Peter Arnett in Saigon

I found this video report by former war correspondent Peter Arnett very interesting. Arnett reports on the changes in Vietnam since the days when he was there during the war. To be sure, the downturn in the economy has hurt, most notably in tourism. But there are signs in both Saigon and Hanoi, especially in real estate development, of a country that is quickly developing and creating new wealth.

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z15NKyy4cY

Robert

Trip Ends, Back in Washington

Friends and Fans:

After shooting more than 2,000 images and eating nearly as many spring rolls, I have returned to Washington DC.

Thanks to all of you who have followed my adventure here on my blog. It was a wonderful trip full of interesting and thought-provoking people and places. I appreciate all of you who tuned into the blog and those who took time to send emails.

The image above was taken of me by my photographer friend Long Ly, who accompanied me on my journey through far North Vietnam. We were in Duong Lam village in Soy Tay Province near Hanoi when he caught me angling for an image. 

In the months ahead, I will be spending a lot of time editing and processing the images. It is a time-consuming process in which the old techniques of the darkroom are now done on a computer in Photoshop. But it is a labor of love. And I will be looking forward to sharing the results with you.

I will be sending out updates when I have added new images to my website at www.robertdodge.com. And I will be sure to post other updates about my work here on this blog.

Thanks again for tagging along! 

-- Robert 

The Nature of Work and Happiness

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MAY 14-15

"The purpose of our lives is happiness" -- the Dalai Lama.

Traveling outside the United States, especially in less developed countries, always makes me wonder about what it takes to be happy. I so often notice people in other countries who work so much harder than people in my country for a piece of fish or bread. And yet, these people often seem very happy, in fact, happier than many people I know at home.

As I finish up my photo shooting trip in Vietnam with a couple of days in Saigon, the question is on my mind again. Truly, we are more comfortable in the United States and live easier lives and enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. But are we really happier than those with less?

And, if the purpose of our lives is happiness, are we on the right path?

Our emphasis on careers, advancement and making more money to buy more stuff has not made us a happier people. But we have so vigorously pursued these values that we borrowed money we did not have to buy bigger homes and more consumer goods. And look where we've ended up -- in a punishing recession. You will find few people who are more ardent free-market capitalists than I. But a good capitalist would be the first to tell you that you cannot sustain a lifestyle that is built upon borrowed money.

Many philosophers have waxed more eloquently than I can about the nature of work and happiness and how to find it. So, I will not try.

But I do like the prescription of the Dalai Lama: He says happiness can be found in undertaking acts designed to make others better off, an idea common in the doctrine of many faiths, not just Buddhism. He adds that by following that guiding principle, things like career, job, family and other parts of life would become increasingly indistinguishable.

With careful distinctions between work, family and other parts of our lives, we Americans unfortunately live far from that definition of bliss.

To be certain, many Americans live happy lives, pursuing work they love. I was fortunate to spend 30 years doing that in newspaper journalism. And now, I have my photography to bring that same joy to my life. But far too many people fail to find that kind of calling and live lives of quiet desperation.  

So, of course, when I was on the far northern frontier of Vietnam, I had to wonder if the local people I met there were further along the path to happiness. As I stood on the side of a mountain, I could see a young man and woman doing the backbreaking work of preparing a rice paddy for planting, the clunking of wood bells on buffalo came from further down in the valley and from out-of-sight I could hear children playing during school recess.

These simultaneous acts seemed to have such harmony and their sounds a simple symphony of life that has gone on for centuries.

Indeed, our values about the nature of work and wealth are very different. But there are many common values in family, friends and health, as well as faith, patriotism and wanting to build a better future. In the end, I find it useful to look at them looking back on us. It is a new way to see ourselves as a people and individuals and ask the profound questions about whether we are on the path we want to be.

I hope my images here have helped introduce you to these people and their country and that you can also grow from that experience.

Chillin' In Nha Trang

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY, MAY 11-13, 2009

My time in Nha Trang, a beautiful beach town on Vietnam's central coast, was mostly supposed to be about relaxing and enjoying some time around the beach and pool. And that is why I took Monday off. I did not shoot a single photo.

But Tuesday, it was back to work at 5 a.m. 

Not long after leaving my hotel in the pre-dawn light, I am greeted with some awesome views of fishing boats against the remaining clouds from the previous night's thunderstorms that are now lighted by the early morning sun. Nha Trang draws its beauty from the blue ocean waters, islands and mountains that drop off at the water's edge. The principal industries here are tourism, fishing, salt-making and boat building.

I make my way to Luong Son Port, which is located north of Nha Trang on the coast. Fishing boats have come in from a night of work and are offloading a plentiful catch of fish, shrimp, crab and eels to eager wholesalers and individual peddlers who are frantic to bargain for the best price and plan to sell in the city's markets and hotels. The bedlam that ensues has the frenetic pace of commodity market trading, except these negotiations are in Vietnamese.

I throw out my own net and collect a good catch.

The scene is colorful and interesting, as well as being full of life. It is a scene that takes place in hundreds, if not thousands, of sea ports along Vietnam's coast everyday. But this one is unfolding before my camera and images are rich with the color and drama of this country's daily life.

After filling my camera with images, I move onto the local salt fields. Usually, these are flooded with sea water and left the evaporate and then the salt is collected. This day, however, rain water has flooded the fields and only a few workers are on hand to shovel salt into large 50-pound bags. I take some shots and mix it up with some of the ladies in conical hats, promising to send one a rich American movie star husband.

My final stop of the day is a boat-making and repair yard where about 30 large fishing boats are in dry dock, meaning they have been propped up on tree stumps, scrap wood beams and other materials. The scene makes for some fun images, as workers remove and replace wood planks in the hulls of some boats, seal between the planks for leaks, repaint the boats and fit them with new hardware, such as propellers, rudders and updated communications and navigations equipment.

It is blistering hot -- time to return to the hotel, get something cold to drink and hang out at the pool.

The Streets of Hanoi

WEEKEND, MAY 9-10, 2009

I am leaving Hanoi and headed south to the central coast town of Nha Trang, In addition to some pool time and relaxation, there are salt fields, a boat-making yard and a fishing village that I want to photograph.

I have said goodbye to my friend Long Ly, who has been traveling with me since Monday. Long has been a good friend and is also a great photographer. He was very generous and has made a very valuable contribution to my work by traveling with me through the north to some very remote outposts that I would have had difficulty navigating on my own.

Long also was instrumental in helping me get some of the great images I will be bringing home. He was able to chat up locals, recruit models on location and generally make things happen. I am very grateful for his good work and friendship. If you want to see some of his outstanding images, check out his web site at www.lylongphoto.com.

I find that I have allowed myself too little time in Hanoi. The capital city of Vietnam has a vibrant but lower key beat than its brash, noisy and flashy sister, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 

Hanoi has many older buildings, including many that line the streets of the old quarter. Shade trees break the intense sun as thousands of merchants sell everything that can be imagined. A steady and relentless stream of motorbikes surge through every street, keeping the area in a loud rumble of noise from engines and constantly beeping horns. Peasant women carry baskets of produce, meats and fish that they sell along the streets.

I shot some images at a restaurant and then talked to the man and wife owners, who were cleaning a duck and a hen in pots on the sidewalk. I noted that the duck looked good and meaty. The woman said her husband is a good cook, and so I said I would come back my next trip and have him cook me duck.

On the next trip, I will spend more time in Hanoi. There is a huge bird market and a small suburban town where they make porcelin. And, of course, I have a standing invitation for a duck dinner. 

"Take My Picture!"

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MAY 7-8, 2009

The weather stinks.

It has been foggy and rainy for three days and the weather pattern does not seem to be improving. The fog did lend itself to some moody images, but I would like to see some other lighting scenarios on the rolling hills of North Vietnam. We have left Sapa behind and are headed for the mountain town of Ha Giang. (See the map from my earlier post.)

But the fog, heavy clouds and some rain will be with us for two days. I will have to deal with the weather. And besides, I am pleased with the images I am getting here -- low hanging clouds on the mountain tops, little villages shrouded in fog and occasional sun poking through to dapple its magic on the cultivated hills. And besides, the softer light is better for photographing people, particularly picking up the vibrant colors worn by some of the minority peoples.

As we turn down the main street of one little town, my photo traveling friend, Long Ly, and I spot a big outdoor market. It is bustling with activity, as people start the weekend buying food and other items offered here. The colorful produce and blood red meat, some butchered on site, would be enough to capture the eye of any photographer. But here, there also is the added color of the costumes worn by the ethnic minority people.

I got some good images here. But the thing that made this such an interesting experience was the interaction with the people. Many acted as if they had never seen a caucasian before, and maybe they haven't, as we are far off the path traveled by most tourists. People are eager to say hello in English and Vietnamese, shake my hand and just plain stare. Some want to touch my white skin. One rubbed the top of my bald head. Another patted my belly.

One young man, a cook in the market restaurant,  was insistent that I take his photo with his friend. I happily complied. One held his shirt up to expose his stomach and they both made signals with their hands and arms -- none of which made sense to me. Most people here are delighted to see their photo on the camera's LCD screen. But this fellow was trying to tell me something more, and I was reasonably certain he wanted to give me his name and address so I could send him a print. I went to find Long to help with the translation and that is exactly what he wanted. The print will be in the mail soon.

"Sweetheart, You Ought To Be In Pictures!"

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2009

Out of the fog they come, dressed in their tribal costumes, either black or red, depending on their ethnic group. They appear out of wooded trails that connect with the main road to Sapa. And they are mostly women headed for the market, laden with freshly harvested vegetables or handmade souvenirs they plan to sell to the tourists.

And they were today's photo subjects.

This was not always easy because the colorfully dressed ethnic minorities of North Vietnam learned a long time ago that they could guilt many tourists into buying something in return for having their photos made. And today, we had to appeal to their mercantile sensibilities and trust to get their help in making good images.

My traveling photo companion, Long Ly, has the ability to pull a tiger out of a hat. Along the road, he spotted a trail that went up an incline into the foggy forest. He suggested we wait for awhile and when a couple of minority women came along, we could get them to walk up the trail and we could shoot them against the forest. It was a brilliant idea but no minority women were coming along the road. I suggested we go back down the mountain about a half mile to a roadside market and recruit some models.

So we arrived at the market, only to have a swarm of Red Dao women surround the car, hoping to sell souvenirs to tourists. Long jumped out and I stayed in the car, figuring they might want more money or be spooked completely if they saw an American was in on the deal. Long offered two young women 30,000 Viet Dong each, which is about $2. They demanded 50,000. And this negotiation over about $1 went on and on.

Finally, the two women said yes and it looked like we had our models. But then, mom stepped in. She wasn't letting her girls get in an SUV with a bunch of strangers.

"She thinks we might be kidnappers and that we will sell the girls in China to an old man looking for a wife," Long said. He tried to reason with them and then finally told them an American photographer was in the car behind the tinted glass. "And," he added. "Americans don't have kidnapping."

I rolled down the window, and five the women pressed against the car to see me.

"Where are you from," one demanded to know.

"The United States," I answered tentatively, always worrying about the reaction that might prompt.

"Want to buy a souvenir," she immediately asked.

After some more discussion, two slightly older women agreed to be photographed. I think they figured they were less likely to be kidnap material, having passed their prime. In any event, we drove them up the mountain and Long and I both got some good shots.

In the end, our driver, Tony, seemed to want to have the last word. He got a momentary scare out of the women by jokingly telling them there would be a 20,000 Viet Dong taxi fee to drive them back down the mountain.

Getting To Know Each Other

MONDAY-TUESDAY, MAY 4-5, 2009

Greetings from Sapa, Vietnam. This mountain top town is about a 10 hour drive northwest of Hanoi. It once was a resort town for the French, who fled here during the hot summer months to escape the heat in Hanoi. Now, it is an interesting mix of mountain ethnic people, tourists and other assortments of people who think this unusual place, which is often shrouded in fog, which indeed it is tonight, is kind of a cool place to hang out.

We've ended up here after two days of driving and photo shooting. My photographer friend, Long Ly, was at the Hanoi airport to pick me up and we started shooting in a small village an hour outside of Hanoi on Monday morning. Our driver, Tony, does not speak any English, but maneuvers our SUV through the traffic adeptly, whether it be the crowded motorbike packed streets of the city, or the narrow, one-lane mountain roads of the countryside. He sometimes plays club dance tunes and keeps a lime green Buddha on his dashboard.

I am using this trip to try and make progress on a book I have been reading off-and-on for nearly two years -- John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. I seem to only find time to read it when I travel. The book was on a reading list of great American literary works suggested when I took a workshop with Rodney Smith, one of the best contemporary portrait photographers around. I had somehow missed reading the book in high school or college and the workshop seemed like a good opportunity.

It doesn't take long to figure out why Smith had it on his reading list. Steinbeck's characters are so vivid and rich and his descriptions of time and place are so good that you can almost taste the dust bowl of the Southwest. He paints a graphic picture that in each scene tells a story about the difficult lives of his characters. And that is what a successful portrait does -- it is narrative and reveals a moment that connects the viewer with the character and soul of the subject. 

In a 1938 letter, Steinbeck wrote: "My whole work drive has been aimed at making people understand each other."

It would seem a noble goal for a photographer, too. As I have been making images these last two days, I have captured a lot of people shots, intruding on the privacy and taking advantage of the friendliness of Vietnam's farmers, laborers and peddlers. They've smiled and frowned and offered a look at themselves and their lives. I hope I will be successful in a small way of achieving what Steinbeck did so well with words.