Photographing Vietnam
Vietnam is a country I keep wanting to return to. What began as an interest in the country, its history and culture quickly became something much more personal once I started travelling there with a camera.
My photography has taken me from the streets and markets of Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Hoi An and Hanoi, as well as smaller villages and communities in the Central Highlands. While Vietnam has no shortage of iconic locations, I’m usually more interested in what is happening away from them, early-morning markets, fishing communities, neighbourhood streets and the rhythm of everyday life.
The people are a huge part of what keeps drawing me back. I’ve found an openness and warmth that makes photographing in Vietnam particularly rewarding. Some of my strongest memories have come from simple encounters, a conversation, being invited into someone’s home, or spending time with people whose lives are very different from my own.
On later trips I’ve deliberately moved beyond the better-known locations, particularly in the Central Highlands, where I’ve had opportunities to photograph communities including the Bráu and spend more time documenting people within their own environment.
Vietnam has also changed the way I photograph. I’ve learned to slow down, stay in one place longer and look beyond the obvious image. Very often it’s the ordinary moments, the ones happening between the landmarks that tell me the most about a place.
