1999 Vietnam Solo Tour
As a correspondent in Asia, based in Tokyo, I was used to travel by myself, renting and riding local motorcycle anywhere in Asia. This complete freedom allowed me to follow my destiny, as nothing was exactly planed at first.
Photos: Franc Péret (slide film)
Vietnam was just starting to open up to tourism and adventure was there, waiting for me in whichever direction I chose, trying my luck.
Searching for my next destination
This story was published in several magazines in Japan and there was a lot to tell as everyday was a different adventure. I am not going to sum up everything here, but in short, without a proper map, it was easy to get lost, especially starting from Hanoi and heading close to Chinese border.
Nothing is impossible on a bicycle in Vietnam
I did some tandem riding with a peasant bringing her back to her farm as her bicycle fall in a river, I was adopted by villager who had never encounter westerners before me, I was arrested by police and spent one night in their station as my presence in a very sensitive area was considered suspicious, I was invited by locals fishermen for fishing, dining and night stay.
My diner and the cook
All of this happened to me without being able to exchange any words in Vietnamese except that “hello”, “thanks”, and “goodbye” (Shot on Slide Fuji Provia ISO100. I used a tripod for self portrait and group shots).
Franc Peret is teaching Essential Photography Classes, Advanced Photography Workshop and Film Making Classes in Shanghai
Chopsticks factory output drying under the sun
Vietnam typical postcard
Lotus in a pond
I found a new family in Vietnam
Sugar can delivery man taking a rest
Official demonstration against AIDS
Kilometer 0, where everything starts or ends
Riding, shooting and overtaking in the meantime
Sunset on Ha Long Bay
Wow love these travel shots of Vietnam one can feel the beauty and emotion of the area. Where these shot with Film?
Hi Richard, thanks for your nice comment. I started to professionally use digital camera from 2002, before that I was more in trust with the old way of shooting slides. Therefore, all my post before 2002 are shot with slides (Fuji Velvia or Provia). Slides are even more difficult than negative film, as you are shooting the negative directly and there is no way to correct exposure mistakes in post treatment. With negative film, at least 2 stops of correction in both direction are possible while producing the final print. It is one of the reason many “artists” were using B&W film, to be able to change things after the shoot. As a journalist working for agencies or color printed high quality magazine, slide was mandatory to get the best quality possible. B&W newspaper were happy with B&W or color negative film as paper and printing quality of a newspaper are too weak to see any difference compare to slides. Since day 1 of my career, I worked with slides and I had to be very precise on my understanding of exposure and composition, and I had to count my shots as I couldn’t carry that much rolls of film with me on a motorbike. Franc
I lived in Vietnam for 7 years in Hochiminhcity. Such ethereal beauty in its simplicity. I relived my time there through your photographs.