King Bao Dai. QueenNamPhuong. According to historical books, Dang Huy Tru, a patriotic and reform-minded mandarin during the Nguyen Dynasty (19th century) was the first Vietnamese to use photographic techniques inVietnam. On March 14, 1869, his Cam Hieu Duong Photo Shop was opened on Thanh Ha Street in Hanoi. On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of Vietnam’s Photography Day (March 14, 1869 – March 14, 2009), the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, Vietnam Revolutionary Museum and Vietnam Association of History and Science coordinated to collect and display photos of Vietnam taken in the early 20th century. After about one month, collectors gathered more than 1,200 photos of families, handicrafts, daily activities of different classes in the society, such as poor farmers, mandarins' families, feudal families and students;  streets, rural villages, festivals, religious rites, etc. To collect the photos, staff from different associations contacted people who come from wealthy backgrounds and whose families had the fortune to have photos taken of them and also diligently searched through the archives at libraries, assorted offices and book stores. Another source of importance was a publication of early 20th century photos in Vietnam by French photographer Albert Kahn. Vietnam Pictorial introduces to readers some photos from the photo collection.     Embroidering. A Hanoi girl makes tea. Buoi Market in Hanoi. Chewing betel and areca. Milling flour to make rice vermicelli noodles. A family of upper strata in Sai Gon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City ). A shop on Long Street (present-day Le Duan Street ). A funeral on Hang Dao Streetin Hanoi. Story by Manh Thuong - Photos by files