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360nomad

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"I sometimes feel sad. Some people say we look lik

"I sometimes feel sad. Some people say we look like vampires and I wish that I could look as normal as other people. I quit going to school a long time ago. When I went to kindergarten, my teacher was scared of me, so she kicked me out of the class. After that, I didn't go to school anymore."
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"If I were normal, I would work for Kinh (Viet) people because I could earn more money. However, since my vision is weak, I am not as productive as others. Therefore I just work for my family. Sometimes, I collect leftover coffee from the fields to sell. I wish I could earn a lot of money to help my family."
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Soát, 20 (eldest sister)
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Hin, 10
Soát, 20
Quyết, 5
Bahnar Ethnic Group
Central Highlands, Vietnam
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2 of 3
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By Alden @360nomad and Trinh @my.vietnam.diary

<img src="https://360nomad.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png" alt=""I sometimes feel sad. Some people say we look like vampires and I wish that I could look as normal as other people. I quit going to school a long time ago. When I went to kindergarten, my teacher was scared of me, so she kicked me out of the class. After that, I didn't go to school anymore." . "If I were normal, I would work for Kinh (Viet) people because I could earn more money. However, since my vision is weak, I am not as productive as others. Therefore I just work for my family. Sometimes, I collect leftover coffee from the fields to sell. I wish I could earn a lot of money to help my family." . Soát, 20 (eldest sister) . Hin, 10 Soát, 20 Quyết, 5 Bahnar Ethnic Group Central Highlands, Vietnam . 2 of 3 . By Alden @360nomad and Trinh @my.vietnam.diary">

"At school, other kids tell me that I look like a

"At school, other kids tell me that I look like a ghost. Some boys bully me for being so white, others are scared of me. It is hard for me to see all the words (when reading), so I cannot learn much. But my teachers understand and love me, so they let me sit in the front row and let me move on to the next grade."
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Hin, 10 years old
Bahnar Ethnic Group
Central Highlands, Vietnam
.
1 of 3
.
By Alden @360nomad and Trinh @my.vietnam.diary

<img src="https://360nomad.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png" alt=""At school, other kids tell me that I look like a ghost. Some boys bully me for being so white, others are scared of me. It is hard for me to see all the words (when reading), so I cannot learn much. But my teachers understand and love me, so they let me sit in the front row and let me move on to the next grade." . Hin, 10 years old Bahnar Ethnic Group Central Highlands, Vietnam . 1 of 3 . By Alden @360nomad and Trinh @my.vietnam.diary">

Sáu, 52, enlists the help of two friends to get h

Sáu, 52, enlists the help of two friends to get her rice field planted. Placing each seedling into the water/mud, one plant at a time.

Before the fields are planted, they are flooded with water and mostly kept this way until harvest time. Fresh flowing water is essential to growing rice. An interconnected network of water channels provides water to each of the fields.

Rice production is the most labor-intensive of all of the agricultural processes I have witnessed. In Vietnam, plowing and harvesting are increasingly being done by tractors, yet the planting process is all done by hand, one plant at a time.

<img src="https://360nomad.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png" alt="Sáu, 52, enlists the help of two friends to get her rice field planted. Placing each seedling into the water/mud, one plant at a time. Before the fields are planted, they are flooded with water and mostly kept this way until harvest time. Fresh flowing water is essential to growing rice. An interconnected network of water channels provides water to each of the fields. Rice production is the most labor-intensive of all of the agricultural processes I have witnessed. In Vietnam, plowing and harvesting are increasingly being done by tractors, yet the planting process is all done by hand, one plant at a time.">

B’lôn, 90, is from the Stieng (Xtiêng) ethnic

B’lôn, 90, is from the Stieng (Xtiêng) ethnic group and doesn’t speak Vietnamese. Her granddaughter tells us about her life.
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“Her husband (my grandfather) passed away a long time ago. She used to help soldiers to carry rice during the (Vietnam-American) war.”
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“She lives alone in this house. However, her children and grandkids take care of her and live close to her.”
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“She has been wearing this silver necklace since she was a kid. She has had these ivory earrings for a long time. Many people try to buy them from her, but she doesn’t want to sell them. She wants to keep them until she dies.”
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B’lôn, 90 years old
Stieng (Xtiêng) Ethnic Group
Bình Phước, Vietnam
(Southern Vietnam)
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Of all of the ethnic groups we’ve visited across Vietnam the Xtieng have the most, and youngest people with stretched earlobes and ivory earrings (the youngest we saw were women in their late 40s and 50s). Stretching the earlobes and filing the teeth are traditions that have been “forced into oblivion” (as documented by Vietnamese ethnologists).

<img src="https://360nomad.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png" alt="B’lôn, 90, is from the Stieng (Xtiêng) ethnic group and doesn’t speak Vietnamese. Her granddaughter tells us about her life. . “Her husband (my grandfather) passed away a long time ago. She used to help soldiers to carry rice during the (Vietnam-American) war.” . “She lives alone in this house. However, her children and grandkids take care of her and live close to her.” . “She has been wearing this silver necklace since she was a kid. She has had these ivory earrings for a long time. Many people try to buy them from her, but she doesn’t want to sell them. She wants to keep them until she dies.” . B’lôn, 90 years old Stieng (Xtiêng) Ethnic Group Bình Phước, Vietnam (Southern Vietnam) . Of all of the ethnic groups we’ve visited across Vietnam the Xtieng have the most, and youngest people with stretched earlobes and ivory earrings (the youngest we saw were women in their late 40s and 50s). Stretching the earlobes and filing the teeth are traditions that have been “forced into oblivion” (as documented by Vietnamese ethnologists).">

"Thank you! I will hang the picture on my wall." .

"Thank you! I will hang the picture on my wall."
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We returned to give grandpa Phố his photo. He was very happy to receive it.
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We asked him about the photo as it was quite popular on Facebook with people from Kon Tum and the happy memories they have with him. He said " "So many people have showed my the photo on their phones".
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This photo was featured on @natgeoyourshot today. We're very happy to have grandpa Phố and his story shared with a wider audience.
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Swipe to see grandpa Phố in action, serving ice-cream with a smile.

<img src="https://360nomad.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png" alt=""Thank you! I will hang the picture on my wall." . We returned to give grandpa Phố his photo. He was very happy to receive it. . We asked him about the photo as it was quite popular on Facebook with people from Kon Tum and the happy memories they have with him. He said " "So many people have showed my the photo on their phones". . This photo was featured on @natgeoyourshot today. We're very happy to have grandpa Phố and his story shared with a wider audience. . Swipe to see grandpa Phố in action, serving ice-cream with a smile.">

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy Tet (Lunar New Year

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy Tet (Lunar New Year) from Vietnam. 2021 is the year of the OX, which in Vietnam is the Water Buffalo.
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The water buffalo is a fascinating and beautiful animal that is like a member of the family to so many farmers across Vietnam. As I've seen around Hoi An and elsewhere in Vietnam, they are mostly used to plow rice fields or haul loads.
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Farmers have been known to name their buffalo "Bỉnh" which means "Naughty" as they can be quite mischievous and when they really want to do something there isn't really anything you can do to stop them.
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Năm, 65, has a close connection with his water buffalo. He hangs out with him all day in the shade posing for tourists or letting tourists sit on his back. There is a pool of water nearby which Năm uses to splash water on him or as a place for him to chill out when it's too hot.
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They can often be found together near the rice fields in Hoi An, Vietnam. Relaxing, while his buffalo ruminates the day away.

<img src="https://360nomad.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png" alt="Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy Tet (Lunar New Year) from Vietnam. 2021 is the year of the OX, which in Vietnam is the Water Buffalo. . The water buffalo is a fascinating and beautiful animal that is like a member of the family to so many farmers across Vietnam. As I've seen around Hoi An and elsewhere in Vietnam, they are mostly used to plow rice fields or haul loads. . Farmers have been known to name their buffalo "Bỉnh" which means "Naughty" as they can be quite mischievous and when they really want to do something there isn't really anything you can do to stop them. . Năm, 65, has a close connection with his water buffalo. He hangs out with him all day in the shade posing for tourists or letting tourists sit on his back. There is a pool of water nearby which Năm uses to splash water on him or as a place for him to chill out when it's too hot. . They can often be found together near the rice fields in Hoi An, Vietnam. Relaxing, while his buffalo ruminates the day away.">

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