For the Vietnamese , there’s much more to life than what’s inside the four walls they call home.
In contrast to the often sterile and deserted neighborhoods of the West where life is lived almost exclusively behind closed doors, Vietnam’s cramped city dwellings and a powerful sense of community means life here seamlessly spills out onto the streets. Wander along any of the city’s many avenues and back alleys and you’ll discover people on the pavement animatedly huddled around a game of Chinese chess, getting their hair cut (and ears cleaned), washing vegetables and clothes or simply and unabashedly sprawled out for a midday nap.
In Ho Chi Minh City, all kinds of work that we, as Westerners, would expect to find “inside” workshops and garages take place “outside” right on the sidewalk – motorcycle and bicycle fixing, welding, carpentry and shoe repair. Needless to say, the Vietnamese are not self-conscious; they are very relaxed about putting their life on display. They just do whatever they need to do, whenever they need to do it and wherever they need to do it. And these were the candid moments our photographers captured.
Beautiful in its vibrancy, honesty and at times grittiness, street life is alive and well and remains an intrinsic thread to the fabric of the city.
Images by Quinn Ryan Mattingly & Nam Quan
