German-Vietnamese Biographies as a Mirror of History

The Berlin-based photographer and historian Nicolaus Schmidt was invited in 2017 by the German diplomatic representation Hanoi to realize a photo project about German-Vietnamese cooperation. With the support of the German Embassy and the German Consulate General in Vietnam, Nicolaus Schmidt photographed more than one hundred people. His photographs and interviews were implemented in the book “Việt Đức – German-Vietnamese Biographies as a Mirror of History”.

“Although Vietnam and Germany are separated from each other by continents, the two countries are connected by partnership and friendship since the mid-20^th century,” says Thomas Lenferding - Head of the Department of Culture, Press and Science of the German Embassy Hanoi. The people of Vietnam and Germany nowadays meet more directly and vividly, and it is precisely the civil society connection that helps to lead the dialogue beyond political formats.

The exhibition showcases a selection of nineteen photographs in which the various strands of German-Vietnamese relations since the early 1950s can be traced.

The German Ambassador Christian Berger will officially open the exhibition Viet-Duc on June 25 in Goethe Institut (56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi) and last until July 7./.