Stunning photos of the ethnic minority groups of Vietnam

(VNF) - A French photographer has captured photos of the ethnic minority groups of Vietnam for his photo project “The Precious Heritage Collection”.

Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups and Réhahn Croquevielle, a Hoi An-based photographer, has spent the last 10 years traveling and taking pictures of them to preserve the beauty of each tribe. He has compiled this decade-long mission in a stunning photo project called “The Precious Heritage Collection by Réhahn”.

“People seem to be unaware of how fast the numbers of the ethnic groups are dwindling around them,” Réhahn’s team wrote in a statement. “It’s as if a part of cultural history is going to sleep forever and no one seems to be doing anything to wake it up.”

The portraits he's captured provide a glimpse into the vanishing cultures of people who are striving to hold onto their heritage in a rapidly-changing world.

Breathtaking photos of some of Vietnam's most remote tribes:

A Co Tu lady. They live mostly in the Central region of Vietnam and in Laos.

A little representative of the Black Lo Lo tribe.

A lady from Hrê ethnic group.

A Ha Nhi kid in Sapa, a mountainous town in northern Vietnam.

78 year old woman named Vi Thi Dung, who is the last person making the Ơ Ðu traditional costume in Vietnam.

Two Red Dao boys.

Two Ma girls, the ethnic group living in the Central Highlands.

Réhahn and a Co Tu ethnic minority woman.

“We know that we often have to look back before we can move forward and how wonderful it would be to remind people of the beauty of their unique cultural legacy,” he said.

Réhahn is still planning to meet all 54 ethnic groups personally to document the beauty of their unique cultural legacy. Réhahn predicts he'll need two more years to finish photographing the remaining 14 tribes of the country that he hasn't seen yet.

Throughout his project, Réhahn has also been collecting the traditional costumes of these tribes. His goal is to build a cultural ethnic museum in Hoi An and display his photos, the costumes, and these people's stories. Eventually he hopes to bring his exhibition to galleries around the world./.

Minh Phuong ( Photos by Réhahn Croquevielle )