NATIVES color

Sài Gòn, Vietnam, 2014 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * An ethical approach in photojournalism, documentary photography or journalism is absolutely essential for helping to form a decent opinion but with the duty and the responsibility to produce photographs and reports that are as objective as possible. It is however of common usage that the job of any Vietnamese author consists in protecting the country. According to the annual list published by Reporters Without Borders, the 2019 World Press Freedom Index ranked Vietnam 176th out of 180 countries. Could the ambiguity of the political slogan "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" be removed?

Sài Gòn, Vietnam, 2014 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * I came across this former bargirl in Saigon, nearly four decades after the end of the Vietnam War. She was eating a sandwich in the street. We friendly talked about her quite interesting life and of course of fate and past war. What made the war so special and wonderful for all bargirls she sadly said, was the freedom it gave them – freedom from the drudgery of domestic work, from the dominance of husbands and fathers, from the expectations of their culture. I cautiously avoided to raise any inappropriate question about morality or politics. Freedom, Money, Fun, Love... yes, she was entertaining American soldiers in former Saigon, and remember the war as the best time of her life with good times, camaraderie, and the exhilaration of being young and free in the city.

Huế, Vietnam, 2013 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Portra 160 * This peasant couple was taking their herd of white ducks back to their farm. The fluttering cloth at the top end of the pole that the man hold, is deemed to show the direction the ducks have to follow. Rice-duck farming appeared in Vietnam in the early 1990s. Allowing farmers to grow paddies and ducks at the same time in the paddy field, this farming method is low cost, environmental friendly, labor-saving and very suitable for small-scale and poor farmers.

Hải Dương, Vietnam, 2008 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * I was wandering in North Vietnam during summer 2008. This little girl was keeping her buffaloes by a pond and playing with small clay clods. I noticed her distorted fingers under a big conical hat when triggering my camera and composing the image in its viewfinder. I loved the gentle buffaloes and in particular the contrast between the green grass and her orange shirt, black pants and bare feet.

Đà Lạt, Vietnam, 2013 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * Nguyễn Văn Minh, a retired agronomist, spent 2 decades or so for creating this amazing stone map of Vietnam, a true masterpiece of art. About 40" wide and 80" high, this unique heavy map gathers 64 stones of different sizes and colors which pertain respectively to the 64 provinces of the country. Collected in a historic place of the corresponding province, each stone of little value symbolizes a landmark event in the national history. He eventually cut and assembled carefully the stones for making this incredible puzzle map.

Ba Vì, Sơn Tây, Vietnam, 2008 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * During the Indochina War (1946-1954), many African legionnaires, including Moroccans, deserted the French troops for various reasons and joined the communist army of Hồ Chí Minh. About 100 of them were gathered in a secret camp which became a kolkhoze state farm after the end of the Indochina War in 1954. This Moroccans' gate called "Bab Al Maghariba" was built between 1956 and 1960. Stranded in Vietnam during more than 2 decades, about 70 Moroccan deserters only were repatriated to their country in 1972 with their Vietnamese wives and children. This historical vestige of the past was badly restored in 2018.

Tân Rai, Vietnam, 2013 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 * The scandalous Tân Rai project produces about 5 million m3 of waste water per year and nearly 1 million tons of red mud per year, another man-made environmental disaster in Vietnam. After most of big projects have fallen into the hands of Chinese companies, Chinese crony firms supported by their government with powerful motivations and financial resources, would take over the special economic zones as a “soft invasion” of Vietnam. The geo-strategic implications of these zones are dangerously much greater than economic interests.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2010 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * Rush hour traffic in Vietnam is chaotic, maddening, fascinating, hectic, unreal and terribly noisy. The streets of big cities are totally jammed with scooters, motorbikes, cars, bicycles, cyclos, buses and their drivers beep their honks every two seconds. Furthermore, crossing the street in the rush hour should be considered an extreme sport.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2010 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * I shot this golden scene during the celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi in the Văn miếu temple of literature. How many people could read and write today near-extinct chữ Nôm, the former Vietnamese script? Likely only a few dozens. The wonderful Nôm ideograms here were written by Trần Đức Cảnh, a late master calligrapher of Hanoi, a great friend of mine. Invented mainly by Portuguese Jesuit Francisco de Pina, chữ Quốc ngữ romanized writing system has burried a thousand years of cultural past, and insidiously formatted significantly the thoughts of an authentic people.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2010 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * It's a traditional doorstep of a typical small house in Hanoi with rare ceiling Nôm ideograms and an omnipresent outside red flag. The Vietnamese people who do not know the Vietnam War understandably view the current Red flag as the true one that represents their country. But the many overseas Vietnamese who fled Vietnam as refugees for political and/or religious reasons, consider this official Red flag to be rather a symbol of the communist ideology and the main cause of their painful tragic exile.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2010 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * People from around the world are gathering here to join in a spectacular 10-day celebration of Hanoi’s 1000th birthday. They were taking millions of pictures to capture the moment and there was really so much spirit and excitement in the air. Painted faces and patriotic wares like flags and souvenirs abounded everywhere throughout the city. Lost within an over-playful crowd, this policeman remained impassive.

Tây Ninh, Vietnam, 2002 - Leica M4, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * When reaching this small city at the Cambodian border I came across a Cao Dai funeral rite that took place on empty rice bags simply put right on the sidewalk. Indigenous Cao Dai religion encompasses elements of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam and Taoism. Death leaves an unbearable heartache no one can really heal.

Bảo Lộc, Vietnam, 2013 - Leica M7, Summicron 28, Kodak Portra 160 * Covered in dust on this countryside road under construction I meditated on the harsh working conditions of women in my native country. May they live a better life in the future as for Vietnamese women, the challenge still remains the traditional understanding and expectation of women’s role in families.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2008 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala * Vietnamese people tend to be highly conservative when it comes to public displays of affection. It's thus rare to see a couple openly kissing. However Hoàn Kiếm Lake is a popular spot for couples to sit, chat, watch sunsets and talk about the future while they gaze at the calm waters with some hand-holding and heads leaned on shoulders. However sex is still considered as a taboo subject and having pre-marital sex is unacceptable according to the social conventions. Today Vietnamese youth tend to look online for love like in any other country.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2008 - Leica M7, Summilux 50, Fuji Reala " Very early in the morning I left a small hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and came across this easygoing sportsman who was practicing Taï Chi Chuan by the Hoàn Kiếm lake. In spite of many early birds walking by the lake, I was pretty lucky to get the symbolic Turtle Tower in the background and no one in the foreground.

Phú Quốc Island, Vietnam, 2014 - Leica M7, Summicron 50, Kodak Portra 160 * Sheltered from an afternoon grudging sun she spotted me right away when I set foot on this wooden pier of this renowned small island. Quietly sat on her Italian dusty scooter she pretended ignoring me with her staring shifty eyes, her colorful dust mask (I Love Vietnam) and trendy Italian helmet. Nationalism appears in many aspects of the Vietnamese society where it is promoted politically through the cult of heroes. Patriotic wares such as gifts, souvenirs and flags proliferate everywhere. The Têt Lunar New Year is one of several dates in the calendar when flag-flying, an act of patriotism promoted each year by officials via loudspeakers or doorstep visits. abounds. Who really knows the differences of utmost importance between the communist and nationalist theories?

Hạ Long, Vietnam, 2002 - Leica M6J, Elmarit 90, Fuji Reala - This social documentary photograph shot on a ferry-boat in renowned Hạ Long bay shows the harshness of true life behind tourism. It could originate directly from a weird scene of a fiction movie.

Sài Gòn, Vietnam, 2002 - Leica M6J, Elmarit 90, Fuji Reala - Two policemen on the other side of the street spotted me and were walking towards me when I shot this daily life scenery. Fortunately the traffic light switched to green and allowed me to escape like in a spy movie. Shooting out in the field isn't always the safest pursuit, especially when you delve into the world of documentary and travel photography.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2010 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala - Around midnight during the Millenium celebrations of Hanoi I came across this nice guy sleeping on a sidewalk. I then had a bad Phở soup for late dinner and was looking for some photographic inspiration in the great Old Quarter. This magic scene was simply waiting for me in a deserted dark street. I waited long for the shadowing lights from the few cars and bikes for triggering my bosom chum Leica M7 at 1/8s. The 1.4 full aperture then mattered. Suddenly, the man opened his eyes and looked at me just a second as if he felt my presence at the bamboo post. Was he a sleepy wise friend or also a photographer who does understand my roving life?

Sài Gòn, Vietnam, 2008 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala - Here is the famous quote by Robert Capa one can often hear: "If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough." I checked this recommendation in 2008 when in Saigon in front of the Notre-Dame cathedral located right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. My bosom chum, a black paint Leica, told me I was close enough. This young woman with her bare feet and sleeping son reminded me so much of my early childhood in Saigon.

Midnight Saigon, Vietnam, 2014 - Leica M7, Summilux 50, Portra 160 - Chợ Bến Thành Sài Gòn - Bến Thành Market in HCM City - Made from sticky rice, Xôi is a common on-the-go "fast food", a popular snack nationwide everyone should enjoy anytime in the street.

Phú Quốc Island, Vietnam, 2014 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Kodak Portra 160 "Fish sauce is composed of three ingredients: whole fish, salt, and water. These three main ingredients are placed into barrels and sit for 12-18 months. The less time it spends fermenting, the fishier the taste. The longer it spends, the nuttier it gets. It smells so bad but tastes so good." The Phu Quoc variety is the most renowned fish sauce in Vietnam. A true art indeed for making it.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2008 - Leica M7, Elmarit 90, Fuji Reala Chased nowadays by the police and often discredited in daily life, street vendors are living in wretched conditions. Like the cyclo drivers, they actually deserve a better existence and remind me so much of my earliest childhood in Vietnam.Both poor minorities tend to progressively disappear today all over the country. I prefer to symbolize this blurred woman with her traditional conical hat and neck yoke heavily loaded.

Hà Nội, Vietnam, 2010 - Leica M7, Summilux 35, Fuji Reala I at last found time during the celebrations of the Millenium of Hanoi to stop by this ancient poor quarter where the old trains nearly brush against the tiny slums. It was pretty hot and I was wondering whether the next train is ever coming when I heard its typical warning whistle. I made out its drivers in the centre of three head lights. Everything shaked around during the few long minutes it caressed me with its hot noisy breath.