VietNamNet Bridge – “The Diversity of Vietnam” is the theme of a collection of over 100 valuable photos depicting Vietnam’s regions in the first half of the 20th century on display at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum in District 1, HCMC.

Visitors admire “The Diversity of Vietnam” photo exhibition at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum in District 1

The École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), a French institute dedicated to the study of Asian societies, is putting on the collection at 97 Pho Duc Chinh Street until June 28 for people who to get an insight into Vietnam’s culture in the past.

Most of the photographs remain intact owing to proper protection methods and all the exhibits have well-noted captions to provide their contexts.  For example, a photograph of Champa workers who restored Po Nagar Tower in Nha Trang in 1905, was noted by author Henry Parmentier as follows: “The tower was built by the sea and next to a rich valley. The tower is located on a hill and at the foot of a mountain where people can see a lagoon and the sea in a far distance. The tower’s shadow is reflected on a smooth and tranquil water surface and across a lonely boulder carved an epitaph by Champa people.

The photo collection of Jean Manikus and a Vietnamese assistant called Nguyen Huu Tho was taken at Keo Pagoda in Hanoi on October 26, 1952. It features casting a nine-ton bronze Buddha statue with detailed notes on all the steps of casting and other interesting information about the religion at the time.

A photo by Noel Peri about a traditional contest held in Hanoi in 1915 to find talents nationwide helps viewers understand the formal atmosphere of an examination in the feudal time of Vietnam.

Currently, EFEO is preserving more than 200,000 precious photos of Vietnam in the first half of the 20th century. These materials are of great significance for people to have better understanding of Vietnam’s culture, traditions and life.

Prior to the exhibition in HCMC, the photo collection was show in France and Hanoi.