnam.
Réhahn Croquevielle
He refers to this project — the Precious Heritage Collection — as his most significant.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Documenting the tribes is no easy task.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Réhahn predicts he’ll need two more years to finish photographing the remaining 14 tribes of the country that he hasn’t seen yet.
Réhahn Croquevielle
The photographer says that sometimes it takes him two days just to find the village of a tribe.
Réhahn Croquevielle
He explains the villages are often lost in the mountains, and there’s no existing information — in English or Vietnamese — about how and where to find them.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Once he reaches a tribe, Réhahn spends time listening to the elders’ stories and capturing where they live.
Réhahn Croquevielle
He says their eyes light up when they show their traditional dress and talk about their culture.
Réhahn Croquevielle
At the same time, the elders are sad because the pride they feel for their heritage is not present in the younger people of the tribe.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Most young people seem to have no intention of keeping the culture they came from alive.
Réhahn Croquevielle
This is part of the reason the tribes are vanishing so quickly.
Réhahn Croquevielle
It’s also what inspired Réhahn to set out and capture these tribes and their way of life.
Réhahn Croquevielle
The photographer hopes to spread awareness about these unique people.
Réhahn Croquevielle
He says that so many people are completely oblivious to the fact that entire cultures are dying around them.
Réhahn Croquevielle
“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.”
Réhahn Croquevielle
For example, there are only 397 people of the Brâu tribe left in the country.
Réhahn Croquevielle
This 78-year-old woman is the last remaining person in Vietnam who still makes the traditional costume of the Ơ Ðu tribe. There are only about 500 Ơ Ðu members left in the world.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Réhahn says that while most minorities he meets are immensely proud of their culture…
Réhahn Croquevielle
… there are those — both young and old — who don’t value their heritage.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Some are even willing to abandon it completely.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Réhahn hopes to become a voice for the people of these tribes, as well as a mirror.
Réhahn Croquevielle
The photographer feels that if these people see their culture through someone else’s lens, it might help them to grasp the importance of it.
Réhahn Croquevielle
“We know that we often have to look back before we can move forward and how wonderful it would be to remind people of the beauty of their unique cultural legacy.”
Réhahn Croquevielle
Throughout his project, Réhahn has also been collecting the traditional costumes of these tribes.
Réhahn Croquevielle
His goal is to build a cultural ethnic museum in Hội An and display his photos, the costumes, and these people’s stories.
Réhahn Croquevielle
Eventually he hopes to bring his exhibition to galleries around the world.
Réhahn Croquevielle
CVD 