Each picture provides a bit of history, including floods, Tran Hung Dao street (Hanoi) under water, fishing in Sam Son (Thanh Hoa) or rice planting in Tam Coc (Ninh Binh).

"What makes it a special event is that the photos, taken by unprofessional artists, reflect the daily life of Vietnamese generation for thousands of years; they have lived with water, on water and even in water," said Nicole Maillard, president of Coup de Pouce Vietnam, which hosted the exhibition.

Two of Nicole's photos are displayed, one featuring an immense lotus field in northern Ha Tay province and the other, titled Riziere de Ma Vie a Lai Chau (Rice field of My Life in Lai Chau), depicting an old woman laughing, with the rice field behind her.

"I was moved by the dual expressions of this woman, who spent her entire life working in the water," said Nicole. "Her smile indicated satisfaction with her work, but behind the smile is a whole life of hard work."

"The best photos among those works will be printed in our calender Coup de Pouce -Vietnam 2007, and the money received from this will be used to help poor people in Vietnam," she added.

Founded in 1997, the Coup de Pouce has 50 members and has invested in many humanitarian projects in Vietnam.

The association has so far  organised three exhibits in Hanoi: the first focused on the handicraft work in Vietnam and the second on festivals and seasons.

The exhibition will run until May 24 at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street.