The Hai Au Women's Photography Club has hung 283 works by 28 of its members at the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Cultural House, in an exhibition devoted to the historical and cultural relics of a city now more than 300 years old. The show runs until October 12 at the Cultural House's second facility, No. 2 Nguyen Dong Chi Street, Tan My ward.

The subject is a demanding one. Ho Chi Minh City holds ancient and tranquil pagodas, architecture that has survived centuries, and the "red addresses" — revolutionary sites marked by heroic feats — that anchor the identity of generations of residents. Photographing heritage is rarely a matter of simply arriving; the sites are familiar to the point of invisibility for local audiences, and the club's members had to find angles, light and colour that would let viewers approach these places through emotion rather than habit.

Nguyen Hong Nga, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Photographic Association, acknowledged that the theme of historical and cultural relics initially posed many difficulties for the members. The women worked together and persevered over years of creation to complete the collection. Their perseverance now has two outcomes: the exhibition itself, and a newly launched book, "Historical and Cultural Relics of Ho Chi Minh City", which gathers 396 works by 28 photographers — a larger selection than the walls can hold, and a record of the project in durable form.

The book follows an earlier publication by the club and, according to Nga, extends its journey of preserving heritage through photography. She also framed the activity as a response to Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture — a reminder that in Vietnam, photography of this kind sits within an explicit national cultural policy, not only an artistic one.

On the evidence of the exhibition, the work is documentary in intent and affectionate in register. The photographs portray the ancient beauty of pagodas, architectural works and sites bearing historical imprints, while also registering the vitality of today's urban life. Familiar spaces are revisited through the observation and love for the city of those behind the camera. Whether the images transcend picturesque convention will depend on the individual frames; the club's strength, as Nga's account makes clear, lies in collective persistence rather than single auteurs.

Phan Thi Bich Huong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Cultural House, placed the project in institutional terms. Heritage, she said, preserves memories and contributes to shaping the identity of generations of city residents. Through their works, the female artists have connected the past with the rhythm of contemporary life and conveyed their affection for the city. She expressed the hope that the public, especially the younger generation, would gain a deeper understanding of, appreciation for and sense of responsibility towards cultural and historical values — an ambition that gives the exhibition a didactic edge alongside its aesthetic one.

Visitors are already responding. French traveller Foep Nick, attending during his trip to Ho Chi Minh City, said many photographs impressed him with their eye-catching portrayal of cultural heritage sites. Through the images, he found an additional route to the beauty of the city beyond his own itinerary — a small confirmation that photography of familiar places can still function as discovery for outsiders.

The occasion carries institutional weight on both sides. The Hai Au Women's Photography Club marks 36 years since its establishment, a considerable lifespan for a collective whose membership is defined by gender in a field long dominated by men. The exhibition also looks towards the 45th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Cultural House, the state institution that hosts it.

The club's trajectory suggests where this work is heading: with the new 396-image book now launched and the exhibition open until October 12, the members intend to keep building their photographic record of the city's heritage, publication by publication.