The story of a French photographer bringing images of Vietnamese women to the world

The photo of the old lady in Hoi An was fateful, as admitted by French photographer Rehahn Croquevielle, who “fell in love” with Vietnam 10 years ago.

Hidden Smile

This is the name of the photo series, including a photo of an old lady in Hoi An that was rated by the American press as “The most beautiful old lady in the world”. The photo is also the highlight of the book “Vietnam, Mosaic of Contrasts” released by photographer Rehahn Croquevielle in early 2014.

The photo of the old lady in Hoi An in the Hidden Smile photo series by French photographer Rehahn Croquevielle has contributed to bringing the image of Vietnamese women to the world. (Photo: NVCC).

Like thousands of other photos that contribute to introducing the people and beautiful landscapes of Vietnam by the French photographer born in 1979, the image of the old lady in Hoi An is recognized by the author as a destiny, bringing the image of Vietnamese women to the whole world, after nearly 10 years of "falling in love" with the S-shaped land.

“I first came to Vietnam in 2007, during a charity event for Vietnamese children in Hoi An. That was when I often traveled around to take photos for my hobby, but I never thought that fate would tie me so closely to this country, especially to this peaceful Hoi An. As we often say, “love at first sight” and my love for Hoi An originated from that first visit,” photographer Rehahn, who has settled in Hoi An for the past 4 years, shared with VOV.VN.

Nearly 10 years of traveling back and forth between Vietnam - France and then France - Vietnam, along with 4 years of settling in Hoi An, helped Rehahn Croquevielle become more attached to the S-shaped land, as well as speak the local language fluently, especially the foreign language he calls "Quang Nom" (Quang Nam - pronounced according to the native people in Hoi An).

That was the moment photographer Réhahn “captured” when 78-year-old Mrs. Bui Thi Xong, a boat rower in Hoi An, was shyly looking at the camera. This work is one of the first photos he took for the “Hidden Smile” series, capturing the hidden smiles of Vietnamese people, which he found very interesting and charming.

Big event on March 8

On her personal social media account, the 36-year-old photographer shared that her photo of Ms. Bui Thi Xong was brought to the Vietnam Women's Museum (Hanoi) on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8, and called it a "big event".

To Rehahn, Mrs. Xong is "the most beautiful old lady in the world, with a strong, gentle smile, regardless of age and living conditions", as well as the representative of Vietnam in the eyes of this photographer.

Rehahn excitedly shared how “famous” Ms. Xong was after his work brought the image of Vietnamese women to the world: “When I first came to Hanoi, only a few people knew me, but everyone recognized Ms. Xong and asked to take pictures with her, from the time she sat on a cyclo around Hoan Kiem Lake or went to the Opera House… Ms. Xong is much more famous than me.”

Photographer Rehahn with Mrs. Bui Thi Xong and her husband and the author.

The 36-year-old photographer also did not forget to capture what he considered “extremely lovely” images of Mrs. Bui Thi Xong and her husband when they first came to Hanoi, along with countless other “firsts” such as taking the elevator, staying in a 5-star hotel or going to a museum…

“For me, life is very simple, being able to travel here and there and capture beautiful scenes, sitting leisurely smoking a cigar and above all, being able to live in Hoi An, Vietnam - a place I always consider my second home, a land with people who are always an endless source of inspiration for me in front of the lens”, photographer Rehahn Croquevielle, who has brought the image of Vietnamese women to the world, concluded./.

According to VOV