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.
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 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.
Saigon xe om driver in characteristic pose, watched over by a slightly creepy giant baby.
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.
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.
I spent last weekend in Hanoi, seeing old friends and visiting old haunts. It was grey, damp, foggy and messy and I loved it.
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.
Twinkle
The number 8
Cafe culture
…
The boys in blue
Driving lessons
Cigarette break
Dapper gent
Sandwich lady
Afternoon sun
A bit of a blur
Back in October last year, I spent ten days in Bangkok, a trip that reignited my enthusiasm for photography. Thanks to the nice people at WordPress, my Bangkok: ten days, one lens post was featured on Freshly Pressed over the Christmas holiday, and I was overwhelmed by the response. A big thank you to everyone who commented on or liked the post, and a warm welcome to everyone who has started following the blog. It means a lot to me to know that there are people out there who like my pictures, and I hope that you’ll enjoy my posts from Vietnam too.
The response to the Bangkok post prompted me to look again at my pictures from that trip. Here’s a selection of shots that didn’t make it last time, not because I don’t like them, but because I don’t think that anyone wants to look at more than about twelve or fifteen pictures at a time (I assume, probably unfairly, that everyone else’s attention span is as short as mine). As before, these are all uncropped shots, taken with a 50mm lens.
I love taking pictures in markets, big or small, indoors or out.
The rush hour in Bangkok seems to last all day. A taxi ride is safer, cooler and more fragrant, but there’s something childishly thrilling about travelling by tuk-tuk.
Buddhas aren’t only found in the wats…
… although they are found there too.
They call him Amulet Man.
Fertility amulets are available in all shapes and sizes.
This monk was sitting in the back of a small truck, sprinkling water on passers by. He was accompanied in the truck by a life size gold statue of himself.
Bangkok’s wats are crammed full of buildings and statues, not to mention people. Rather than taking in the whole scene, I tried to focus on some of the details.
I spent a lot of the New Year weekend wandering around in District 3 in Saigon. In between the busy main roads that stretch across the centre of the city, joining one district to another, there’s a network of increasingly narrow sidestreets, backstreets, alleys, lanes and… what’s narrower than a lane? I promised myself I wasn’t going to use the word “labyrinth” in this post, but it’s a real labyrinth. Houses and shops open directly onto the street, and food markets squeeze themselves into any available space.
Away from the chaotic main roads, people were busy with their shopping and cooking, but no one was rushing. It was starting to get dark and I was thinking of going home when I took a right down this alley and saw the lady in brown leaning on her fence and chatting to her friends across the way (just out of shot). Two curious boys stopped playing football for a moment to watch the tall, clumsy foreigner take pictures of their slightly bemused neighbour.
Without an H 