Vietnam Tet Trip

[TheAnimus]

So some of you know I love to travel, quite a few hexites liked my rally thread, and have a lot of love for Vietnam, the people, the food, the climate, the amazing natural beauty.

This year I went and stayed with some friends of mine for Tet, Vietnamese New Year, which is on the lunar calendar like the Chinese one. It is traditionally a time for celebration of family, time to remember the ancestors and such. Every home should fly a flag, people should return to their family homes, and little is done for the better part of a week. Tourists thinking of being in Vietnam during Tet should consider that many businesses shut down for over a week, trains, planes and auto mobiles are fully booked.

I spent most of my time around Hoi An, which is an incredibly beautiful old town which suffers from its own beauty too much, it is now almost totally tourist orientated. It was 500 years ago a trading town, now it is famed for its tailoring.

Hoi An at Night












Hoi An by Day



A cyclo driver having some corn, most street vendors sell it bbq'd with a chilli and pepper sauce.

I need a macro lens.

There is a lot of fresh water shrimp in the area.

A duck placed in a plastic carrier bag becomes quite calm apparently.


Taken with a 1.4 teleconverter, some bad CA creeps in.

[TheAnimus]

Updated, finally, sorry about delay

Dinner time

Classy Dinner Time

Doing it yourself dinner time

Cooking class dinner time

Instructor

Fresh Dinner

Dinner style

Nothing to do with Dinner

Saigon Street Dinner

Abstract with nothing to do with dinner

Childrens entertainment, for dinner.

[fuddam]

Nice.

[SiM]

Yes, very nice pics. I'm going to Hoi An in April, only staying for a day though...

[TheAnimus]

If you can possibly do it sim, ensure to be there on the 14th of the lunar month, I beleive that is the 23rd of April. The town has its "Old Town Night" celebration then, street games, only lanterns permitted, bikes banned from the center and the river full of lanterns (like Dwarli festival in India).

Is it a trip through Vietnam or part of SEA, anyway, have a blast!

[SiM]

Thanks for the tip... Unfortunately, I won't be there then. First time in SEA so I'm doing a private 19 day tour of Vietnam and Cambodia. Only stopping for a day or two in each place (except Siem Reap). I know I'll be missing a lot, and spending half my time travelling (flying when possible), but this trip is just to see most of the main tourist trail. I will go back to more targeted places next time I visit.

[IBM]

Second shot is awesome. Absolute fave bar none.

You nailed the exposure on the Cyclo driver, but it's a little lacking in engagement.

Old lady, second from last - so close, but that arm ruins in.

Thanks for putting these up. Would love to visit Vietnam.

[mcmiller]

Did you use a tri-pod? I'm looking for suitable for traveling and being carried around.

[TheAnimus]

Second shot is awesome. Absolute fave bar none.

You nailed the exposure on the Cyclo driver, but it's a little lacking in engagement.

I think in future I'm going to try and learn an awful joke in every language, even if its just parrot like, along the lines of "2 elephants walked of a cliff, boom boom!" just so I can engage people, try and do better travelling environmental portrait work.

As it stood I asked the guy if I could take his photo in my awful Vietnamese, he said ok and went straight back to what he was doing before, eating and keeping an eye out for his fare coming back.

Old lady, second from last - so close, but that arm ruins in.

Hmm, I love the arm, it leads you towards the subject, it expresses the support the balance the taxi lady (subject is a water taxi) whilst the mixed indifference, the betel leaf stained teeth.

The other one I like is this:

But I didn't have the tele converter on (I was using my 77mm prime), I really wish I'd had my friend with me to translate and let me make her pose. All I can really converse in Vietnamese over is food.

Thanks for putting these up. Would love to visit Vietnam.

Do as soon as you can! It is changing rapidly (for the better for the residents) but it is loosing so much of its natural beauty and elegance of its people. Adidas is replacing traditional dress.

[TheAnimus]

Did you use a tri-pod? I'm looking for suitable for traveling and being carried around.

Yes.

I use a Giottos carbon fibre jobby, with a ball head.

It isn't stable in wind, will rock without a centre weight (I use my water bottle), but its very, very light, would recommend.

[j.o.s.h.1408]

Nice shots mate

[danroyle]

Really good shots there. Looks like an interesting place to go

[merdat]

Nice pictures indeed.