DIASPORAS color

East Berlin, Germany, 2016 - Leica M7, Summicron 50, Portra 160 * Dong Xuan Center, the largest Vietnamese market in Berlin is located in the eastern part of the city, in the Lichtenberg district. Eight large hangars up to 200 meters in length are located in an area the size of of 24 football fields. About 2000 stores offer clothes, electronics, food, toys, shoes and bags in the market. There are also restaurants, hairdressers, insurance offices, lawyer services, tax advice and translation bureaus. The Vietnam War was also fought in Germany since West Germany supported South Vietnam and East Germany North Vietnam. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, more than 100,000 Vietnamese lived in the German Democratic Republic as students or employees. At the same time, there were less than 50,000 Vietnamese in West Germany. Founded in 2003 by Nguyễn Văn Hiền, the 18ha Dong Xuan Center is the biggest Vietnamese trading hub in Germany, gathering thousands of businessmen including Vietnamese, Pakistani and Chinese expatriates. Today the Vietnamese population in Germany amounts to some 200,000, of which about 50,000 live in Berlin. In the end, Berlin's "Little Vietnam" reflects a city historically divided as if an invisible wall still exists.

East Berlin, Germany, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * I took the M10 tram which runs along the Berlin Wall on Bernauerstrasse. The history of the Berlin Wall and the communist ideology behind it should remind us of how important a loss of any of our freedom can be. Freedom in all its forms is utterly a precious thing. I was wondering in this tram how ambiguous and misleading the political slogan "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" could be. The Berlin Wall which fell on Nov. 9, 1989 divided the whole world. In this globalized world, everybody is responsible to keep it and to struggle to keep it. We never seem to really learn the lessons of history.

Osaka, Japan, 2016 - Leica M7, Super-Elmar 21, Kodak Portra 160 * Japan is widely considered one of the most monocultural and insulated countries in the world. Unfortunately, many who arrive in Japan with the hope to achieve the “Japanese dream”, are unaware of potential pitfalls: the Japanese legal system, workers’ rights, language proficiency requirement and tough working conditions. Buoyed by hopes of higher wages but burdened by loans, Vietnamese workers, streaming to Japan, are facing high risks as labor system opens up.

Seoul, Korea, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * South Korea, along with Taiwan, has been regarded as one of the major destinations of marriage migrants since the 1990s. Thousands of Vietnamese brides move to South Korea every year, lured by the promise of wealthy husbands, good jobs and a better life. Instead, many find the language barriers, loneliness and homesickness too much to bear and return home divorced and empty handed. The mercenary nature of international marriages arranged by brokers makes it difficult for Korean men to regard their foreign spouses as being their equals, which contributes to emotional and physical abuse The reason why South Korean society hasn’t regulated international marriage brokers reflects the tendency to regard women as a breeding tool in an era of low birthrates. Facing a similar issue in the 1980s, Japan tried to arrange marriages for the children of farmers by bringing in women from the Philippines.

Seoul, Korea, 2016 - Leica M7, Summicron 50, Kodak Portra 160 * In 2016 the Bogwangno 59-gil street in Itaewon, the tourist section of Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, was renamed "Vietnam Quy Nhon-gil" in celebration of the 20th anniversary of a sisterhood relationship between Itaewon and the Vietnamese city of Quy Nhơn. Quy Nhơn was the city where the Korean Tiger Division was dispatched in 1965 and stationed for seven years, and committed many vile massacres of civilians during the Vietnam War.

Kampong Luong, Cambodia, 2015 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * Rustic homestay in a Vietnamese floating village on the Tonle Sap lake. At least 1 million of Cambodia's 15 million people are ethnic Vietnamese. Living in communities across the country, they represent the largest minority group in Cambodia. Throughout the centuries-long history of Vietnamese migration and settlement in Cambodia, the relationship between Khmer and Vietnamese people has often been tense, stemming from years of conflict and power struggles between both nations. Today ethnic Vietnamese are thus subject to several pressing human rights issues such as statelessness, lack of access to social services including healthcare and education, political and public discrimination and racism. Migratory and political issues always prove critical all over the world.

Bangkok, Thailand, 2015 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * Close to the National Library, Soi Mitrakham is home of the largest and oldest Vietnamese community in Bangkok. The Vietnamese have lived in Thailand since the Ayutthaya days in the 17th century after fleeing religious persecution in their country. The predominantly Catholic population in this soi is evident in the number of churches and mission schools in the area which looks like any other neighborhood in Bangkok. I ran there into these two charming Vietnamese ladies in the Vietnamese Sunday morning market.

Paris, France, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * On the romantic Île Saint Louis close to Notre-Dame cathedral, the two flying seagulls over the Seine river in the background, together with the majestic white swan and daring pigeon in the foreground were true godsends. What makes Paris so unique, so special for so many people worldwide? I just don't know how to explain it as there are many wonderful cities all over the world. There is something intangible about Paris. It's just... the vibe... of the thing… maybe the City of Love quite simply.

Cabramatta, Sydney, Australia, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * The first Vietnamese refugees arrived in Australia by boat in April 1976. When you’re in exile, you don’t really have an identity any more. For the Vietnamese community in Australia, finding their identity has been, and still is, a long painful journey. However they share a strong emotional connection with their motherland, seeing themselves as part of an extended cultural community albeit across waters. Today, many of them are genuinely grateful to Australia for giving them the opportunity to build their lives and are undoubtedly proud to call Australia home.

Toronto, Canada, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilcron 50, Portra 160 * Food delivery to Vietnamese restaurant Phở Hưng in Chinatown Spadina. Built in 1870 by the French in Saigon, the iconic market was initially called "Les Halles Centrales" before being renamed Bến Thành in 1912. The Vietnamese community in Canada will forever pay tribute to Prof. Howard Adelman for his leadership in bringing Vietnamese refugees to Canada during the Vietnamese "boat people" crisis back in 1979. Adelman’s initiative led to the arrival of 60,000 refugees in this country. They were among the two million Indochinese people who fled Communist rule after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

UNESCO Paris, France, 2019 - Leica M7, Summicron 28, Kodak Portra 400 * I had the privilege to talk with Phan Thị Kim Phúc after her moving convention. The moving story of this survivor of the Vietnam War is simply unbelievable. In 2015 I also had the privilege to meet Nick Ut, the photographer of this iconic picture, in Little Saigon Westminster in California.

Tainan, Taiwan, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * Thousands of Vietnamese migrant workers are being lured to Taiwan by unscrupulous greedy brokers peddling false promises of high wages and good living conditions. Many go missing, preferring a life in the shadows to one in bondage in breaking their contracts to join the black market. They account for nearly half of all missing foreign workers. Taiwan is the second-largest employer of Vietnamese overseas workers behind Japan. In addition, Vietnamese migrant brides form one of the largest non-Chinese immigrant groups inhabiting Taiwan. Most of them marry Taiwanese men in hope of a better life in a more developed country.

Little Saigon, Westminster, USA, 2015 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * It's usual to hear a chairman of the Little Saigon Têt parade giving every year this kind of statement: "Back in Vietnam, it’s a big holiday. We do this to welcome the New Year. When we first arrived here, we were humble and just surviving. We now have settled down. It’s time for us to remember our past and celebrate the New Year. We celebrate the human rights we enjoy in the United States. After more than 4 decades of escaping from atrocities by the Communist government, we now enjoy freedom and human rights and the opportunity to bring our communities together. We want to show our heritage, and our success in this community.” During Têt Parade, Little Saigon remembers the painful past in flying both the former Yellow flag and the American flag but also looks to the future with the younger generations.

Little Saigon, Westminster, USA, 2015 - Leica M7, Super-Elmar 21, Portra 160 * The cowboy hat and shirt and the Ray-Ban sunglasses of this Vietnamese-American retiree appealed at once to me. There are 2 million or so Vietnamese Americans today over a 5-million population of overseas Vietnamese in the world. Residing mainly in California and Texas, they are mostly refugees and descendants from former South Vietnam, who once fought under the Yellow flag alongside American forces against the invading communists from the North. Vietnamese-Americans make up about 40 percent of Westminster's population.

Vientiane, Laos, 2015 - Leica M7, Super-Elmar 21, Portra 160 * Vietnamese sandwiches aka "Bánh mì Việt Nam" are sold in this "Bánh Mì Ngon Naxai" greasy spoon of Vientiane. For me the best "bánh mì" sandwich in the world is the one that my wife prepares in Paris with the French traditional baguette. It does help me shooting better pictures.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2015 - Leica M7, Super-Elmar 21, Portra 160 * Gambling is often a damaging addiction, causing loss of interest in school, work, friends, and family. It's so sad to note a hard lack of education in this country, here for Cambodian kids of Vietnamese origin outside the capital.

Paris, France, 1999 - Leica M4, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * While triggering my camera in silence I was deeply meditating how the proverb “In death we are all equal” could be so dead true. Keeping one's own values in particular in exile does matter. But most of the young generations in the world are adrift on a froth of pixels and losing a common culture. Who cares?

Toronto, Canada, 2016 - Leica M7, Summicron 50, Portra 160 * The settlement of Vietnamese nationals in Canada is relatively recent. It resulted from two waves of immigration in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. There are at least 250,000 Vietnamese Canadians, most of whom reside in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec. * So far ahead of her time Emma Goldman was truly so badass. As a political activist, publisher, lecturer, and writer, she was a central figure in the radical social movements of her age."Emma Goldman (1869–1940) came to America from Russia when she was sixteen. It was a true godsend for me to associate such a major anachist and social activist with a Vietnamese Canadian guy with such a kind smiling face, an incredible T-shirt in front of a Vietnamese sandwich store. Emma lived there in an upper level apartment at 322 Spadina Ave. over the winter of 1926-1927, right in present-day Chinatown.

Warsaw, Poland, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * Vietnamese immigrants began to arrive in Poland in the 1950s. The Vietnamese community is the biggest non-European migrant population in Poland, with an estimated population of less than 100,000. The Vietnamese community has been part of Polish society for many generations, and to this day Poland continues to be an attractive destination for economically motivated Vietnamese immigrants.

Moscow, Russia, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * After his arrival in Moscow end 1923 HCM was trained as an agent of the Comintern. He studied the thoughts of Marx and Lenin as well as organizational and revolutionary techniques. Why do the many fabricated myths of Ho Chi Minh still endure in Vietnam? I waited for never-ending hours under the rain to get this shot in the small square outside Akademicheskaya metro station. In 1969 this small square was named Ploschad Kho Shi Mina (Ho Chi Minh Square) in honor of the Vietnamese communist leader who died in the same year on Sept. 2, 1969. In 1990 a monument was unveiled there which features a disc engraved with the face of Ho Chi Minh. In front of the disc is a statue of a Vietnamese fighter. The Russian Cyrillic inscription on the base of the statue reads "There Is Nothing More Valuable Than Freedom". The flying pigeons in the background and the colorful umbrella of these youngsters were true godsends.

London, UK, 2016 - Leica M7, Super-Elmar 21, Kodak Portra 160 * Vietnamese nail salons: The ugly side of the UK beauty trade - The high street nail business in the UK is booming, and despite growing competition from South Asians, most of the employees in salons and bars are still Vietnamese and many of them are victims of trafficking and slavery.

Prague, Czech Republic, 2016 - Leica M7, Super-Elmar 21, Kodak Portra 160 * Founded in 1993 on the southern outskirts of Prague, SAPA or Little Hanoi has an inimitable charm and atmosphere, typically North Vietnamese, in which it is so easy to get lost. TTTM SAPA means Trung Tâm Thương Mại Sapa, i.e. Asian Trade Center Sapa. Acting as a refuge, providing help, opportunities and jobs, this cultural and commercial place plays a key role for about 100.000 Vietnamese living in this country.

Chinatown Paris, France, 2014 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 - This Chinatown in the 13th district came about during the 1970s as a result of the increasing number of Chinese refugees fleeing Vietnam for France. Tang Freres is the most famous shop in Paris’ Chinatown. The chain is owned by Laotian Chinese brothers who brought the concept to life after settling in France.

Fairfield Showground, Sydney, Australia, 2016 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * Lunar New Year of the Monkey / Vietnamese Boat People / 40 năm nhìn lại / Looking Back 40 Years - How could we forget the 2 million or so Vietnamese boat people of the late 70s and 80s whose significant part died during their abominable escape? In spite of the political controversy regarding this hot topic, they all suffered from hunger, thirst, disease and piracy. In several countries steles pay tribute to them and to these countries that welcomed them. The damaged board here in the suburbs of Sydney reads "Looking Back 40 Years" in Vietnamese.

Lisbon, Portugal, 2017 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 Born in Guarda, Portuguese Jesuit Francisco de Pina (1585-1625) should be recognized as the damn great main inventor of "Chữ Quốc Ngữ", the Vietnamese romanized script that was thus brilliantly designed 4 centuries ago and progressively replaced the former "Chữ Nôm" ideographic script in the 1910s. "His death occurred on Dec. 15, 1625, off the coast of Hội An. He was on board a vessel that was receiving products coming from Macau and sank during an unexpected storm, killing all its passengers."

Westminster, Little Saigon, USA, Tết 2015 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * The yellow parade board reads "I am proud to be Vietnamese". Most overseas Vietnamese living in America, Australia, Canada and Western Europe recognize only the Yellow and Three Red Stripes flag as the “Vietnamese Culture and Heritage Flag” for remembering the former Republic of South Vietnam which lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of Vietnamese who abhor communist totalitarianism. For future generations of overseas Vietnamese the communist Red flag of Vietnam could represent nothing more than an abstract and distant governmental symbol.

Garden Grove, Little Saigon, USA, Tết 2015 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * This solemn scene shot on a lunar New Year morning optimally illustrates the impossibility of both reconciliation and trauma recovering once the abominable Vietnam War that proved irresponsible was over. As Nguyễn Thanh Việt wrote in his remarkable book "Nothing Ever Dies" (2016) "All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory". From this author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Sympathizer" (2015) comes a searching exploration of the conflict Americans call the Vietnam War and Vietnamese call the American War - a conflict that lives on in the collective memory of both nations. This candid photograph could optimally illustrate the cover of "Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War".

Kampong Luong, Cambodia, 2015 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 Daily life in a Vietnamese floating village / With kind of badminton racket this fisherman was hitting at night a tight-drawn net to remove precious little fish caught in its small meshes. He then lit a cigarette and paused. Like a drunkard on an unstable small boat I was more than lucky with this midnight shot at 1.4 full aperture and about 1/8 sec. Have you noticed the glowing fly-ash particles?