The Black Lo Lo by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
The Precious Heritage Project
Over the course of nearly a decade, the French photographer Réhahn researched and photo-documented all 54 official ethnic groups in Vietnam, with the hope of increasing the public’s understanding of tribal culture in the country.
The Black Dao by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
Take a deeper look at what national identity means by learning about the 54 diverse ethnic groups currently living in Northern Vietnam.
The Phu La by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
The final collection of full-color portraits of tribal members in their traditional garments, alongside artifacts, heritage crafts, and stories is on display in the Precious Heritage Museum in Hoi An, Vietnam.
The Flower Lo Lo by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
Virtual Exhibit
In this virtual exhibit, you’ll have the opportunity to discover one-of-a-kind stories, tribal textiles, and portraits from: the Dao, Bo Y, O Du, Phu La, La Hu, Pu Peo, Pa Then, and Si La tribes.
The Red Dao by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
NORTHERN VIETNAM
There are at least 33 known ethnicities living within Northern Vietnam's towering mountains and lush rice paddies. Many tribes also are connected to subgroups that share similarities in language and culture.
View Réhahn's Travels Through Northern Vietnam
The Red Dao by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
Each tribe can be distinguished by its different textile traditions, most notably the style of embroidery and embellishments.
Less than a dozen people over the age of 70 can still speak their original language, known as Phrom. The language has no written form, making it almost impossible to pass down to future generations.
The tribe is known for its intricate patchwork, embroidery, and elaborate beading.
The Flower Lo Lo by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
The Lo Lo
The Lo Lo are divided into 3 subgroups: Flower, Red, and Black. The Flower Lo Lo (pictured) get their name from their colorful clothing that they still make by hand.
The intricate embroidery and pompoms seen on this little girl's hat can be viewed in the cabinet of artifacts in the Precious Heritage Museum.
The woman pictured is the only one left in her village with an entire tribal ensemble.
Legend has it that their ancient language was written on rice cakes by scholars but the language disappeared when the scholars got hungry.
The main colors of the Pu Peo garments are red and blue. Red represents the woman's respect for man and blue honors the woman.
The Si La people migrated from Yunnan Province (China) to Vietnam, speaking a Tibetan-Burmese language.
Playing with indigo by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
Learn More
Read more about The Precious Heritage Project and Vietnam's Northern ethnic groups in the article "Discover Vietnam's 54+ Ethnicities - Part 2."
Text by Réhahn with Molly Headley
