“Face-to-Face with Drugs” photo exhibition in Hanoi

A photo at the exhibition by photographer Pham Hoai Thanh

Photo: Pham Hoai Thanh

TUOI TRE

A photo exhibition titled “Face to Face with Drugs” is set to open today at the Center for Supporting Community Development Initiatives and Tomorrow Media on the occasion of the International Drugs Prevention Day (25/06/2011).

Photographer Pham Hoai Thanh spent a year working with 50 people who have got rid of or are still using the substances to complete the collection.

Visitors to the event at 29 Hang Bai Street in Hanoi, sponsored by USAID with PEPFAR funding via partner Pact and the Open Society Foundations, can see stories described by images about the private lives of drug users.

They are stories of how drug users first became involved with drugs, about their battles against the long-lasting effects of addiction, and most of all, their desire to turn themselves into productive members of their families and communities.

The photos are presented in four groups, representing different periods in a drug user’s life, starting from how they are led to drugs, the struggle of drug users and their families in the battle against drugs’ deadly effects, efforts to overcome drug use and their gratitude to life.

Their stories celebrate the support they have received from beloved people and activists in society.

This is the first photo exhibition in Vietnam on the lives of drug users.

“These stories are neither intended to lay blame nor to justify the subjects’ decisions. But in today’s society, where drug use cannot be completely controlled, the perspectives from this photo book will hopefully help visitors develop a full and more objective understanding of this issue,” Thanh said.

Dr. Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, the Center’s executive director said, “We hope the exhibition will not only help reduce the stigma and discrimination against drug users, but will also encourage them to live more positively, and let them know that they are not alone in the fight against the negative effects of drugs.”

The event is being organized on the occasion of the International Drugs Prevention Day on June 25.

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