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Hoi An The People

Sto­ries from the Peo­ple of Hoi An, Viet­nam
A Cul­tur­al Pho­tog­ra­phy Project by Alden Ander­son & Trinh Nguyen

Nhi Tra Que Village Farmer

Nhi, 70 — Hoi An, Vietnam

Ba, Lotus Harvest, Hoi An, Vietnam

Ba — Lotus Harvest — Hoi An

Thuc, Hoi An, Vietnam, Farmer

Thuc, 70 — Hoi An, Vietnam

Sau Planting Rice, Hoi An, Vietnam

Sáu — Planting Rice — Hoi An

Stories From the People Of Hoi An

Huyen, selling flowers, Hoi An, Vietnam

Huyền, 81 — Flowers at the Market

Phuong Farmer Hoi An Vietnam

Phuong, 55 — Hoi An, Vietnam

Sau on her boat, Hoi An, Vietnam

Sau, The Woman and the Sea

Hoi An Rice Harvest

Rice Harvest, Hoi An

Colors of Hoi An 3 Cover blue Wall

Colors of Hoi An III — The Story

Colors of Hoi An Photography Alden Anderson_vrt_

Colors of Hoi An IV — The Story

Colors of Hoi An 1 Cover Alden Anderson

Colors of Hoi An I — The Story

Colors of Hoi An Photography 2 Alden Anderson

Colors of Hoi An II — The Story

Colors of the Market, Hoi An, Vietnam

Colors of the Market — Hoi An, Vietnam

Dai Selling bananas Hoi An Cover

Dai, 82 — Selling Bananas in Hoi An

Hoi An Blue Building Photography

Colors of Hoi An V — The Story

Don Ganh Hoi An Yellow Wall Reflection

Don Ganh — Colors of Hoi An

Ba, Hoi An Ferry

Ba, 70 — Hoi An Ferry

Man, Surviving the Vietnam - American War Hoi An

Mẫn — Surviving the War — Hoi An

Ranh, Hoi An, Vietnam

Ranh — Love, Loss and Fatherhood

Nam, Man with Buffalo, Hoi An

Năm and his Buffalo — Hoi An

Stories From the People Of Hoi An

Sam Loss Vietnam American War Alden Anderson c

Sâm, Loss and The Vietnam-American War

Hiển, remembering the Vietnam American War

Hiển, 83, Memories in Smoke

Ly, Making Banh Trang, Hoi An, Vietnam

Making Banh Trang — Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoanh, stories from Hoi An

Hoành, 85, Hoi An Stories

Nga Flood in Hoi An

Nga — Flood in Hoi An

Nam, Flood Hoi An,

Năm — Flood in Hoi An

Bình with his broom, Hoi An Flood

Bình, 24 — Flood in Hoi An

Sa in her house during the flood

Sa — Flood in Hoi An

Ranh, Hoi An, Vietnam

Len, Japanese Bridge — Flood in Hoi An

Nam, Flood Hoi An,

Tuân & his Dogs — Flood in Hoi An

Sa in her house during the flood

Hoa, 43 — Drying Krill

Minh, Farmer, Hoi An, Vietnam

Minh — Farmer, Hoi An, Vietnam

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360nomad

"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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