It’s the people.
And of the people it’s the children that so stick in my memory from my brief trip to Vietnam. I remember them being inquisitive yet holding a respectful distance; bright-eyed and quick to wave whilst staying close to mum. They also loved to chime out
“Hello…”
in English accompanied by a cheeky chorus of giggles.
Gracious people.
Suffice to say I won’t be talking about ‘the War’ here. Many who fought there all those years ago now may understandably have a different opinion than me. But I can only ‘report’ what I observed and experienced from my first Vietnam trip.
And that’s what I do whenever and where ever I travel.
I travel to learn and observe to understand.
I saw and met warm, gracious, patient and contented people.
Non-hurried and often, it seemed, without many possessions I observed families laughing, working and playing together. Outside of the cities it seems very much a paddock to plate subsistence society which is actually still the norm for most of the world’s population.
Thank god for digital photography is all I can say. I took so many photographs. Many more than I normally do. The reason?
The reason being that instead of scowls or ‘look aways’ upon being noticed with my bulky Canon DSLR – common with street photography in western cities – I was welcomed with a beaming smile more often than not. And how can a photographer refuse an invitation like that.
Face of Vietnam. Part 2. Gallery. [click an image to enlarge]
Previous Post.
I love that you have a post dedicated to faces – it seems like a quick, genuine way to give us a glimpse of Vietnam. I’m especially in love with what you wrote about the children in the previous post – I felt the same way about the children I saw in Afghanistan – they’re curious, sometimes gleeful and love nothing more than seeing the photos you’ve taken of them.
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Thanks so much. That’s so true about the kids. Their reactions are innate and genuine. Wow – when did you travel in Afghanistan?
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Of course! I was there for a bit in 2012, my coworkers are about to go back to meet with some of the farmers we work with.
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Fantastic!
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Another awesome post dude !
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Thanks for the kind words and stopping by mate. Appreciate it. Reckon you have to lock that Vietnam spring trip in hey?!
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Reblogged this on all things HCMC.
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Really appreciate that! Cheers
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Nice street shots.
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Thank You Elmer. Have you been to Vietnam before?
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