Haunting portraits of Vietnam’s disappearing tribes: French photographer documents a way of life that is dying out
Hoi An-based Frenchman Réhahn’s patient approach has won him the trust of tribal elders, who have handed over rare artefacts and garments for display and preservation at his gallery in the town
“I’ve always been an avid traveller,” says French photographer Réhahn Croquevielle. “Wherever I go, I spend hours listening to people talk about their life, their story, their culture. Then, of course, great interaction is the key for a great portrait.”
This unhurried approach has worked for Réhahn, who prefers to go by only his given name. Focusing on portraits, the 39-year-old has produced three books – two about Vietnam, the country he has called home for seven years, and another drawing upon a decade spent behind a camera. He has close to 480,000 followers on Facebook.
In many places, traditional cultures are fading […] I often meet young people who don’t care at all about their traditions [ …] As a photographer, I have the opportunity to record and document their changing or disappearing traditions
“In Cuba, I will smoke a cigar with the subject before shooting,” he says, from his home in Hoi An, on Vietnam’s central coast. “In a remote village of Vietnam, I’ll drink tea or eat fruit with the chief. I often spend hours or even days chatting with people I meet and photograph.”
Hailing from Bayeux, in Normandy, Réhahn first visited the Southeast Asian nation in 2007, with French NGO Enfants du Vietnam, having sponsored several children through the organisation.
“It was a personal choice, not a professional one,” Réhahn says of his move to the country. “I love the lifestyle and the optimism of the people here. The sun shines all year and the minimum temperature is 20 degrees [Celsius], which is the summer in Normandy.”
Since making Vietnam his base, the photographer has been on a quest to take portraits of members of the country’s 54 officially recognised tribal groups, succeeding with 49 so far. “I’m waiting for permission because some of them are in sensitive areas, near the border with Laos or China,” Réhahn says. “It can take up to three years to get permission.”
