Travel Blog: Vietnam 2015 (Part I)

To no one’s surprise, I haven’t had a chance to update my blog nearly two weeks into my five country/two month trip. A lot has happened in a short period of time, and I’ve been having some difficulty with posting images but holding back others that may be part of future projects. I’ve been posting regularly on Instagram, showing more generic scenes that you would see as a tourist roaming around Vietnam for the first time.

I have been to Vietnam numerous times after living there for six months about a decade ago. Saigon is one of my favorite cities in the world, and despite it being really difficult for me to capture it in images – I continue to try. There’s a vibe about this place that you need to be there to feel, smell, and taste.

My sleep cycles have been off since arriving…but for the good. I generally wake up before 7am and take a walk early in the morning while the light is good and the heat is bearable. I rest up during the afternoon (when the light is not so good) and then go out shooting again during the golden hour. It works out pretty well and I hope I am able to sustain this for at least the Southeast Asia portion of my trip.

Because Saigon is mostly a city of early risers, it is great to wake up with the city and see people at the markets, eating breakfast, or heading to work. There’s so much cool stuff that happens in the morning that travellers should really be awake to see.

The other reason why Vietnam is a place that is dear to my heart is because both my parents lived the majority of their lives there. My siblings were born there as well and we still have an aunt and cousins in the Chinese District of Saigon (Cho Lon, District 5). I had a chance to meet with my aunt and cousins at the family home capturing a few images of the house, the new travel business, and a candid portrait of my aunt.

I’m not yet done with Vietnam though. I’m currently writing from Phnom Penh, Cambodia but will be back in Saigon for about six days before flying to my next destination: Melbourne, Australia. Stay tuned for the next blog post where I talk all things Cambodia.

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