Scooter and mopeds. Everywhere, and everywhere else. They drive on sidewalks, on the street in-between cars, they circle pedestrians crossing streets, go through red lights, there's no end to their organized chaos. No wonder tourists aren't allowed to drive in Vietnam. It would make an awesome treatment for people who suffer from road rage though. Throw 'em in there for a couple of hours. Problem solved!
A vietnamese woman takes a nap on her scooter in Hanoi. This is actually more common than you'd think. Vietnamese people work long hours almost every day. Most don't enjoy paid vacations like you do, so they rest whenever and wherever they can.
A fruit cart, abandoned in the middle of the road as cars and mopeds whiz by.
All the juices looked so yummy, but I didn't buy any street food (booo!!). This was a reco from some locals because food safety is just not there in Vietnam and cross-contamination is not just possible, but highly likely.
I've seen countless situations like this where kids are riding without helmets. I'm not sure if it's that safety is not as important to the Vietnamese or if it's because of poverty, but I think kids are definitely at risk here.
People carry anything on scooters. Here it's flowers, I've seen dogs, kids, chickens, goats, 3 kegs of beer, bamboo, PVC pipes, lumber... ... ...
A Vietnamese woman threads silk in a vintage machine at the Trieu Van Mao Silk Factory.
Every single day, this woman walks about 12 kms to her "spot" to prepare food for locals, somewhere, on a sidewalk. These spots are typically heavily guarded by thugs and gangs, and they request some sort rent for people like her to sell there. Apparently, you can't just pop-in and start selling. You need to pay rent first.
Met a friendly monk in the ancient village of Cam Lâm. He invited us into his beautiful wooden home and offered us some tasty, fresh and authentic green tea. Not the dried up kind, right off a tree!
Most homes we visited in northern Vietnam, have some sort of altar where they pray, deposit offerings, burn incence, etc. In some homes, it's more elaborate than others, but certainly interesting.
Incense is burning in the mausoleum of Ngô Quyền, a Vietnamese king who ruled from 939 to 944 near the villange of Duong Lam, northern Vietnam.
The mausoleum of Ngo Quyen is a vast complex surrounded by vibrant green rice fields. According to legend, King Ngo Quyen was born with exceptional strength and bright eyes. It is said that as a teenager, he grabbed the horns of two fighting buffalos, scaring them so badly that they ran away. He grew up to become a general and the governor of an area called Chau Hoan, Chau Ai. He organized followers to resist foreign invasion, and his forces achieved a historic victory on the Bach Dang River in 938.
Sơn Tây, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Jut a plain ol' basket, but I thought it looked kinda cool. I wonder what it's used for. What do you think?
Moped
Paper houses, luxury cars, laptops, clothing, and other valuable items, all made out of paper, go up in smoke to honour the dead. Many Vietnamese people believe the more offerings they burn for their dead relatives, the better their afterlives will be, and they believe the dead will bring them prosperity, good luck and good health in return for their generosity.
A Vietnamese woman peeks through a door on a warm and humid morning in the Đường Lâm Ancient Village, in Vietnam.
These fine young ladies are contestants for Miss Vietnam. We met them while visiting a beautiful home in the ancient village of Đường Lâm. They were doing a photoshoot there.Đường Lâm (53km away from Hanoi's center) is the first ancient village in Vietnam recognized as a national heritage site. There are over 300 old houses in the 9 villages of Đường Lâm commune and they were built 300 - 400 years ago.
Desert is served! This is a traditional northern vietnamese dish. It has a spongy gelatineous texture, and it's made from rice flour and has marinated mushrooms and pork inside. It's really just a big dumpling. It tasted pretty good but my least favorite dish on this trip.
Making Candy
Mia Pagoda is located in a small hill at Dong Sang village not too far from Hanoi. The pagoda has the traditional architecture features and a panoply of Buddha statues. The Buddha statues at Mia pagoda are not only unique in appearance, but also rich in number. The pagoda has a total of 287 Buddha statues. Each statue has it own expression, design, and color. The architecture and statues of Mia pagoda is recognized as on of the most important relics of the country.
It takes several years to shape and sculpt these trees.
Mong Phu communal house was built on the center also the highest land of the Duong Lam village with 1.800 square meters large. At present, it is still not identified the exact year of construction of the communal house. Depend on the architecture feature, scientists determined that the communal house dating back up from late 18th century to early 19th century. Mong Phu communal house worships Tan Vien Mountain Saint – one of four immortal Saint in Vietnamese traditional conception – as the tutelary of the village. This is the mental support for the local people to unite and protect the village through many changes and wars.
Back to the archives today - shot at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi.
I used to be a telephone technician in my twenties, and seeing a mess like this makes me cringe lol! I can only imagine trying to troubleshoot a problem in this tangled mess!
This is a very typical Vietnamese resting position. It's kinda funny, but you see a lot of people doing this :-).
Street Cleaner
Here we see Vietnamese children enjoying candy purchased at the local market of Lùng Khấu Nhin. Most people in Northern Vietnam wear colorful costumes, each tribe has distinct patterns and colors.
There are no barber shops in small rural villages in Northern Vietnam. Barbers lke this attend city markets and setup shop there. This is in the small village of Lùng Khâu Nhin, in the mountainous commune of Muong Khuong district.
Love this outfit!
There's beauty in everyone. I love taking pictures of aging people because I find they are always full of character and exude wisdom.
Look at the cute little baby haha!! :o)
A group of Vietnamese workers work in rice terraces in Lùng Khấu Nhin, one of the highland communes of Muong Khuong district. They are getting ready to harvest their rice.
This is Chay River, a 319 km long river in the mountainous regions of Northern Vietnam. It originates right at the Chinese border, and we were lucky enough to enjoy a boat ride on this river to see amazing high cliffs, waterfalls and exchange with friendly local people fishing its waters.
Near Sapa.
Saddens me when I see poverty like this, especially with poor sick children playing around in such filth.
A Vietnamese woman meticulously sculpts various Asian-themed figurines that she sells to tourists. They were really beautiful and well carved, we purchased two. :o)
Two young girls in the small rural village of Lao Chải are looking for a friend to play with. Lao Chải is a tiny Vietnamese village of black H’Mong ethnic group, and people here are quite friendly and hospitable. When they are not working in their rice fields, you can interact them, go into their homes, and learn about their culture and customs.
Some you vietnamese boys are hanging out and getting ready to go fishing.
Overlooking the growing city of Sa Pa in Northern Vietname high up from from our hotel room.
The name of this waterfall is Thác Tình Yêu, or Love. Its name originates from a legendary love story that has been told to generations in this land. The story tells that long time ago, this waterfall was the bathing place of fairies from heaven. One day, a fairy was mesmerized by flute sounds of a young boy near the fall, so she spent every night listening to his melodies. Not long time after, her parents came to know the secret, and forbade her from coming back to the fall. The passionate fairy transformed herself to a bird so that she could live with her love forever.
Came across this cute little house while hiking, on our way to see the Love Waterfall neat Sapa, northern Vietnam. It was raining and very foggy that day, but well worth the hike. Do any of my Vietnamese friends know what this sign says? I tried to translate it but wasn't able to probably because of missing accents.
Wild buffalos are grazing in a field.
Vietnamese law prohibits the employment of children under the age of 15, but it is a hard truth that many children in Vietnam are withdrawn from school to be bread-winners for their families. It's a sad sight to see 4-5 year olds carrying infants on their backs, walking barefoot and selling bracelets.
Look! Exactly 4 pounds!
Early Saturday mornings, streets in Vietnam’s northern town of Sapa are filled with hundreds of Hmong and Red Dao minority people dressed in their colorful ethnic attire. They are heading to Sapa market, a traditional market that is bustling until late afternoon. It is not only used for trading, but also for socializing and unwinding after hard working weekdays. Sapa market is like a hive of colourful activity both inside and out. There you can find fresh produce, a butcher's section (not for the squeamish), textile, and tribe people from surrounding villages selling handicrafts.
A woman in traditional wear waits for her ride after shopping at the Sapa Market.
At most markets like this one in Sapa, in northern Vietnam, the animal's head is used to help people identify the type of meat, and to evaluate its freshness.
Early Saturday mornings, streets in Vietnam’s northern town of Sapa are filled with hundreds of Hmong and Red Dao minority people dressed in their colorful ethnic attire. They are heading to Sapa market, a traditional market that is bustling until late afternoon. It is not only used for trading, but also for socializing and unwinding after hard working weekdays. Sapa market is like a hive of colourful activity both inside and out. There you can find fresh produce, a butcher's section (not for the squeamish), textile, and tribe people from surrounding villages selling handicrafts.
Vietnamese farmers are harvesting their rice.
A family is harvesting rice to feed their cattle in a rice field on their land.
Yesterday I showed you what a happy Red Dao looks like. Today, I thought I would do the opposite haha! Enjoy!
Riece terraces near Sa Pa, Vietnam.
A woman is seing a piece that will eventually be part of a traditional costume.
A young Vietnamese boy leads his buffaloes to a nearby field near Sa Pả, Vietnam.
Teasing
Not the most amazing photo but interesting nonetheless because it illustrates how different some people live on a daily basis. The photo shows how gasoline is sold in remote Northern Vietnam town such as here, in Sapa. There are no gas stations in these towns, and 99% of vehicles are mopeds and scooters. They need fuel, so they can buy it right there off the street in these water bottles.
Vietnamese law prohibits the employment of children under the age of 15, but it is a hard truth that many children in Vietnam are withdrawn from school to be bread-winners for their families. It's a sad sight to see 4-5 year olds carrying infants on their backs, walking barefoot and selling bracelets.
In North America and Europe, there are food trucks. In Vietnam, there are food mopeds. This one is selling Pho, a popular Vietnamese soup. They roam the streets and speak through a loudspeaker to a nnounce what they are selling. You can see the loudspeaker attached to the front wheel. Are you hungry yet? :-)
An elderly Vietnamese woman takes a break near the Bac Ha market, northern Vietnam near the border with China.
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken. Typically, the great rules of composition would dictate that your subject should always look towards the center of the frame, and a leading line should guide you towards something interesting. I broke those two rules here but I really like the photo anyway. What do you think - be honest, I can take it lol!
Everything happens on mopeds in Vietnam - even locksmithing!
Boy and his buffalo
A Vietnamese girl from a northwestern minority group (White Hmong I think) is wearing her traditional attire.
A man smokes tobacco in this bamboo pipe. I was surprised at how may, and the frequency at which Vietnamese men smoke, especially in northern Vietnam.
A woman prepares her chickens before loading them on a scooter for transport.
A man is carrying some sort of herb to the Bac Ha Market to sell it to locals.
A market vendor is counting the day's earnings.
A woman eats Pho at the local Bac Ha market.
A woman sells her peppers at the Bac Ha market in Vietnam while eating Pho.
A vendor is selling fruits at the Bac Ha market while her kid is running around in his Vietnam flag t-shirt.
The yummiest fruits in the entire world. It should be sold in a candy store. Explore Award Jan 9 2018.
Some sort of root vegetable, maybe manioc?
These donut type desserts are really chewy and gooey and made from rice flour.
Bundles of root vegetables are unloaded and prepared for sale at the Bac Ha market.
Rice fields of Bắc Hà
Watching some YouTube videos and practicing layer masking and blending modes in Photoshop. What else can one do on such a cold -30C day!
Vietnam is known for its high quality cultivated pearls. Here’s some fun facts for you – the average pearl cultivation takes at least 4 years. Two years for the oyster to grow naturally, then the ‘pearl seed’ is placed within the oyster and grown for a further 18 months or more, depending on the size or type of pearl you are after. If you wait for a pearl to grow ‘naturally’ without the insemination of the pearl seed, then you will be waiting for a shocking 150 years! So four years doesn’t seem like much after you hear that! Depending on the oyster, you can sometimes implant more than one pearl seed and get more bang for your buck I guess. However, statistically only 30% of the oysters will end up making the pearl, and then only 10% of that group will create pearls considered suitable for jewellery. So it’s a lot of hard work for very little reward – unless you really like pearls, I guess!
A white pearl.
A man is inspecting and polishing some black pearls.
The end result... an unexpected purchase for Isabelle!
We were lucky enough to spend two days cruising along Halong Bay, a beautiful natural wonder in northeast Vietnam. The Bay is dotted with 1,600 limestone islands and islets and covers an area of over 1,500 sqkm. This extraordinary area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.Read more at: http://www.vietnam-guide.com/ha-long-bay/?cid=ch:OTH:001
Just another photograph of the picturesque Halong Bay
Hạ Long Bay, in northeast Vietnam, is known for its emerald waters and about 2,000 towering limestone islands topped by rainforests.
View from our hotel balcony, enjoying the view of this busy pier with lots of small fishing boats coming and going into Lan Ha bay.
He might be there a while... Want to help?
Laundry time
Of view of the Lan Ha bay on Cát Bà Island, in the Halong Bay area. The island is the largest island in Halong Bay and approximately half of its area is covered by a National Park,
Historic royal palace set within the sprawling, walled complex of the forbidden city.
This 1803 palace is a spacious hall with an ornate timber roof supported by 80 carved and lacquered columns. It was used for the emperor’s official receptions and important ceremonies. On state occasions the emperor sat on his elevated throne, facing visitors entering via the Ngo Mon Gate.
Thai Hoa palace is among the most important constructions of Hue Imperial City where Nguyen kings had ruled the country for over 100 years. Also called the Palace of Supreme Harmony, the name “Thai Hoa” bears a profound philosophic meaning. It refers to the harmony between yin and yang, between human beings and the nature.
Built in 1805 by Emperor Gia Long, has been the scene of coronations, Royal birthdays, receptions of ambassadors and other solemn events. In front of the palace, there is a yard called Salutation Court where all mandarins stood in the Grand Audience ceremony held two times a month.
Hue Royal Palace, Hue, Vietnam.
Corridor and red doors in the Forbidden Purple City, historic Hue Citadel (Imperial City), Hue, North Central Coast, Vietnam.
A gazebo in the gardens of the Purple Forbidden City in Hue, Vietnam.
Purple Forbidden City in Hue, Vietnam.
Thái Bình Lâu (Royal Reading Pavilion) is a two-story wooden building located in the northeast area of the Forbidden Purple City, inside the Imperial Citadel of Hue, Vietnam. Within the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City was an inner sanctum reserved exclusively for the royal family. It provided multiple layers of defences for a supposedly impregnable fortress protecting the royal family from potential invaders from out beyond the walls.The Royal Reading Pavilion was constructed between 1919 and 1921 during the reign of Emperor Khải Định. This house, which is 9.55m high, has a thatched roof that represents yin and yang.
Thế Miếu, or To Mieu, is an ancestral temple dedicated to Vietnam's emperors in the Imperial City of Huế. Its construction was ordered by emperor Minh Mạng in 1822, and its purpose was to worship past emperors of the Nguyễn Dynasty. It was modelled after the Taimiao in the Forbidden City of Beijing, China.
Thien Mu Pagoda, or Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, is a historic temple built in 1601, located in the city of Huế, Vietnam. Its iconic seven-storey pagoda is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the city, and the temple has often been the subject of folk rhymes about Huế. Each storey is dedicated to a different Buddha.
Entrance to the Minh Lau Pavilion (Pavilion of Light) at the Tomb of Minh Mang (Hieu Tomb). Hue, Vietnam.
A woman prays in the Buddhist temple of Chùa Tam Thai in Đà Nẵng's Marble Mountains, in Vietnam. Marble Mountains is a cluster of five hills made from limestone and marble. On top of those mountains are a well-known pilgrimage sites with peaks, caves, tunnels and temples. As you walk around, moving from pathways to tunnels, you see a host of Buddhist sanctuaries, pagodas and places of worship dotted all across these mountains. It’s truly a remarkable site!
A Vietnamese woman is walking past a beautiful gate with spectacular biews of the beach below. She is going to make an offering to a statue of Buddha.
Mỹ Sơn, which means "Beautiful Mountain", is the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century AD. The temples are in a valley roughly two kilometres wide and are dedicated to the worship of the god Shiva (one of the principal deities of Hinduism). These impressive Hindu-themed ruins feature many beautiful stone sculptures, temples and towers. Mỹ Sơn is located in a beautiful, hot and humid tropical jungle in the mountainous region of the Quang Nam Province, in central Vietnam. It is strategic location within an elevated geological basin surrounded by a ring of mountains provides an area that is easily defensible, as well as the watershed for the sacred Thu Bon river. The saddest part for me was to learn that a large majority of the Mỹ Sơn architecture was destroyed by US bombings during a single week of the Vietnam War. Bombs dropped made craters that are still visible today. Imagine bombing the pyramids of Egypt, or any other important heritage site. Sickening!
Mỹ Sơn, which means "Beautiful Mountain", is the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century AD. The temples are in a valley roughly two kilometres wide and are dedicated to the worship of the god Shiva (one of the principal deities of Hinduism). These impressive Hindu-themed ruins feature many beautiful stone sculptures, temples and towers. Mỹ Sơn is located in a beautiful, hot and humid tropical jungle in the mountainous region of the Quang Nam Province, in central Vietnam. It is strategic location within an elevated geological basin surrounded by a ring of mountains provides an area that is easily defensible, as well as the watershed for the sacred Thu Bon river. The saddest part for me was to learn that a large majority of the Mỹ Sơn architecture was destroyed by US bombings during a single week of the Vietnam War. Bombs dropped made craters that are still visible today. Imagine bombing the pyramids of Egypt, or any other important heritage site. Sickening!
Mỹ Sơn, which means "Beautiful Mountain", is the longest inhabited archaeological site in Indochina and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century AD. The temples are in a valley roughly two kilometres wide and are dedicated to the worship of the god Shiva (one of the principal deities of Hinduism). These impressive Hindu-themed ruins feature many beautiful stone sculptures, temples and towers. Mỹ Sơn is located in a beautiful, hot and humid tropical jungle in the mountainous region of the Quang Nam Province, in central Vietnam. It is strategic location within an elevated geological basin surrounded by a ring of mountains provides an area that is easily defensible, as well as the watershed for the sacred Thu Bon river. The saddest part for me was to learn that a large majority of the Mỹ Sơn architecture was destroyed by US bombings during a single week of the Vietnam War. Bombs dropped made craters that are still visible today. Imagine bombing the pyramids of Egypt, or any other important heritage site. Sickening!
Hội An, formerly known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo, is a city with a population of approximately 120,000 in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province and noted since 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A lady shows us how to make rice paper from scratch. We tried and failed miserably. Not as easy as it seems!
A Vietnamese woman makes a daily commute to the market to sell her vegetables. In the back, our bikes that we rented for an excursion on a small rural island near Hoi An.
This is a fishing boat building enterprise, part of the Kim Bong Carpentry Village on the touristless island of Cam Kim, Vietnam. Everything is made by hand here, and it takes about 6-9 months to make a boat.
Legend has it that these eyes protect riverboats from monsters or evil spirits.
The semi-finished product. Needless to say, this is very expensive for most Vietnamese. That's why they typically get a few families together to invest in it, and share its profits later.
Biking on Cẩm Kim Island, a rural, tourist-less island near Hội An, central Vietnam.
I work in Marketing and I'm always fascinated at how people are sometimes fascinated about brands. I mena, after all, a brand is just a name and a logo,, right? Why do people let that define them so much? How can a brand influence so many people to a point where unless you own a piece of it, you're worthless.
Where did I put that damn thing? :-P Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam.
A Caodaist prays alone in the Cao Dai Holy See Temple.
Watch a short clip of ceremony here: https://youtu.be/GOLLcUZ-hPQWe travelled about 2 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh, Vietnam to attend a Caodaism ceremony in the Cao Dai Holy See Temple . The is a curious and unique architecture of this building is a mixture of Asian and European architectures. Its vivid colours and shapes are very different, and unlike anything else I’ve seen. The Cao Dai religion is just as colorful as this templa because it’s a mishmash of multiple religions. It incorporates elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism and Spiritualism. Its deities includes Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Joan of Arc, Sun Yat Sen and Victor Hugo amongst others. CaoDai is thus a universal faith with the principle that all religions have one same divine origin, one same ethic based on LOVE and JUSTICE, and are just different manifestations of one same TRUTH.Watching Caodiasts pray is a long elaborate and hypnotic chant accompanied by music. They dress in long flowing robes of white for lay followers, yellow, blue or red for priests, whilst bishops have the Divine Eye embroidered on their headpieces. During worship men are seated on the right and women on the left with all devotees seated in orderly rows. The middle of the temple is reserved for priests and bishops, and the closer they are to the front, the more experience they have, and the closer they are to their deity. I encourage you to watch a video I made of this ceremony and the chants.
A house on the banks of thre Mekong River.
This is one of many floating markets on the Mekong River in Vietnam. We saw quite a few while zipping around in its crisscrossing tributaries. Every day, lots of boats and rafts in the delta gather here to trade and do business. Although the market is often open all day, the liveliest time is at sunrise. Some sellers visit the market to purchase products from the merchant. Then, these will be brought back the markets on land for sale.
This sweet 80 year old lady has been running this taxi for over 60 years, and she paddled through the sinuous Mekong river for us.
A Vietnamese man heads back home in a small boat on the Mekong River near Cai Be, Southern Vietnam, after a long day's work.
I was just published in the top selling photography magazine - Photography Week. What a nice way to end the year! Not my favourite photo of 2017 (my fav was called "Reaching for the moon", but I'll take it!2018 will be a defining year for my photography and me. I want to dedicate more time to it, go out and shoot more often. I want to learn Photoshop and create stunning creations (check out Charlotte Hedman, Rosanna and rockinmonique's work - WoWzErS!!). Finally, I want to take a more "social" approach. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but I will try. I started by joining a local photography group last month. We meet twice a month, organize special outing events, learn from each other, and we also have contests and challenges. I am already winning awards with one photo sent to represent the group for a national photo competition with the Canadian Association for Photographic Art (CAPA). Finally, I am also trying out new things (expect some Moncton Magic basketball picks soon), and meeting great people.Will I be successful in my 2018 photography quest, or will I succumb to other pressures such as family :-), work :-(, playing guitar, writing a book (too many years in the making, but who's counting, right?), videography (new interest), travel (Ireland, Croatia, Slovenia, Jamaica in 2018)?Happy New Year everyone! Have fun shooting in 2018!-Shawn-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=Links to check out=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Reaching for the moonhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/harquail/35362937766/Charlotte Hedmanhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/111778568@N06Rosannahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/rosanacafe/rockinmoniquehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/rockinmonique/Canadian Association for Photographic Arthttps://capacanada.ca/
