All Aboard the Languorous Train From Hanoi to Saigon

Friday, 26 November 2021. Written by Abdelaziz Ibrahim. Photos by Abdelaziz Ibrahim.

Darkroom is a Saigoneer photography series that documents the beauty and stories of Vietnam and beyond. The compelling images encourage one to reflect upon the complexity of the human condition and the world.

The train connecting Vietnam’s largest cities takes 35 hours. Yet even after the first time I finished the trip, I was already coming up with excuses for why I needed to do it again. For me, the journey is much more than a chance for great views and time to reflect. It’s an exploration of life itself.

Every time I take a train in a new country, I’m fascinated by the interactions and activities that occur within the carriages. Somehow, through all their quirks and oddities, they represent a microcosm of a nation’s wider culture.

Hanoi Central Train Station.

I Hear The Train A-Comin’; It’s Rollin’ ‘Round The Bend, Johnny Cash 1955.

You see people meeting for the first time and forming friendships, long-haul passengers relishing the ride, and families reuniting or saying farewell. You see kids playing with their toys beside old people passing the time. You see men drinking beer together after lunch.

None of these things would seem out of place in any Vietnamese city. Here, they are framed by the windows and aisles of a slow-moving train, adding color to days that would otherwise be mundane.

Take a ride below:

OOH – I’ll get by with a little help from my friends – Beatles / Joe Cocker 1969

Boarding.

Two men killing time.

What would you do if I sang out of tune?

Lunchtime in the restaurant carriage.

Would you stand up and walk out on me?

Thuốc lào time.

Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key

A staff member checks tickets.

Ticket to Ride – Beatles 1965

Sleeping, resting, playing on phones in the carriage.

I think I’m going to be sad, I think it’s today, yeah
The girl that’s driving me mad is going away

Kids playing together.

I can recall a time, when I wasn’t afraid to reach out for a friend. – Dusty Springfield 1979

A child plays with his toy on a window sill.

We’ll build a world of our own
That no one else can share! – Seekers – 1963

The conductor’s hat.

Wherever I lay my hat! That’s my home! Paul Young 1983

A young boy enjoying the view.

“Are we there yet?”

A Mosaic of Vietnam’s Landscapes Through the Windows of the North-South Train

Traveling on the Reunification Express from Saigon to Hanoi feels like a ride through history and time.

On the Gentle Train Ride in a Myanmar From Another Era

Since the shocking coup d’état in Myanmar on February 1 and the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world has watched helplessly while the military junta brutally cracks down on peaceful protesters try…

And finally!

If you really love him
And there’s nothing I can do! The Walker Brothers 1965 – A well-to-do Father talking to his much loved daughter who’s in love with a boy, who’s parents live here!!!

And Relax

Why would any man who’s the head of the biggest country in the world want to start a war which will kill people – remember death does not have an ‘undo’ button! Just to get more land?

Love and peace John (confused on Phu Quoc Island)

[Photos] A Shopping Trip in Ben Thanh Market in 1938

Tuesday, 30 November 2021. Written by Saigoneer.

Dried fish? Pomelo? A chicken? Heels? Plates? Perhaps a fizzy soft drink or simple meal on the street? What is on your shopping list when you go to Ben Thanh Market?

As these photos from 1938 reveal, many of the items you travel to famous the District 1 market were on sale there in 1938. While one may certainly have arrived via a different mode of transportation and wasn’t likely to see as many plastic-packaged goods, let alone foreign brands, the bustling commercial center was strikingly similar to today. 

When famed French photographer Eli Lotar traveled to Vietnam, he turned his lens towards nearly everything, with an intent to capture people in their normal activities, as opposed to stage shots. During a trip to Ben Thanh Market, this means he snapped people preparing and selling a variety of goods, families enjoying meals at the stalls surrounding the market, and a variety of transportation options waiting to take people wherever they needed to go.

Have a look at the photos below:

Lunch break.

Scales awaiting a deal.

Vegetable supplies dwindling for the day.

Dried fish and vegetables.

Sample pomelos skinned to show their quality.

Awaiting the next customer, looking relaxed.

Clipping vegetable roots.

How much do you think that head of cabbage cost?

Shoes for sale.

Need dishes, glasses and various dining room goods? This guy has you covered.

Roosters for sale.

A rickshaw driver taking a midday snooze.

A woman weaves a basket to sell.

What a friendly looking soda seller!

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear

And an equally happy customer.

How does that man possibly keep that suit clean?

A grinning rickshaw driver beside street vendors.

A simple but effective means of providing shade.

A family enjoys lunch.

Children at the market pose for a photo together.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here

Transportation gathered outside the market.

Fancy a horse-drawn carriage?

Perhaps you’d prefer a rickshaw.

An automobile, the transport of the future, looms in the background.

[Photos] Lycée Pétrus Ky: Saigon’s Famous School for the High-Achieving

Lycée Petrus Ky is the former name of the school now known as Le Hong Phong High School. Established in 1927, it is one of the oldest operating high schools in Vietnam.

Do you think that technology is making our world / lives better? Or do you think there is/was a zenith, a high point in material/mechanical/technological development which we failed to recognise or comprehend and that now we are rushing headlong into a behavioural/ accountable / recordable prison where we are becoming more and more isolated by electronic convenience and thus more suspicious / defensive / hostile towards any new human contact?

And relax as the sun comes up to warm you!

Happy New Year – Love and peace – john