prim prima

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

November 2024

The first time I visited Saigon, I didn’t find it much different from Bangkok. Being a metropolitan city, it didn’t offer as much public space as Hanoi, similar to Bangkok in that regard. So, I didn’t initially see it as a place to take interesting photos. But somehow, being Vietnamese, the thriving spirit of the city remained, and I ended up capturing more photos of people here than in Hanoi. The colours are different, as it feels like someone removed the hazy filter from the north, revealing the real, vibrant personality of Saigon.

What’s interesting to me are the Saigon apartments. Everything here takes the form of an apartment, but instead of being used as living spaces, each unit is divided into cafes, fashion stores, and spas, all within one building. Even in the buildings where people actually live, some floors double as easy lunch spots. As always, people here were very welcoming for me to take photos, as long as I didn’t disturb them, especially in residential areas. You can hear more casual karaoke during lunch breaks here, which somehow becomes the background music of the city. I hope I can document those moments in video form in the future.



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