Viet Nam: The Market Under the Bridge

[Comanche]

The sun wasn’t fully up and the waterways were misty when the first vendors began arriving. The small village on the banks of the Perfume River has its market under a bridge – why, I don’t know – and it’s where locals go to buy food and clothing for their families.



The sellers come from the surrounding countryside by boat, bicycle, foot, and motorbike.




Soon, the place is noisy, packed and exciting. Noisy because the women are loud as they argue over prices, buyers denigrate the products and everyone exchanges the news of the day. The “seafood section” of the market offers fin fish, squid, shrimp – you name it and its there. Not only can you find what you want, but it doesn’t get any fresher than “still wigglin’ in the basket.” Very few Vietnamese, except the wealthy folks in the cities, own refrigerators. That necessitates frequent trips to the market (sometimes twice day) but it also means the food is super fresh.





Maybe you have a hankering for some pork. No problem. This pig was alive only a few hours ago, but some deft work with a big knife quickly reduces him to edible pieces. When I returned to this vendor’s stall about an hour later, she was almost sold out.

The Vietnamese diet doesn’t have a lot of meat in it. It’s a very healthy diet of fresh vegetables – lots of soups – with protein coming from seafood, chicken, pork, and a little beef.




Money and goods trade hands. The Vietnamese currency is the dong. (say dom). The exchange rate is over 19,000 dong to the US dollar – it takes awhile to get used to the idea that 50,000 dong is about $2.50. Prices in this market place are much lower than in the cities. The ladies are exchanging a blue colored bill - probably a 20,000 dong note – less than a dollar. Change was given by the seller.





The buyer in two photos above has a bowl of soup in her hand. Ever munch on a candy bar while shopping in America? We humans have busy lives but there are always people who will offer services to help with those busy lives. There are a number of places in the market to buy prepared food, including this soup stall. You can get a quick order if you wish, and either eat it at the stall or carry-out. She will throw in some fresh greens too.




And if Grandma forgot something for the soup stall, it’s easy to send the grandson scampering back across the little creek next to the market to retrieve it from her house.

I saw a lot of kids around the market. They’re not playing hooky from school – they will go in the afternoon. Most countryside families are too poor to pay for a full day’s schooling, so the go to school half a day.







Meanwhile, business is brisk. From eggs to squid, a lot of women do a lot of buying and selling in a short period of time. True, there were a few men around, including the one-legged elderly gentleman who collects the rental money from the vendors, but most of the men are hangers-on. Women run the place.




As mid-morning approaches, the crowd thins out; the vendors pack away their scales, baskets and other paraphernalia, and the area becomes quiet again.




The ladies walk home with their purchases and the world awaits tomorrow’s dawn and another day for the market under the bridge.

[pelican]

Great story and pics, Doug. You've really captured the essence of the market.

[garytx]

Nice, Doug, makes me feel like I was there.

[SevenAndMe]

Nice shots. Thanks.

Seems like the ordinary clothing has gotten more colorful over the years.
Not just black pajamas.

[Comanche]

Originally Posted by SevenAndMe

Nice shots. Thanks.

Seems like the ordinary clothing has gotten more colorful over the years.
Not just black pajamas.

Hi Dennis - -

I assume you were in Viet Nam "a long time ago." So was I - two tours - the first in 1967 and the second in 1969. And yes, I was a grunt.

I also assume that if you read my previous story about Viet Nam in transition, and that the image that first came to your mind was war. Such images today are almost impossible to find. Reminders of the "American War" are either in a museum or in a tourist trap.

But - reminders do exist. Can you (or anyone else) find such a reminder in the photos? Hint - it is a person.

Answer: In the next to the last photo is a man on crutches. He is a former ARVN soldier who lost his leg in Operation Lam Son 719 in 1971. He is the elderly man I referred to who collects the rent from the vendors.

As a photojournalist, I feel it is my job to present new information to people. Part of the information about Viet Nam is that the American War is of little import to the Vietnamese. As they put it, Viet Nam is a country, not a war.

Most veterans know that Viet Nam must have changed in some way - after all, it has been forty years since Americans were in Viet Nam in large numbers. But, they don't know how it has changed, nor do the many nonveterans of similar age who only saw Viet Nam through a television lens as a war.



This is not a good photo - its just a snapshot and I know it - but it does illustrate one way in which the American war still does impact the daily lives of rural Vietnamese. Can anyone figure out what that impact is?

(My apologies to the moderator - I know the rules in this forum, but I hope you will construe my comments as being about the photos.)

[tml]

Thank you very much for the great treat, Doug. These are beautiful shots of my homeland. Also, thanks for serving 2 tours there. Tri.

[hungt23]

Originally Posted by tml

Thank you very much for the great treat, Doug. These are beautiful shots of my homeland. Also, thanks for serving 2 tours there. Tri.

Tri, go read Doug's blogs if you have time. They are very good and informative.

[hungt23]

This is not a good photo - its just a snapshot and I know it - but it does illustrate one way in which the American war still does impact the daily lives of rural Vietnamese. Can anyone figure out what that impact is?

(My apologies to the moderator - I know the rules in this forum, but I hope you will construe my comments as being about the photos.)[/QUOTE]

Doug, is it the material that the boat is made of? Is it part of an airplane or something? I am just guessing.

[Comanche]

Originally Posted by hungt23

Doug, is it the material that the boat is made of? Is it part of an airplane or something? I am just guessing.

Ta da! We have a winner!

It is one half of the external fuel tank from an American jet fighter. Cut the tank in half, fit some wood over the sharp edges, add a seat and you have a boat that will last damned forever. It is the only war thing I know of that has any sort of impact on the daily lives of Vietnamese - and these boats are all over the place in central Viet Nam.

Kind of a "swords into plowshares" thing, eh?

This was a fun series to shoot because it demanded a lot of different techniques. For instance, the shot of the lady chopping the hog leg was shot using AI Servo at 3 fps. Though I shot in Av mode, I made sure the shutter speed was slow enough to blur the knife.

I am also recording sound while I shoot some of the stories here. Once back home. I'll use Audacity and Photodex Pro to create a slideshow with natural sound. The camera didn't faze the market ladies, but that big microphone did.

[ngoduyviet]

Tag to view & read a later. Gotta do some work.

[Doctorh]

enjoyed the pictures

[lhdvies]

Fantastic work Doug!!

[Comanche]

And thank you, Leon, for all the kudos - on all the postings.

Almost through with this trip. When I get home, I will have a lot of editing to do for the NGOs, including two different audio slide shows. Putting those together is almost as much fun as shooting the stories.

[KobraCarry]

Awesome!