Vietnamese portraits through the lens of a French man

Rehahn C, a French man who gave up his printing business in France two years ago to settle down in Vietnam to be a photographer, has recently released a book of photography featuring portraits of people across Vietnam.

Titled “Vietnam – Mosaic of Contrasts,” the book features around 150 of the best photos of the 30,000 Rehahn said he has taken over the last 6 years. The 140-page book is divided into 4 chapters: Childhood, Elderly, Lifestyle, and Landscapes. It is published in French and English.

Although he currently owns his own restaurant in the central city of Hoi An, 35-year-old French photographer Réhahn C often spends time traveling around the country, as he is passionate about traveling and photography. The book is the result of Rehahn’s trips to many places around Vietnam on his own dollar. Rehahn shared that he doesn’t wish to be sponsored because he wants to be free to do what he wants.

In the book, it’s not difficult to see that Rehahn enjoys taking pictures of children and the elderly.

“The first time I came to VN I noticed that so many people, from children to the elderly, are happy even though many of them do not have a lot of money. When I met these people, they gave me hope that we can live without thinking about money every day. That’s what I really love about Vietnam,” Rehahn expressed.

“Some people asked me why I like to take pictures of poor people, the dark side of society. I answered that for me it’s not a dark side. We shouldn’t feel that we don’t need to talk about them because they’re poor,” he added.

According to Rehahn, a real portrait should be taken from a short distance, and the photographer must understand the people in the photos. A portrait reflects both the photographed person and the photographer as well as the relationship between the two.

“When you see a portrait of a woman smiling, you know that the photographer has spoken with her before. If the photographer is nice to the subject, the photo will be nice,” Rehahn shared. “You cannot cheat when you’re taking a portrait. You have to really love and care about the person in your photo. You have to feel the picture. It’s not only about a good camera, it’s also about the heart.”

Rehahn said he usually spends hours to a day making friends with his subjects in order to catch their most natural and beautiful moments.

The “love story”

Explaining the title of the book which Rehahn calls “the love story” between him and Vietnam, he said he loves the word “mosaic” because it reflects a colorful country that is also a mystery: he says, “the longer I live in Vietnam, the more I believe that I don’t know Vietnam.” 

Vietnam is a complex mosaic that he wants to spend his whole life discovering. Rehahn said that living here, he knows that Vietnam is not only Hanoi, Ha Long, and Hue, but also Ha Giang, Mu Cang Chai, Ba Be…

“I also see that Vietnam has so many ethnic groups; I think I need to spend my full life here to see and experience all of Vietnam. I already met the Thai, Nung, H Mong, Mnong, Jarai, Ede Co Tu, Ba Na… and my wish for the next ten years is to meet all the ethnic groups in Vietnam,” Rehahn expressed excitedly. “I want readers to read the book and learn of the many things they can do in VN. Finally, they will feel—like me—that there are still many things we don’t know about Vietnam.”

Along with “Vietnam – Mosaic of Contrasts,” Rehahn has planned many further projects on Hoi An, Vietnamese women, and children. Last year, he had a photo exhibition on Vietnamese women in Hanoi titled “Proud to be a Woman,” and published an e-book titled “Photographic Journey,” a collection of photos taken during his exploration of the northern provinces.