In their mind's eye

A photo exhibition in downtown Hanoi that features the lives of visually impaired people in the Vietnamese capital offers the viewer a fascinating insight into their unique worldview.

“Chieu Sau Anh Sang” (“Inside the Light”) is a unique exhibition of 30 coloured and black-and-white photos of the daily activities of visually impaired youngsters at Nguyen Dinh Chieu junior secondary school and at the Centre for Training and Rehabilitation for the Blind. A group of high school students in Hanoi wanted to do something meaningful for the community during their summer holiday and the exhibition is the result.

“We wanted to do something different during our vacation. Some of my classmates at secondary school were visually impaired students and observing their difficulties, pressures and optimistic spirit inspired me to make this exhibition,” explains Le Vu Ha Chi, a 12th-grade student at Hanoi-Amsterdam High School.

“It took us about two months to take these pictures. We needed to spend time talking to the blind to understand them more, so that we could have photos that reflected their daily life more truthfully and deeply,” adds Kieu Khoi Nguyen, a student at the same school. 

“We wanted to convey blind people’s difficulties and optimistic spirits to visitors.”

For visually impaired visitors, the exhibition offers a tactile experience by providing 3D models of world wonders. Instead of reading about these wonders from books or print media, they can touch them to help them imagine the physical world.

Apart from the photos on display, visitors can experience blind people’s daily activities in interactive sections where they are blindfolded and asked to paint, do puzzles as well as write and read Braille.

“After seeing pictures here and engaging in some of the activities, I feel very sympathetic towards the blind. I can do these activities easily in my life, but when I was blindfolded, I couldn’t. I think this is a meaningful opportunity and thank the organisers for giving me such an interesting experience,” said 26-year-old visitor Luong My Linh.

Visitors can also buy souvenirs such as notebooks and postcards at the exhibition to raise funds for the very same people photographed at the exhibition.

The exhibition was funded by the Summit English Centre and Soha News, and is located at 16 Ngo Quyen Street.