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Hoi An Countryside — Harvesting

by 360 Nomad | Oct 31, 2018 | 0 comments

Hoi An Countryside — Harvesting

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360nomad

Emmy Award Winner
Documenting the People and Culture of Vietnam
Fine Art Photographer
Teaching Photography in Hoi An

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Fishing amidst a forest of nipa palms in central Vietnam.
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It’s quite common to have a husband and wife team working together while fishing. One will set or retrieve the nets while the other rows.
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Here, amongst the palm forest, they set their nets as the sun rises over the Cua Dai estuary.
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While we were watching them row through the palms I spotted a small opening that somewhat resembled the shape of a boat. I prepared and hoped they would row through it. Then in a moment, it all came together.

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"Hoi An now looks like it was in the past.”
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Thuý sells sea snails from a red bucket on the back of her bicycle every day in Hoi An, Vietnam. It’s a job she’s been doing for more than 20 years.
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"Normally, I sell 2 buckets per day. But now all the shops are closed so not many people are eating snails now.”
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Over the past few weeks, more and more stores and restaurants have been closing in the old town due to COVID-19. While Thuý’s customers are typically not tourists, there are fewer and fewer store owners and employees to sell too.
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As of today (March 28th) an order has been issued and all of the restaurants, bars and non-essential stores are closed in Hoi An to prevent the spread of the virus.
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Thuý, 53 years old
Hoi An, Vietnam

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Quá uses a long bamboo pole with a roughly forged blade on one end, as a posthole digger. “I dig the holes deep to put fertilizer for the watermelon,” she says after I look into one and ask her about it.
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In front of her, young peanut plants arranged in long winding rows glow in the afternoon sun. Behind her, pepper and bean plants. Quá makes use of every bit of arable land.
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"I grow watermelon, pepper, beans, and peanuts. The peanuts that I grow are used to make cooking oil. I have been doing farming since I was a kid.”
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"In the past, the life was very difficult, but now it is so much better. I work to earn money to raise my kids."
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Quá, 56 years old
Quảng Nam, Vietnam
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When I travel around Vietnam I’m always interested in talking to farmers. As a kid, I did a lot of manual farming work, much like the Vietnamese farmers do. Very labor-intensive, without much heavy machinery.

We hope you are enjoying these stories. We always love hearing from people who take the time to read through them. Trinh and I dedicate an immense amount of time and energy into meeting, talking to and photographing these people, and it’s incredibly rewarding. When we read your comments here with feedback or your own similar stories, or even just that you enjoyed the story or photo, it really makes us happy. We really do enjoy reading them and always try to respond to each and every one.

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Hoa gathers krill that has been dried on nets in the sun. For the last few decades, she’s worked in the kitchen of a small hotel in Hoi An, Vietnam. Now times are different. She explains:
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"Due to the Coronavirus spread, the hotel is closed, that is why I am working for hire like this (drying krill and fish). These krill will be dried within a day and after that, they’ll be ready to be sold."
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"When the virus started, my husband was worried and told me to stay at home for safety. A few days later, my hotel was shut down. Since then, I’ve been unemployed. Therefore, I try to get work wherever I can.”
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Hoa, 43 years old
Hoi An, Vietnam
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Around Hoi An, over the years, many people have transitioned into jobs in the tourism industry. A usually booming industry employing countless numbers of people, it has all but come to an abrupt halt. As Vietnam closes it’s borders and works tirelessly to contain COVID-19, people like Hoa try to find an income in other places.

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Riding back from the market at sunrise in the ancient town of Hoi An.
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There is a different pace of life in the old town at the moment. With less work, many locals were out for a morning run. More people are wearing masks and there were no tourists as we walked around.
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On the waterfront people still go to and from the market, like any other morning in Hoi An. Beautiful and peaceful.

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Toan pilots his boat back to Hoi An, Vietnam after a night of fishing on the river.
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Day by day there are fewer tourists in Hoi An. Yesterday afternoon we found that an estimated 75% of the stores and restaurants in the old town are closed. Very few foreigners.
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As the evening approached we saw many locals hanging out on the riverside flying kites with their kids and socializing. A group of policemen was walking around giving foreigners masks and hand sanitizer. “They are very polite” Sharon from Hoi An Now told us.
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With COVID-19 escalating so quickly in the world right now, the Vietnamese government has been doing an extraordinary job in containing it, as well as preparing the response should it get out of control.
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Oh, and the stores are still stocked with toilet paper.

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