When I visited Vietnam the first time in 2018, I had already developed a liking for street photography. But it took me a while before I became comfortable doing that in Vietnam. I walked around with a 50mm lens attached to Canon 1300D camera, trying to capture the essence of street life in the country. For some reason, I was inclined towards shooting a lot in portrait mode.

I visited Ho Chi Minh city, Da Lat, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi. It was in Hoi An where I became more comfortable with people in the streets thanks to friendly locals. Sipping cups of Vietnamese coffee – which was love at first sip – I walked around observing. Although language was a barrier, a smile worked just fine in most cases. Conversations also took place with locals speaking with me in Vietnamese and I speaking English. Probably we didn’t understand each other’s words but I do believe we understood what we meant.

When I left, I did not know when I will return to Vietnam. But I didn’t have to wait long. I visited Vietnam once again in late 2019. This time I visited places like Da Nang, Phong NHA, and Ninh Bình in addition to other cities I had visited before. During this visit, I gave my camera mostly a rest and gave a smartphone a try.

Years: 2018-2019