2016 Oct | Without an H

Construction (and other pictures)

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It often seems like Hanoi is in the midst of an endless cycle of knocking itself down and building itself up again. On almost every street, there’s construction or demolition work going on. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. When I first came to Vietnam, I was surprised to see so many women working on construction sites, but now, like so much else, it’s just normal. I need to remind myself sometimes that even if an image is familiar (to me), it can still be worth photographing.

These pictures – which mostly have nothing to do with construction at all – were all taken in the streets around Van Mieu, the area best known for the Temple of Literature, this month.

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A calligrapher, a birdkeeper and a chef

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A calligrapher, a birdkeeper and a chef walked into a bar… and none of them could think of a punchline.

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Yellow V

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Every now and then, I post a series of yellow-based pictures. It’s not my favourite colour, but it is Hanoi’s.

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Framed

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I’m slowly getting back into the rhythm of taking photographs again, after another of my all too regular lulls. These four pictures were taken in Hanoi’s Dong Da district a couple of weekends ago and, in my mind at least, all fit into a loose ‘framing’ theme.

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Tailor (and other pictures)

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It’s autumn in Hanoi. This is a good thing. You can move about without feeling like you’re about to melt. To celebrate, I’ve started taking pictures in colour again.

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On Bamboo Street with VTV

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Last week, I had the slightly surreal experience of being interviewed for Vietnamese television, in connection with my Hanoi / Yangon exhibition at Vietnam in Focus. As well as a sit-down interview, I was filmed taking pictures on Hang Vai, a street in the Old Quarter known for its bamboo workshops, and also the location of the ViF cafe / gallery. Obviously, I’m not used to being filmed while photographing and I felt quite uncomfortable with the whole experience, but some of the pictures I took that afternoon came out nice, so I’m posting them here.

Also, and I know I’m going to regret this, I’m posting a link to the full program (Culture Mosaic, originally broadcast on VTV4 last weekend; my segment starts at about 13 minutes). Honestly, I’m actually quite articulate and personable in real life, but put me in front of a camera and I turn into the awkward, sweaty, incoherent individual you see here.

(with thanks to the good people of VTV)