I’ve heard it said that women do all the hard work in Vietnam. There may be some truth in that; it certainly seems, sometimes, that men take a more – shall we say – relaxed approach. Here we have a cigarette seller, a repairman and a tailor, all seen hard at work over the last week.
Vietnamese markets are hot, noisy, crowded, exhausting places. No wonder these three had escaped to the shade of an alleyway for a sit-down and a chat.
Near Tan Dinh market, yesterday afternoon.
On Sunday, I made it back to Vietnam after four months back in the UK. I’m still adjusting to not being cold all the time. I’m used to life in Vietnam and I knew what to expect coming back, but I still felt a little odd and disconnected when I first got back. Things were familiar, yet strange. Was this just jet-lag, or was it a case of reverse reverse culture shock?
Anyway, yesterday, after a couple of days of sleeping at peculiar times and wondering at the strange feeling of warmth in the air, I went for a wander with my camera. I was a little apprehensive, having hardly taken any pictures at all while back at home, but after a slow start, I found myself getting back into my stride. I was a little slow to react at times, and more tentative than I would like, but I enjoyed myself and I came back with a few pictures that I like, one of which I’ve posted here.
I felt like I was racing against the rain all afternoon. There was that feeling that a downpour was imminent – all looming black clouds, swirling wind and fragile sunshine – but the rain, when it came, was late in the day and little more than a shower. The rainy season isn’t ready to arrive just yet.
Back in May last year, I spent a week in Hue, in central Vietnam. A lot of people tend to pass through Hue pretty quickly, or overlook it altogether in favour of Hoi An, which is a shame. Hue doesn’t seem to mind though; the city has a relaxed, pleasingly low-key feel. These pictures are from the countryside around the town and an early morning visit to a fishing village on the Perfume River.
After three and a half months in the UK, I will be heading back to Vietnam later this month, considerably later than planned. This blog – like the rest of my life – has lost some momentum over that time (I blame the unrelentingly awful weather) but I’m looking forward to getting both back on track and to posting some new pictures here soon. Some sunshine will be nice too.
Without an H 