Yen Duong | 2021 | Women By Women

In her collection for the 2021 exhibition, Yen Duong worked with members of a women’s group in the Kinh Lon village, who are creating long-term solutions to the impacts of climate change on their community.

Yen joined Women By Women because she was able to decide and direct everything throughout the creative process and show a different perspective of women in Vietnam.

Thu (pictured opposite on the right) and Huong (pictured opposite on the left) are close friends and rice farmers who have been struggling against the high levels of salty seawater intruding into the freshwater delta and their rice fields. Over the past few years, the climate has also become more erratic and harsh, causing thunderstorms and tornadoes that have destroyed homes and crops.

After joining a women’s group in their village, Thu and Huong accessed training on sustainable farming and learned which crops would be more resilient to climate change to boost their income. Now, the farmers plant waterlilies that are easier to grow and help remove impurities from the water, which can then be used for additional crops, cattle and poultry.

Members of the women’s group share areas of a pond where they grow waterlilies and harvest them once or twice per week to sell them in the market. Thu and Huong say the training and support from the women’s group have been invaluable, particularly in adapting their farming methods to climate change and working alongside other women to find new ways to earn a sustainable living.

Discover the stories of inspirational women and the talent of women photographers in our previous Women By Women exhibitions.