portrait | Without an H

Posts tagged ‘portrait’

Mirror Man and other pictures

I was in Hanoi the weekend before last for a friend’s wedding. It was a busy few days, but I found time on Sunday morning to take a slow walk down Hang Thiec, the street in the Old Quarter where household goods of tin and glass are made and sold. The resulting clanging, crashing and buzzing noises weren’t great for my post-wedding hangover, but the hazy sunshine provided great light for people pictures.

Cafe culture is alive and well in Hanoi. I like to think of these three gentlemen as earnest cafe philosophers, but they were probably talking about women and football.

My last visit north was in March, at the tail end of winter. It was cloudy and grey, both chilly and humid in a uniquely Hanoian way. A couple of months later, temperatures have reached the mid to high thirties, and jeans and scarves have been replaced by shorts and sandals. As a resident of Saigon, these seasonal changes are a welcome reminder of the passing of time, which seems to stand still in the south. Changes in the weather are less pronounced here. It’s dry or it’s wet, it’s hot or it’s outrageously hot. I suppose I was thinking a lot about the passing of time, as I spent much of the weekend in Hanoi catching up with old friends, idling the hours away in some of my favourite places. I lived in Hanoi for two and a half years, and for me, there’s something special about the place that’s hard to put into words. Although I’ve lived in Saigon for seven months now, Hanoi still feels more like home to me. Not to say that it’s an idyllic place – it’s noisy, dirty, sometimes infuriating – but it has a charm and character that Saigon lacks. This is partly nostalgia on my part, of course. My life was different in Hanoi, and I miss that time and those people as much as the place itself. But something tells me that I’ll be back, and for more than just a weekend.

The Red and the Black (potw #25)

I’ve rather pretentiously named this post after a nineteenth century French novel, which I haven’t read. But I like the red and the black of her shirt, and the way it almost matches the background, so ‘the Red and the Black’ it is. She runs a food stall on the edge of Hanoi’s old quarter.

I was up in Hanoi for a quick visit last weekend, jetsetter that I am, and will be posting a few more pictures soon.

May days in Hue

A week in Hue (“hway?”) at the beginning of May provided a welcome change of pace from life in Saigon, even if there was no escape from the heat, which is pretty brutal in south and central Vietnam at this time of the year. Hue is a river city, known for its crumbling tombs and mausoleums and its distinctive cuisine. Historically, it was the ancient capital of the country and, more recently, the scene of some of the bloodiest episodes of the war. Although its past is fascinating, I was more interested in seeing the everyday life of the city now, its streets, markets, canals and people.

It’s about time (potw #24)

It’s been a while since I posted a picture of the week; I simply haven’t been taking many photographs lately. I haven’t been doing much of anything at all, to be honest. But I’ve just come back from a week in Hue, in central Vietnam, where I managed to get up off my arse and take some pictures. This shot was taken in Dong Ba market. More Hue pictures coming soon.

Mekong Delta portraits II

A sequel is usually a sign of someone running out of ideas, and this post, I’m afraid, is no exception. In the absence of anything new to post from the last few weeks, I’ve plundered my archive for some more pictures from my Mekong trip in January this year, to create a follow up to my original Mekong Delta portraits post. I like all these pictures – I wouldn’t be posting them otherwise – but I wish that I had something new to share. I’m spending next week in Hue, and I’m hoping that a change of scene will provide some inspiration. We’ll see. In the meantime, please forgive the navel-gazing and enjoy the pictures.

Behind you (potw #23)

Saigon xe om driver in characteristic pose, watched over by a slightly creepy giant baby.

Fruit market portrait (potw #22)

I haven’t taken that many pictures in Saigon recently, but I’m hoping that moving to a new neighbourhood will inspire me. This was taken outside Tan Dinh market on Hai Ba Trung, which I’m expecting will become a regular destination for me in the coming months.

This blog has gained a lot of new followers over the last couple of days, thanks to my ‘Mekong Delta portraits’ post being featured on Freshly Pressed. Welcome everybody and thanks for the support – I hope that you’ll continue enjoying the blog.

The little differences

Two days in two of south-east Asia’s capital cities, two months apart. In January, I passed through Phnom Penh on my way back from my Mekong trip. Last weekend, I went back to my old home of Hanoi for the first time in more than a year. I didn’t take that many pictures on either occasion – in Phnom Penh, I was winding down after two weeks away, and in Hanoi I had some important drinking to do. I got a few shots that I like though, and I thought they might make a nice ‘compare and contrast’ exercise. Forgive me, I’m an English teacher. Phnom Penh is in colour and Hanoi is in black and white.

Gentlemen of Hanoi (potw #21)

I spent last weekend in Hanoi, seeing old friends and visiting old haunts. It was grey, damp, foggy and messy and I loved it.

The Sandwich Lady and other pictures

Late December and early January in Saigon. Looking at these pictures again, I wish – not for the first time – that my Vietnamese was better, so that I could write a little about these people and their stories.