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“I’m old old, but I’m still happy. I don’t have a

"I'm old old, but I'm still happy. I don't have a reason, I'm just happy", grandma Phua says with a giggle.
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"I’m almost 100 years old. I don’t know how I can live this long. I don’t do hard work every day anymore, but if I have free time, I do some small chores.”
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“I used to grow rice. Now I don’t have anything to work on but I'm still happy."
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Grandma Phua, "almost 100 years old"
Black H'Mong Ethnic group
Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái, Vietnam
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Something Grandma Phua said that has stuck with me: “I don’t have a reason, I’m just happy.” Such a simple yet profound statement. It made me think about happiness and that we don’t need a reason to be happy. I try to think about this in my daily life. Stop with the “Ill be happy when…..(insert reason)” and just be happy for no reason.

With 54 officially recognized ethnic groups, and h

With 54 officially recognized ethnic groups, and hundreds more sub-groups speaking over 100 languages, Vietnam is one of the most ethno-linguistically diverse regions in South East Asia.
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The Dao are perhaps the most culturally diverse of all of the ethnic groups in Vietnam with 13 different sub-groups in Vietnam alone (5 of which are only in Vietnam).
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Originally from Southern China, the Dao migrated to Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand starting as early as the 13th century. In Vietnam, they primarily live in the mountainous regions across the North and retain strong cultural traditions. Traveling around the North it’s quite common to see Dao women and men working and going about their daily lives while wearing their traditional clothes.
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With a population of 891,151 (2019), the Dao are the 8th most populous ethnic minority group in Vietnam.
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Pictured here is Qua, 3, from the Dao Cham (Dao Ao Dai) ethnic group in Ha Giang, (North) Vietnam

I’m loving memory, Grandma Sáu. . She lived to

I’m loving memory, Grandma Sáu.
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She lived to be 105 years old. A long life with many descendants. A beautiful woman with a light in her eye. Quick with a smile and laugh. One of the sweetest people we've met.
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Arriving at her house she welcomed us like grandkids and when leaving she said "When I pass away, I will always watch over you. You are good people!
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Grandma Sáu passed on October 27th, 2022. She is survived by her family in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam as well as her extended family around the world.
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Grandma Sáu, we're happy and honored to have met you. A beautiful, sweet and gentle woman. May you rest in peace. You are loved by many.

“My ancestors used the sword as a weapon to defend

"My ancestors used the sword as a weapon to defend themselves from wild animals and to protect our village from other tribes because in the old days there was a lot of fighting. The shields were made of wood or bamboo with a layer of sap from a specific tree and then it was coated in sand."
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"Amongst the young men in a village, one would be chosen who was wise and excelled at combat. All the other men respected and listened to that man. If a tiger or anyone attacked, he would be the first person to defend the village."
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A Biu, 63
Bahnar Ethnic Group
Kon Tum, Central Highlands, Vietnam
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Trinh has put together a wonderful and fun video of A Biu, highlighting where he lives and some of the Bahnar traditions. You should definitely check it out and follow her on youtube to see a budding filmmaker documenting Vietnamese cultures. Link to the video is in the bio.
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It's been a while, so I wanted to give an update. Due to complications related to the pandemic, I had to return to Los Angeles where I’m from. Perhaps it was a good thing, considering I hadn't been back to the US in 5 years. Seeing friends again and re-connecting with family have been the highlights. Then there's the societal adulting issues that had to eventually be sorted out. All those things that are nearly impossible to do while out of the country. Renewing a lost California driver's license is pretty much not possible to do when you're out of the country. Banks and the government don't really have a corner for people who are gone for years.
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Recently, I've taken up a new project combining my passion for photography as well as the outdoors, namely canyoneering. Canyoneering is the activity of descending canyons. It usually involves rappelling, down-climbing, hiking, navigation and depending on the canyon, swimming, waterfalls and water currents. I view it as a sub-culture here in Los Angeles with it's own lingo and dress codes.
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And now, plans are in the works to return to SE Asia in the not-too-distant future.

“This is how I usually dress at home (referring to

"This is how I usually dress at home (referring to his clothes and jewelry). We used to drink, sing, have fun and play gongs a lot. Now the young generations don't know much about our culture, they just know how to drive motorbikes. Therefore, I constantly remind them that they have to keep our culture going and to not forget our origin. I can make crossbows, musical instruments, bamboo baskets and lots of things."
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"Deforestation is prohibited here. There used to be rhinoceros in this area."
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"We used to worship Yang (Creator) to have good crops . To pray for peace and prosperity, we sacrificed chickens, buffalo or pigs. Whenever we were sick, we would always organize ritual worship, but people were still sick and died. It was very expensive to do that, we had to sacrifice at least 2 or 3 buffalo. Now, I follow Jesus and if we are sick we will see doctors."
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Brê, in his 80s
Ma Ethnic Group
Central Highlands, Vietnam

“I was in the army during the war, fighting in the

"I was in the army during the war, fighting in the forest and in the mountains. Every battle was very tough. The bullets fell like rain. There were many people dying. It was fate whether one lived or died! I was in a situation where I had to fight. If I had not fought against the other side, they would have killed me."
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"Lots of girls chased me when I was young, but I was just in love with my wife. She was adorable. We wrote letters while I was in the army. My parents organized the wedding for me while I was fighting in the war. I couldn't be the groom in our wedding. I only believed that I was alive when I came back home to her. She passed on 13 years ago due to heart disease."
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"I love people watching. It makes me happy. The pictures that you gave me before, I hung them in my house."
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Le Sa, 85
Hoi An, Vietnam
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Le Sa spends his days in a small fishing village on the outskirts of Hoi An making basket boats for fishermen and small model boats to use as an offering at the temple. I was fascinated by these fully functioning miniatures and so bought the one he was making. He wanted a photo of him making the boat, so we returned to give him a print which he was happy to receive. (Additional photos in story)

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