An exhibition that opened in Hanoi on March 7 will bring the lives of single mothers, living in an outlying district, into focus.

The exhibition is held at Vietnamese Women’s Museum. The exhibition will be up for viewing until August 8.

The show comes from a collaboration between museum and the Finnish Embassy in Vietnam, and aims to raise awareness about the social and economic status of single mothers in the country.

On display are more than 100 photos which intimately show the lives of about 18 women who face hardship on top of social stigma. The pictures are all from Tan Minh Commune in Hanoi’s outlying district of Soc Son.

The photos were selected from more than 1,000, all of which were taken by the women themselves over a two-month period, with cameras provided by the project’s organisers. The exhibition will travel for one month after August.

Tan Minh is an agricultural commune with 15,000 people, including over 200 single mothers.

Most of the mothers shown in the exhibition have occupations such as farming and producing sleeping bags and other textile goods by hand. The sleeping bags cost VND16,000 (USD0.76).

In the period between 2007 and 2010, they produced 14,743 sleeping bags and 1,100 towels.

Some photos from the exhibition:

Heavy labour

Mothers share their hardships and their joy

Making sleeping bags to supplement a small income

A chat after a long work day

A bit of fun in a hard life

Children at play

Smiles despite the burden

Hope for an easier life for the children

Doan Thi Thinh when she is working in the field alone, photo by Nguyen Thi Tiep

A lone rooster in a courtyard, photo by Nguyen Thi Tan

Making sleeping bags

Communal activities bring a bit of relief

“Joy in work” by Do Thi Gioi

A photo by Nguyen Thi Quy

“Keeping the pot boiling”, an image of Nguyen Thi Ly