Pi Nang Thi Hau glows as she tells people about a photo she took of her friends making banh tet (glutinous rice cakes) during the school's year-end celebration.

Fishing: A photo taken by Luu Seo Senh depicts his friends catching fish for dinner.

Hau, a 14-year-old student from the southern province of Ninh Thuan, is one among 49 ethnic children displaying their photos at the exhibition To Ke Ban Nghe (I Tell You My Stories), which opened yesterday at the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology.

Her school organises this special cake-making activity once a year with the participation of all students.

"My class made 15 cakes," she said. "When we finished, the teachers judged our cakes. My class took second place. After the competition, we enjoyed the cakes together. Thanks to the camera, I can capture the exciting moment and happy memories."

The exhibition showcases 120 photos selected from thousands taken by ethnic children from Ninh Thuan, the northern province of Lao Cai and the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong.

These ethnic students were provided with a camera to capture what they saw in their communities. Through their eyes, visitors can get a glimpse into childhood games, school and family activities and traditional festivals.

The activity is part of a project funded by Oxfam, an international organisation working to end injustice and poverty, and the Institute for Social Research, Economics and Environment (iSEE).

The selected students were trained in character photographing and story building by experts in the photovoice method.

"Creating a chance for children to take photos and tell stories is a wonderful way to understand them and encourage them to express their opinion," said Le Kim Dung from Oxfam. "Through the photos, I realise what the children want and their awareness of urgent issues such as hygiene and environment."

Le Quang Binh, iSEE's director, said, "The project shows us the point of view of ethnic students. When people see these photos, they can understand more about the life of ethnic people, as well as how children see the world."