[Photos] French photographer immortalizes Vietnamese life a century ago

A group of Montagnard warriors, or indigenous people living in the central region of Vietnam

Dieulefils came to Indochina in 1885 and had chances to travel around the region as a soldier in the French army. He became a photographer after army discharge, and had many photos taken throughout Vietnam.

Several of his photographs are used in Vietnamese historian Dao Duy Anh’s book “Viet Nam Van Hoa Su Cuong” (The Outlined History of Vietnamese Culture).

“People of the Thai ethnic group in Thanh Hoa hunting for tigers” is included in Pierre Dieulefils’ book “Indo-Chine Pittoresque & Monumentale.” The photo also helps him win the gold medal at the 1910 Brussels International Exposition

People of the Thai ethnic group drinking alcohol after hunting tigers

He was considered a famous name in the field of visual historiography, whose main focus was on the Indochina region.

A group of people of the Man ethnic group in the mountainous province of Lao Cai in the late-19th century


A mother of the Meo ethnic group and her two children


A family in the northern region of Vietnam in the late-19th century

Five-piece ao dai was popular during the time. The design’s pieces represent five people: parents of the wearer, parents of the wearer’s partner, and the wearer.

There are five buttons on the five-piece ao dai as well, which represent the five values: kindness, decorum, uprightness, wisdom, and faithfulness.

Nguyen dynasty ministers in their court-dresses, which are made from brocade and satin, and often have embroidered patterns of phoenixes, bats, and the sun amongst others

People of the time rarely washed these clothes in order to preserve the dyed colors. They occasionally hung them under the sun, kept them in wooden boxes, and made them smell good by surrounding them with agarwood instead.

A singing troupe in the southern Vietnam in the 20th century

There were many troupes like this in the southern region during the time, which performed traditional plots in contemporary languages and styles, so that their audiences could better understand and learn their performances by heart.

“Viet Nam Van Hoa Su Cuong” was first published in 1938 and is considered one of the most important historical books about Vietnamese culture.

Together with former minister of education Nguyen Van Huyen’s book “Van Minh An Nam” (The Civilization of Vietnam), the two books set the foundation for modern Vietnamese cultural studies.

VnExpress