VietNamNet Bridge – French photographer Sebastien Laval has become quite popular among photography lovers in Viet Nam, leaving his mark in several photo exhibitions and art projects in the country over the past ten years.

Beauty and richness: A photo taken by Sébastien Laval features Ha Noi’s railways and a shop at night.

Most recently, his collection of 30 photographs of Ha Noi and Hue illuminated at night were on display in those cities from April to May.

The "Hanoi 18h/6h Hue 18h/6h" exhibit evokes surreal perspectives of otherwise ordinary settings – quiet alleys, lonely railways and fluorescent-lit shops. Using a digital camera, and no dedicated artificial light, Laval took all his photos between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

They convey the eerie silence of nocturnal Ha Noi and Hue. People are almost completely absent, appearing in the frame mostly as shadows, but their homes reveal traces of life.

Visiting little houses in Ha Noi’s Old Quarter, the photographer accurately captured the narrow living spaces, with their cramped, sloping stairs and dark rooms heaped with clothes, saucepans, basins and baskets.

"I have always been entranced by the beauty and richness of the colours of Ha Noi in the deep shadows of the night," Laval says. "At night, the city has a poetic beauty."

“These images should inspire many of our guests to become more ambitious flâneur (city strollers) as they look out for the same sort of brilliant glimpses of this city,” said Franck Lafourcade, general manager of the Hotel Metropole Hanoi where the photos were on display.

Laval recently published a book of 170 photos taken in the former capital city of Hue, with Philippe Bouler, creator of the Hue festival, writing the captions.

However, long before those events, Laval already made his name in Viet Nam with several other exhibits.

Preserving VN’s ethnic heritage

In 2006, he displayed his photos of the Pa Then people at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology. In 2008, 50 portraits and scenes of the daily life of the Co Tu, Ta Oi and Pa Ko ethnic groups living in Thua Thien-Hue Province were on display at l’Espace, the French cultural centre in Ha Noi. The exhibit was part of his long-term project of documenting the lifestyles and taking photos of the 54 ethnic groups of the country that he began in 2005.

As he witnessed the rapid changes wrought by development, Laval dedicated himself to capturing these unique traditions before they disappeared.

“In 1995, when I first came to Viet Nam, I fell in love with the country and have come back here very often since then. I told myself, that I have to take photos of ethnic minorities to preserve a photographic trace of those people who are the heritage of Viet Nam. The country has changed a lot, and I think that this patrimony will also evolve. I hope my project is an occasion for Viet Nam to preserve its heritage,” he said.

He was surprised by the changes in their residents’ daily life.

“I was struck to see that almost no traditional houses exist anymore. The people don’t wear the traditional costumes anymore. I think that it’s also the case for many other ethnic groups in Viet Nam.”

To take the photos, he lived with the ethnic groups.

“I stayed about ten days in the districts of Nam Dong and A Luoi in Thua Thien Hue Province.  I was with a guide. I spent many evenings and ate with them. They sang many songs to me. I keep a very beautiful memory of my time there,” he recalls.

“I am impressed to see that music plays a very important part in their life. Many of them are musicians and make musical instruments like flutes. The songs and dance are very important to them.”

Endless inspiration

“Viet Nam has a strange attraction to me, from the people to the history as well as the landscapes, says Laval.

Preserving a patrimony: French photographer Sébastien Laval next to one of his photos depicting a family in Viet Nam’s northern mountains: www.huefestival.com

Although he has travelled far and wide throughout the country over the last 20 years, the photographer from the Poitiers region of France admits that this country always surprises him.

”I had the chance to discover the country in 1995 when I first came here with French journalist Daniel Roussel (former journalist of the newspaper L’Humanité) who knew Viet Nam very well, and who had many Vietnamese friends. One month travelling in Viet Nam from north to south was for me an unforgettable and extraordinary experience.”

“I was a young photographer at the time, it was a major culture shock," he said. "Viet Nam is a surprising country where everything is possible. Over the last 20 years, I have seen its evolution and development. Despite the changes, it remains a country with very strong and authentic values andunbelievable cultural diversity. I keep being inspired by this country.”

VNS