Hanoi photo exhibition celebrates Vietnam insect diversity

"Exploring insect diversity in Vietnam" is on at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Italian photographer Saulo Bambi is from the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence and Professor Vu Van Lien is from the Vietnam Museum of Nature.

The terrific lighting at the exhibition hall makes the world of insects come alive.

From 2008 to 2018 Bambi traveled to various national parks and nature reserves throughout Vietnam to capture these pictures.

The moth in this photo by Bambi has eye-shaped patterns on its wings to fool predators. When it is attacked, it opens its wings with the false eyes to distract the predators and make a getaway.

This caterpillar was found in the Van Ban Nature Reserve in the northern province of Yen Bai. Some moth caterpillars protect themselves from predators with their long stinging hairs. In this picture, water droplets are clinging to the hairs.

Sometimes several moth caterpillars gather on a leaf and use their stinging hairs to protect themselves from predators.

This is a cicada at the Sao La Nature Reserve in the central province of Thua Thien Hue. The cicada’s loud chirping sound can be heard in all tropical forests.

This green grasshopper is in the Pa Co Hang Kia Nature Reserve in the northern Hoa Binh Province. Its colors help it blend perfectly into the surroundings.

Bambi took this photo of a planthopper at the Ba Be National Park in the northern Bac Kan Province.

The pattern on the wings of a butterfly in Xuan Son National Park, Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam. The colors and patterns are created by tiny scales.

Lien said there are more than a million insect species in the world, but they are disappearing due to pollution and global warming. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the need to preserve insects and their habitats.

The exhibition, also being held to mark 10 years of scientific cooperation between Vietnam and Italy, will go on until June 18.

Photos by Hanh Tho