Khoa's Space

The slow and fast Vietnam

Hi fellow bear bloggers,

As my spring break is coming to a close, and I'm almost back to the quick-paced life of a college student in the US, I want to revisit the slow-paced lives of the people in the small towns of Vietnam. If you come and ask them if any of the conflicts that are going on affect their lives, they would probably ask you, "What conflicts?"

This picture was taken here.

A picture of a man standing on a lotus pad, floating on water. It is not any ordinary lotus pad; it is called the King Lotus because of its big stalk and wide leaf span. A single lotus pad can hold the weight of a grown person. They are grown in a Buddhist temple called Phuoc Kien Temple, or more commonly, Lotus Leaf Temple. The temple keepers took pictures of their monks floating these pads to symbolize their awakening and liberty from physical wanting, but anyone can take a picture floating on one for around $2.

These pictures were taken here and here.

Moving north from the swamps where the lotus thrives, the Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, and Loc An areas feature calm fisheries along the coast of Vietnam. There are no famous tourist sites nearby, so the only sound I heard was the waves crashing onto the shore, people talking, and wind gusts rushing through the tree lines, planted to help slow down the strong winds coming from the sea.

In Vietnam, instead of big fishing boats, you would more commonly find round, basket-like, motorized boats. They are called Thuyen Thung, which directly translates to basket boat. Back in the days, Vietnam was one of the French colonies. Like any colonizer, the French taxed the people on silly stuff, such as a heavy tax for owning a fishing boat. To combat this, they sailed huge baskets to the sea, using them like a boat. A Thuyen Thung typically holds 1-2 people, and they are used for very close shore fishing. To this day, the tradition sticks, but these boats are now equipped with motors, net retrievers with colorful flags, and murals.

Bonus picture from a long time ago. I found this fisherman and his fishing gear on top of very sharp rocks. There were oysters on those rocks. Surrounding him are people with red buckets and small pickaxes; they pried the oyster open right on the rock and scooped them into their buckets. Those were to be sold in plastic bags in the fish market the following morning. The waves were crashing into the rocks, and people were prying oyster. The man sat still on the rocks.

These pictures were taken here.

Talking about fish. Moving north along the coast of Vietnam to the harbor of Phan Thiet, I found myself at a bustling harbor with fishers shouting left and right, bargaining, moving produce around, wrapping it in insulated boxes, ready to be shipped across the country. Everything was always moving. To the left of me was a woman weighing a fresh-caught. I did not know what fish it was, but its skin was silver and glistening in the sun. She was weighing, cutting it up into pieces, and bargaining with us. She was sharp and quick, and nailed down a price in seconds. Just as I was captivated by the quick-witted woman, another one was dragging her fish tray across the market. Her body was leaning forward like moonwalking on the fishy, slippery cement floor. As she was walking, she shouted loudly and clearly, telling everyone to make way. Next to all of that was another temple, serene and quiet.

The quick and slow live in harmony. The coast brings life to the stillness, in which water can be calm and still, or loud and always moving.

You can download my pictures on Unsplash. Have a question about the coast of Vietnam? Send me an email!

#fish market #photography #vietnam