French-Vietnamese photographer tells stories from banks of the Mekong River

French-Vietnamese photographer Lam Duc Hien's display will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between France and Vietnam.

It will also mark the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership of the two countries as well as promoting a series of cultural and tourism activities in central Vietnam.

À hauteur d’ hommes (Life stories on Mekong River banks) will run at the central city’s Fine Arts Museum from April 3 to 15.

Hien, whose father was Vietnamese and mother Laotian, was born in 1966 on the Mekong River side at the Pakse section in Laos. He then moved to live in France in 1977 after spending two years at a refugee camp in Thailand.

The photographer travelled from the source in Tibet taking pictures documenting the life stories among communities living on both sides of the river.

The collection features portraits and personal memories of people he met on the journey. The river marks as borders of territories and cultural links of lands and people.

Hien, who is a member of Agence VU (Agency of photographers found in 1986), had photographed conflicts and incidents in Romania, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Iraq.

Throughout his career, he has won many awards including Leica prizes and the Great European Award presented to him in Vevey, Switzerland.

The exhibition, which is a collaboration between the museum, the Institute of France in Da Nang and the Embassy of France in Vietnam.

It will be open at 5pm at the museum on April 3. The photographer will take part in an exchange with visitors at 4pm on April 14.