The show contrasts the old and the new.

 PARIS  (VNS) — A photo exhibition featuring Vietnamese women in the past and present opened at the Viet Nam House in Paris on November 30.

About 50 photos and postcards taken from the early 20th century to the present were collected by Philippe Chaplain, the chairman of the France's National Heritage League, and French photographer Daniel Frydman.

Chaplain's black and white collection offers insight into Vietnamese women in the past, while Frydman's works show the modernity and openness of present Vietnamese women.

"Old photos are of great significance because they reflect Viet Nam's history and tradition, part of which Viet Nam and France share," said Chaplain, who won first prize at an international photo contest in Viet Nam in 2008 and spent all the reward money to support the poor, orphans and HIV patients in Ha Noi.

The exhibition is held to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Viet Nam and France. — VNS