Colorful features of Vietnamese ethnic groups

The photo exhibition on Vietnam’s ethnic groups jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee at the coastal park near Tram Huong Tower (Nha Trang Ward) from November 15 to 24, 2025 introduce colorful features of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Beautiful moments

The exhibition displays 250 photos of 87 photographers nationwide, capturing beautiful moments of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, including 200 photos selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and 50 photos featuring ethnic groups in Khanh Hoa Province of 25 Khanh Hoa photographers. The exhibited photos vividly present the unique and typical cultural features of 54 ethnic groups, from customs, practices, religious beliefs, lifestyles to traditional costumes and festivals.

Through the photos, the public can view the beauty of ethnic communities in the northern mountainous region such as Tay, Nung, Thai, Muong, Dao, and Hmong with landscapes, colorful traditional costumes and unique cultural practices. The photos also feature traditional festivals namely Ban Flower Festival of Thai people, Gau Tao Festival of the Hmong, Long Tong Festival of the Tay and Nung, and Fire Dance Festival of the Dao and Pa Then. In the South Central and Central Highlands regions, the photos depict Cham, Raglai, Ede, Bana, Hre, and Mnong communities doing weaving, coffee harvesting and their festivals such as Gong Festival, New Rice Celebration and Kate Festival. The ethnic groups in the southern region include Khmer, Hoa, and Xtieng. 

Students of Nha Trang Central Ethnic Minority Pre-University School viewing photos at the photo exhibition

The community of Vietnamese ethnic groups has taken shape and grown over thousands of years, creating a beautiful and diverse cultural picture in which each ethnic group’s cultural identity forms a distinctive color. “Viewing the photos, I see the diverse beauty of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. I especially enjoy the photos of traditional festivals, portraits of young women and village elders. I’m happy to see many photos of my H’re ethnic group displayed at the exhibition,” said Dinh Thi Nhu Y, a student of Nha Trang Central Ethnic Minority Pre-University School. Yoon Hyeonjeong, a visitor from South Korea, is interested in the exhitied photos and quite surprised to learn that Vietnam has so many ethnic groups living together with distinctive cultural characteristics. She think that there should have English captions so that foreign visitors can understand the content more easily.

Continuing to promote cultural value of Vietnamese ethnic groups

The photo exhibition "Color of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups" is an opportunity to honor, spread and promote the unique cultural value of all ethnic groups in Vietnam. This is the first time the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has organized a photo exhibition introducing Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups in Khanh Hoa Province. According to Ma The Anh, director of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions (under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Khanh Hoa was chosen to host this exhibition because the province is one of the localities with developed tourism and a popular tourism attraction to domestic and international tourists. It is also home to many ethnic groups, each with a typical and unique cultural identity and value.

Foreign tourists viewing the exhibited photos

The exhibited photos were carefully selected from photographers and journalists nationwide. Notably, the photos by Khanh Hoa photographers and journalists have high artistic quality. The works reflect the richness in daily lives, cultures, nature, and people of the 54 ethnic communities. "After the exhibition, all the artworks will be given to Khanh Hoa Province. Therefore, we hope that the province will continue to promote and introduce this photo collection in events taking place in the province or in domestic and international events in which the province participates. This is to further strongly promote the beauty of Vietnam's ethnic communities," said The Anh.

According to Nguyen Van Hoa, director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the photo exhibition not only showcases beautiful and emotional moments captured through the lens but also provides knowledge about the richness of the cultures, customs, beliefs, and daily lives of the ethnic groups in Vietnam. Each photograph is a message honoring the unity, diversity, and rich cultural identity of Vietnamese people. The exhibition also serves to introduce the image of Khanh Hoa, a province rich in cultural traditions.

GIANG DINH
Translated by H.N