Photography
copyrighted to Thor May 2002; all rights reserved
These 107 photographs were
taken during a five week trip through Vietnam (also Phnom Penh in
Cambodia) in February 1996. The original prints were of much better
quality - problems of contrast and resolution in the scans will be obvious to
discerning viewers, but hopefully the results are still of interest. (I
foolishly tried to scan several prints at once, to save time).
Vietnam is an extremely
photogenic country, with quite striking coastlines. Even the slums have a
movie set quality (except, no doubt, for those who have to live in them). I
wouldn't be human not to notice also that there seem to be more beauty queens
per kilometer in Vietnam than in any other country I have visited. And the
cuisine, I think, is probably the best in Asia, full of fresh green things and
bewitching aromas.
For me, the
Vietnam trip was a long time coming. Starting in 1979, I had taught English to
perhaps hundreds of Vietnamese "boat people" refugees in Australia, and
especially in the early period, had quite close relationships with parts of
these communities. It was natural to be curious about their origins. The visit
confirmed earlier impressions of Vietnamese resilience and innovation. Also
obvious were the spartan economic conditions (partly the result of American
economic sanctions), the underlying corruption and lawlessness that comes from
a struggle to survive, and ineffective, pig-headed government obstruction to
efficient management.
