Not isolated

Another city.  Another maze of hems.  Hems (or alleyways) are pretty standard fare in any urban area within Viet Nam.  I shared about them some as I toured in Saigon previously.  The same seems to hold true here in Haiphong.  Because the hems are “isolated” from the main roads, there’s a tendency in me to view the people as wanting to remain isolated or even lonely.  But nothing seems further from the truth.  Relationships back in the hems seem strong.  And even for an outsider such as myself walking in, the people are warm and welcoming.

Seamstress

In Vietnam, many businesses are run out of homes. The hems in which Vietnamese live are oftentimes business places as well. Here, a woman does seamstress work out of her home.

Cleaning up

A barber packs up his pop-up shop before heading home.

Seen

Sadness with a touch of pride.

Palette

The most common colors I've seen in hems are a warm yellow and cool turquoise. This is my first time seeing them both together.

Excited

A mother takes her son to karate.

Known

Window to the soul.

Treatment

Women receive beauty treatments at an informal salon in the hems.

Laughter

Mother and daughter enjoy a TV show together.

Blackened

A grandmother prepares fresh herbs for cooking dinner. Seeing my camera, she cannot help but start smiling and laughing. Look closely, and you may notice that her teeth are died black, a common practice until recent years.

White

A girl and her cat. This girl was very excited to talk to me, and we were also able to become Facebook friends, where she occasionally messages me.

Warmly

Father, mother, daughter, and son-in-law. A friendly Vietnamese family that was kind enough to welcome me into their home. Should I ever return to Haiphong, I know I will have friends.

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