Claudio Sieber

With around 5’500 people the Pa Then are one of the smallest minority groups in Vietnam, mostly living in Quang Binh (Ha Giang, Vietnam). The Pa Then believe the universe was created by the god Quơ Vo and the devil goddess Me Quơ O. Their cosmology divides the universe into four parts. The idea behind the „Fire Dance“ is to ward off danger and evil spirits with the power of fire, but also to worship heaven and earth and to encourage the youth to master their path. The shaman calls out the gods to induce the dancers into trance. As soon as he’s satisfied with the stage of the bonfire, he gives his fellow dancers absolution and sends them into the blaze. A good dozen Pa Then men prove their strength and throw themselves into burning coal.

What does an UFO catching dragon, some overgrown water slides and three abandoned crocodiles have in common? …Well, they all share the same neighbourhood near Hue. Nestled in a forest setting in central Vietnam, Ho Thuy Tien water park was reportedly opened in a half-finished state by hue tourism company in 2004. Shortly after, the park closed its doors and had been given back to nature to become a bizzare sight for inquisitive backpackers and weekenders of Hue’s royal city. Little is known about the misplaning. Some students I asked in Hue are quite sure the investors run out of money. Others assume the entrance fee of 90’000 Vietnamese Dong (around 5 Dollars) was set too high for the locals. When exploring the park, it’s quite obvious that the urban planner was either on drugs or studied Russian architecture. Probably both. The points of interest within Ho Thuy Tien are too spread out. It takes around 10 minutes to get from the weird looking amphitheatre (that was built for around 600 people to enjoy a silly water fountain show) to the water slide action. Now, the slides are covered with leaves, palm trees make their way up the spirals while the shallow children pool is filled with opaque waters. In far distance a dragon just caught a UFO from outer space. In search of more deserted spots I climb up the stairs to the dragon’s mouth and flock around in the UFO where broken aquariums were once filled with rays and fish. When meeting Locky later the night, I finally find out more about the three crocodiles that inhabited a small swimming pool inside the UFO. The Australian tells me how he saw locals throwing bricks on the abandoned crocodiles to check the resistance of their armoured skin. After feeding the animals for several months he helped moving them out to a sanctuary up north.

Downtown Hanoi, Vietnam. The early risers are driving from the suburbs into town, mostly Old Quarter, to trade their goods for cash. The outdoor salesforce has spent a good amount of time arranging their assortment to present it in an artistic way. Some stack up a variety of flowers from the local fair on the back of their bicycle. Others bring in their mobile kitchen to prepare savory food on the spot. And, not less are armed with barber equipment to offer haircuts on the sidewalk. When crossing the highway I’ve been observing the street vendors from above doing their daily business and became all of a sudden fascinated. With the curiosity for extraordinary lifestyles and in respond to my desire of Vietnamese streetfood I spent hours and hours on different bridges to capture the daily routine of street vendors on a bird’s eye view. Since I have been living in Hanoi for a good while, people often ask me, where to go and what to do when they are about to visit this fascinating blend of East and West, a city that combines fidgety Vietnamese activities within French architectural flair. My advice? Observe, get lost in the narrow alleys of Old Quarter and eat as much streetfood as possible. Even if you haven’t been to any of the major Asian cities, you’ve probably heard of the streetfood paradise, where plentiful choices remain unrivaled by any other continent. But yet, the street vendors are about to vanish and, with them a good part of the cultural dynamism which makes this megalopolis so unique. Richly stuffed Banh Mih sandwiches, delicious Bun Cha (barbecued pork patties with vermicelli noodles) or the worldwide famous Pho (beef noodle soups), will be served exclusively in restaurants, it’s just a matter of time. The sooner the better, pack your essentials and make your way to the chaotic capital of Hanoi before everything looks like sterile Singapore.

With the heatwaves peaking at around 30-40 degrees all over the globe, many seek out a nice spot for some decent tanning, thinking of a brownish skin color as the perfect summer gift — Not so much in Vietnam. Where I come from, to refuge inside during a sunny weekend is considered a criminal offense — Having frankly more rainy, foggy or snowy days per year, you’re better off enoying these sparse sun rays once they’re out. Well, in Asia, things appear to be slightly different. Skin whitening has a long history, dating back to antique times. A pale complexion was seen as noble and aristocratic – only those rich enough could afford staying indoors, while the farmers baked in the rice fields. Until to date, getting sun-kissed is not what Asians fancy, they will do all sort of things to shelter from UV. Funnily enough, “the paler, the better“ even shapes the summer street fashion.

Jobs are quite comparable all over the world, but not the setting. When coming to Vietnam I was instantly fascinated by the presence of ambulant hairdressers. You’ll find them almost everywhere, in back alleys, on sidewalks, in parks, next to markets, on bicycles. Half a century ago dozens of outdoor barbers would line a street, bringing along essential tools to get the job done. Time has slightly changed. There is still a demand for low-cost haircuts, furthermore not anyone can afford the rental fees for a proper barbershop. The more the country develops, the more these nostalgic scenes vanish. One of the Vietnamese outdoor barbers within my photo set is a former machinist. As the son of a UN-worker, Cường alias „Mr. Libor“ (so his Czech name) had been educated in the Czech Republic. Besides Russia, Cuba and China one of the countries having excellent ties with (northern) Vietnam. When returning back to Hanoi from his venture, he could not find a well-paid job within the field and life felt just too hectic anyway. So he decided to avoid the system and to become an outdoor barber. Done within one month. He currently gets around 5 to 6 hair jobs done a day, the rest of the time he watches movies on his phone. If he wants to improve, I asked Cường. He’s more than happy he told me, even he’d like to own a nice shop one day. Since so many Vietnamese are in need of a cheap haircut, his self-taught proficiency lets him survive well. Cường is just one out of thousands of Asian outcasts, who are working as self mades without a work registration. Many Asian countries allow their citizens a lot of space to survive. So does Vietnam. Paying governmental taxes is sort of „not compulsory“, therefore a good amount of street sellers are going for the risk. Social insurance pensions are insufficient to live on, and the vast majority of elderly people in Vietnam still depend on their families to care for them regardless of whether or not they receive a pension.