Sights of Southern Vietnam
I managed to explore quite a bit of Vietnam over almost 4 weeks in mid 2024 - here is the first blog, starting with its economic centre Hi Chi Minh city and the beautiful Mekong delta.
In late spring of 2024 I explored another Asian country, spending four weeks in Vietnam. What was initially planned to be a bit more of a slow travel trip as I had plenty of work to do, turned out to be as intense as always, and I ended up exploring Ho Chi Minh City, the Meklong Delta, Hue and Hoi An, Hanoi and some of its surroundings, and the northern mountainous regions as well as Cat Ba bay. Although I didn’t spend a lot of time in each part, all of that definitely won’t fit into a single blog post, so this will be the first of three, starting with the south: Vietnam’s economic capital, and the Meklong river delta region.
“Saigon”
Ho Chi Minh’s colloquial and historic name is Vietnam’s largest city, with over 10 million inhabitants.
Panoramic photos of the Bến Thành Market in the city centre, with its iconic clock tower and a rather rare French Indochinese design. It is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city, having operated for more than 100 years. Great views from the nearby Silverland Ben Thanh hotel with its amazing rooftop restaurant!
Train Vibes
Although it’s Hanoi that is famous for its train street - more on that in another blog - Ho Chi Minh has its own cute corners where the tracks runs through the city quarters. I’m a fan of trains, and can’t deny that the idea of the multi-day train journey from HCMC to Hanoi or back appeals to me…
Of course, the primary means of transport here are scooters though. There are very few place in the world with a higher scooter / person ratio than HCMC, and it shows in the organized chaos on the roads, and is also evident by the noise levels. Unfortunately, most south-east Asian cities have not undergone the transition of all two-wheeled transport to electric models, which brings incredible quality of life improvements - see my trip Beijing.
Walking through the city is enjoyable - people are friendly, and there are interesting compositions for street photography all around, for example in the famous Japan town - a quiet place during the day, but it comes to life at night, so I’ve been told…The group above was enjoying their weekend around the markets at An Quang Buddhist Temple and immediately invited me for a drink and some karaoke (both not my favorite pastimes, so I just said hi for a little).
The Church of Tan Dinh
Just over 10% of the population are Christian (almost half follow traditional folk religions or are not religious), but there a number of churches to be found in HCMC. Aside from this pink gothic marvel, the Notre Dame Cathedral is another, but was closed and covered for renovation during my visit. Strangely, this one is very strict about access: only catholics allowed inside - but even that did not help me as a tourist! Exterior photos only.
Phap Hoa Pagoda
Another beautiful religious building is this buddhist temple, uniquely combining Vietnamese and Chinese architectural styles, situated on the channel running through the area north of the city centre - quite a nice place to walk around and explore. Buddhism makes up the largest of the major religions in the country.
HCMC is a growing busy place, and the infrastructure is suffering accordingly - yet I found it quite pleasant to explore (aside from the usual humidity), with lot of large trees, many smaller streets, and less imposing highways than for example Jakarta and Bangkok. Much of the city centre follows an open square or radial-concentric grid system, while the surrounding areas are somewhat less strictly organized and consist mainly of denser low and mid-rise buildings. A defining feature are city’s famous roundabouts, where the rules are difficult to understand for any foreigner.
The city is dotted with greenery, and several of its roads are tree-lined, given them an avenue-like feeling, probably in part a heritage of the French colonial times. Nowadays, they act as source of shade (it makes a difference of several degrees C in urban centers), aside from their aesthetic appeal.
Landmark 81
To the east of the city by the Sai Gon river, a new modern district has developed over the last decade, including South East Asia’s second tallest building, only surpassed by KL’s newly completed Merdeka 118: Landmark 81. I can’t say I find it architecturally appealing - its Neo Futurism reminds me a of a boxy less elegant version of Burj Khalifa.
Architectural Oddities.
Not far across the river is this rather odd building and associated establishment - its claim to fame is derived by the borrowed name and logo only though.
Although I spent a few more days here, visiting more of the city’s landmarks such as the late 19th century Saigon Central Post Office seen here, the Opera House, the Skydeck at the (architecturally more pleasing than Landmark 81) Bitexco Financial Tower, and could probably fill a whole blog entry with the corresponding photos, southern Vietnam has more to offer than Ho Chi Minh City…
To the Mekong Delta
…and so I embarked on a three day roadtrip you’ll see documented below.
The Hang Pagoda of
the Khmer People
The Khmer ethnic group arrived to the area more than 4000 years ago, and is primarily present in what is today Cambodia, but over 1 million live in the Mekong delta area of Vietnam as well.
More than a 1000 years ago the Khmer empire dominated the area for over 500 years, and was responsible for many of the famous temples of Angkor. Today they follow a variant of Buddhism, and many of their temples can be found in the Tra Vinh area, this one being around 300 years old.
Aside from its beautiful golden ornamentation, the Hang temple is also famous for its wood sculpture and clay workshop, where skillful monks build out the intricate statues and decorations for the temple by hand.
Interior Vibes
The inside is normally not accessible, but we got lucky and a monk opened the doors for us - and even turned on the somewhat incongruous LED light around the central Buddha altar for added effect (complete with strobes and changing colours).
A Day At Sea
After a quick stop at the temple and another stop to get some of Vietnam’s famous coffee (which is essentially stretched with condensed milk, making it so sweet even I drink it), we arrived to our first primary destination, the shores of the Eastern Vietnamese Sea, where the Bassac (or Hau) river, a branch of the Mekong, meets the ocean. The goal? To spend a day at sea with a group of local fishermen, witnessing one of the primary ways of live shaping their culture, alongside the cultivation of rice.
Unlike many tours on the rivers here (and many other photography-specific arrangements, more on that below), this day was not set up to please tourists, but we were simply following their routine of going out to sea and collect the catch of the day, getting a real feel for what their job is like. The crew was really accommodating and gave us the chance to document their techniques, despite the hardship of the work.
After cruising for about an hour away from the shore on the boat, we reached their destination, a set of wooden pillars in the sea, connected by thin planks, with an occasional tiny hut in between. These are not traditional floating houses you might find on the river banks or near the shore: they are meant to be temporary accommodations, where the fishermen take turns to live for a few days or even weeks, tending to the nets that are attached to the poles with ropes in a kind of semi-permanent fish trap.
Waiting Game
We did arrive a little earlier than they normally do, giving us the chance to take some daylight and sunset photos while the fishermen rested. They typically haul in their catch a few hours after sunset, to take advantage of the natural behavior of fish and maximize the effectiveness of the nets - plus, it means the fish are as fresh as possible for the early morning market.
The Fishing Watchtowers
In this area, the traditional stilted huts stand in contrast to the huge concrete wind towers that part of the renewable energy farms built here over the last decades, taking advantage of the strong winds in this corner of the Vietnamese coastlines. As the sun set, the fisherman living in the hut came out, walking along the thin planks between the poles and preparing their nets to be lifted.
I sent my drone up during a few minutes of beautiful light - luckily the sea and winds were calm. Flying from a boat over the ocean is not always easy, read more about it on my recent drone photography book (German only, sorry!).
At this point, it was slowly time to let the crew focus on their job, and our ship moved closer, while the fishermen currently living in the little huts started to prepare the nets, dragging them out of the water.
Pulling the Nets in
The crew then took the nets by the edges attached to the buoys and pulled them into the boat - the harder the task, the better, because that means they’re full of fish.
Nightly Work
For the fishermen on the stilts, conditions to stay out here are tough. No running water or permanent electricity, rough weather conditions, isolation, and of course the actual work, make this a difficult job.
Once the net was pulled into the boat, wooden baskets were prepared to empty the contents into - hopefully without letting too much of the catch escape, although one or the other creature managed to find a way.
Emptying the nets into the baskets required the full strength of three crew members - more than a dozen times they repeated this process.
Afterwards the nets are lifted back to the fisherman staying on the wooden stilts, spread out, and prepared for the next catch. A few more supplies were exchanged with the poor soul left behind to manage and monitor the nets, while the crew makes its way back to shore with their catch (reasonably successful, so I was told).
After almost 10h at sea we were back on land, headed to a small hotel for a few hours of sleep before sunrise, exploring more of the interesting ways of life in the Mekong Delta.
Sedge Grass Patterns
My next destination was on land tough. The Khmer people are also known for planting sedge grass in this area of the delta, which is used to make baskets or mattresses and similar handicraft items. The wetlands of the delta are a fertile ground for this plant to grow up to 2m in length. After a short exploration, we found a beautiful field with some local workers - as the grass is laid out to dry, the harvest season brings with it beautiful patterns when viewed from above.
I had the chance to get a little closer as well and observe the locals in their work - they set up small sheet tents or use the traditional hat to protect themselves from the sun, and run the grass through a little roller machine as a first pass at removing the water, before spreading it on the ground to dry.
Staying Safe
Gloves are essential to avoid scratches as they grab the grass and pull it through the machine - I experienced that first hand when I tried the process.
Pottery Patterns
From here, I visited a local pottery factory - another place for interesting photographic opportunities. The process starts with the production of the clay from the Mekong river, filtered and kneaded to make it moldable.
The clay is then moulded by hand using a potter’s wheel, and turned into vases, pots, or decorative items by these skilled ladies getting paid per piece. Sometimes items for mass production are also shaped via mold casting, but in this factory it was all made by hand.
From Above
The resulting pieces are first air-dried on the large factory floor for several days, getting their final polish with sandpaper.
When I told the lady I’d like to fly a drone over her head for this photo, she was clearly very amused but happily obliged.
After that, the products are hardened in these massive brick kilns, often for several days, until they are fully dried out.
The factories utilize mounds of rice husks to fire the oven - a byproduct of the rice milling that happens in the region and perfect to provide slow, consistent heating, that is ideal for drying the clay. Huge amounts are stored here - my guide for scale.
The Red Brick Kingdom
Following the path of the local clay industry, we made our way to Mang Thit village in Vinh Long, long known for its brick factories stretching along the channels for kilometers, seen here in this panoramic view as heavy clouds rolled in during the late afternoon.
Quiet Times
The area has been thriving for over a hundred years, supported by the availability of cheap fuel for the kilns, and plenty of clay in the nearby streams, which then also serve as transport route for the finished products - primarily bricks. Nowadays, only a few of the factories are still active, and many have been standing still for years, or just attract tourists.
It’s not difficult to find the working factories though - dark smoke emitting from the small chimneys is the giveaway, and the workers are very welcoming and happy for you to come in for a chat and take photos - an opportunity I did not miss.
I got to observe their process, separating the clay, shaping the bricks using simple tools, and using conveyers, carts, or even small bikes to move them through the factory before they’re placed in the kilns for several weeks.
One of the active factories from above, and another one with some of the boats used to transport clay and bricks along the channel.
It’s of course sad to see that these traditional methods are slowly replaced by industrial production - the area is definitely a cultural landmark for the region with its unique architectural charm, not to forget the kittens I saw.
Nightly Storms
After we left, the stormy clouds decided to slowly empty their contents, but not before a few beautiful lighting strikes, captured here from the parking lot of our dinner spot.
Water Lilies
The rains didn’t last long and by the next morning the sunrise greeted us with beautiful light to photograph another local tradition: the collection of water lilies, typically happening during the floating season from September to November.
Disclaimer: I am normally not a fan of “arranged” photography, but as the time of my visit didn’t coincide with the right period to see this practice, and my guide happened to know the women who normally harvest the lilies, it was an easy decision to go for it anyway. As a result, these photos are the result of purposeful posing and arrangement of the flowers, rather than the natural harvesting practice.
The lilies are collected for their stems, which are used in various dishes, while the flowers are turned into Buddhist offerings. Aside from their use for humans, the lilies actually play an important role in the ecosystem, as they absorb excess nutrients and provide habitat for fish and insects.
Into the Water
While the drone views of these neat flower circles have been taken before, I tried to also get a few different perspectives and got into the water for some portraits - a welcome refresher as temperatures rose, but on the other hand my feet needed a real deep clean after wading through the muddy ground.
Although this scene has been excessively romanticized, mostly during organized photo tours and the resulting social media coverage, it does hold some understandable appeal: the flowers are beautiful and the ladies with their conical hats and small wooden boats make for nice subjects.
A Final Pottery Stop
We made our way back for the 6h drive to Ho Chi Minh City, with one last brief stop - another pottery factory, closer to the outskirts of the city.
This one has a rather interesting feature, which are dedicated shallow ponds to remove the clay from the soil in the ground and process it, seen here from above, with a long row of bowls laid out next to them to dry in the sun.
Breakage happens even to the best of them, as evident below, but that doesn’t take away the smile of the local workers here.
That’s it from the south of Vietnam - subscribe to get notified for the central and northern parts!
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Azerbaijan - Central Asia with a Few Surprises
Take a journey through incredible architecture, pink lakes, and rocks on fire with me in this central Asian country.
After visiting Tajikistan several years ago, exploring more of Central Asia was high on my list. When I started researching Azerbaijan’s sights, a few rather interesting spots came up - read on to find out what I mean and take a journey through incredible architecture, pink lakes, and rocks on fire with me.
The first stop on the way from Baku’s International Airport to the city was at the Atashgah Zoroastrianism Fire Temple. Azerbaijan is often referred to as the “Land of Fire’, and this site plays a small role, among others (read on..). It was built in the 17th century as a place of worship for Zoroastrians, whose belief includes fire as one of the tentpole elements. The natural flame on the site stopped burning in 1969 however.
Baku’s Old City
From here, we explored Baku’s Old Town, the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
One of its primary attractions is the Maiden tower, dating back at least to the 12th century and featured on Azerbaijani bank notes. Its back story is an interesting one, and so are the views from the top, with the glass architecture of the Flame Towers in the background in stark contrast to the beige old city buildings..
Another important building in the old city is the 15th century complex of the Shirvanshahs dynasty, with its palace, baths, mosque, and mausoleum. The palace contains a nicely curated museum.
The Old Town is full of pretty restaurants, historical sites, and interesting shops.
Baku’s Architectural Highlight
Despite its beautiful old city, one of the most intriguing buildings I was looking forward to photograph in Baku is much younger - it opened in 2012. The Heydar Aliyev Center was designed by Zaha Hadid and named after the country’s former president (as many things are in Azerbaijan).
Pink Wonder
30km outside the city centre lies an attraction that only shows its true colours a few months of the year.
It's only when you get close that you start to suddenly realise the unique conditions present here, and the visual glory that comes with them. Having said that, nothing can beat the view from the top… ⬇️
This amazing sight is the pink lake of Masazir, north of Baku. Its color derives from the combination of algae and bacterial bloom in the highly salty water at the right temperatures. It's one of a few such lakes around the world, and the people living on its shorelines definitely get to witness an interesting spectacle.
Got very lucky to explore and see this phenomenon, and many thanks to Andre Jabali for the tips in making it happen!
The Mud Volcanoes - Otherworldly Landscapes
Next up in the list of unusual places in Azerbaijan is an area called Gobustan, home to many of the world’s 800 mud volcanoes, half of which are located in the country.
The look from above provides a perspective of several volcanoes in the area - notice the darker shades of fresh mud slowly making its way down the slope. NASA geologists studying Mars concluded that Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes have a similar structure to the uplands of the planet.
While the bubbly craters might appear cute, particularly given the sounds that come out of the bubbles as they pop, the larger volcanoes can erupt fiercely with flames shooting into the sky if water, gas, and mud mix under the right circumstances. In fact, the gas emissions are mostly methane, and can be ignited with a lighter (as our trusty guide proudly showed us while we scattered in fear of a mud explosion).
The mud is roughly the same temperature as the surrounding air, and dries up quickly once it spills over the crater edge. Volcano clay and mud are sometimes used in the treatment of diseases.
Gobustan National Park
The area around the volcanoes is a national park, home to a - surprisingly impressive - museum owing to the many prehistoric rock carvings dating back up to 15,000 years. The park is walkable and also includes natural “musical stones” called Gaval Dash, and a Roman inscription from the 1st century.
Heydar Mosque
Opened in 2014, it’s the largest in the South Caucasus region and located slightly outside the city centre. It’s almost disproportionately tall compared to its footprint - the minarets reach 95m.
The Carpet Museum
Fitting into the city’s architectural gem collection is the carpet museum, which unsurprisingly looks like a carpet, and houses many of them in a nod to the regions carpet manufacturing heritage.
The Candy Cane Mountains
Azerbaijan is home to another colorful natural attraction: A small shale mountain range north-east of Baku full of pink, purple, orange, and brown shades.
Take a look from above!
Yanar Dag - “Burning Mountain”
On our way back we stopped at another peculiar place. Remember Azerbaijan’s nickname? The “Land of Fire” has another appropriate sight: Yanar Dag is a natural gas fire said to have been continuously burning for more than 700 years, snow, wind and earthquakes notwithstanding.
Baku Impressions
Baku’s Museum of Modern Art has an interesting collection, including private pieces of Picasso and Dali. Its curious cafe was unfortunately closed during the time of my visit.
Luxembourg - Small but Special
In June 2021 I took the opportunity of borders reopening as the Coronavirus situation improved to visit Luxembourg, one of the last countries in Western Europe that I have not yet had the chance to explore
In June 2021 I took the opportunity of borders reopening as the Coronavirus situation improved to visit Luxembourg, one of the last countries in Western Europe that I have not yet had the chance to explore. With less than 1 million people and an area of less than 3000 sq km, it is one of the smallest countries in the world, but at the same time has one of the highest GDP per capita.
Luxembourg features a rich history with many amazing castles dotted around the landscape, and a diverse and multicultural history and presence. Take a look at the photos below to get a glimpse of what I was able to see in 48 hours.
The Dubai Fog
One of the most elusive sights of cityscape photography is the infamous Dubai fog. It’s a yearly occurrence, usually from November to February, but often limited to a handful of days during this time.
One of the most elusive sights of cityscape photography is the infamous Dubai fog. It’s a yearly occurrence, usually from November to February, but often limited to a handful of days during this time. Predicting it is a gamble of combining various forecast websites and tools, comparing dew points, humidity and temperature forecasts, and even then you need to hope for a little bit of luck.
On top of that, you need to secure a location to shoot from. While some people live in high rise towers above the 40th floor with great views, the rest of us will struggle to get permits, ask hotels, check with friends, and convince security guards. The unpredictable nature of the fog makes that even harder - sometimes it is so patchy that a building 5km left or right will be floating above the clouds while you have a clear view of the ground.
If you do manage to get everything right, the rewards are spectacular. I’ve been able to shoot the fog five or six times this winter, and will certainly never get enough of it. To me, not other city can top the combination of Dubai’s amazing skyline (in fact, there are more than one skylines) with the feeling of floating above the clouds.
Contact me if you’d like to purchase prints of the photos in this post.
Puglia - Italy's South at its Best
A recent wedding invitation gave me the opportunity to explore the south of Italy a bit more, specifically the region of Apulia, or Puglia in the native language. 2 days of driving from Bari through Polignano a Mare, the Grotte di Castellana, Alberobello with its Trulli houses, and the white city of Ostuni gives you a great impression of the typical architecture, food and nature around this part of Italy.
A recent wedding invitation gave me the opportunity to explore the south of Italy a bit more, specifically the region of Apulia, or Puglia in the native language. 2 days of driving from Bari through Polignano a Mare, the Grotte di Castellana, Alberobello with its Trulli houses, and the white city of Ostuni gives you a great impression of the typical architecture, cityscape, and nature around this part of Italy.
Malta - The Intriguing Island
On the way back to Dubai from a wedding in Puglia, I took the chance to stop over on the island of Malta. The small nation in the Mediterranean Sea features rich history, amazing nature, cute cityscapes and more things to see and do than I had expected. Having walked over 50km in just over 3 days, I took a few hundred photos, a short selection is below.
On the way back to Dubai from a wedding in Puglia, I took the chance to stop over on the island of Malta. The small nation in the Mediterranean Sea features rich history, amazing nature, cute cityscapes and more things to see and do than I had expected. Having walked over 50km in just over 3 days, I took a few hundred photos, a short selection is below.
Mainz - German history on the Rhine
The pleasant occasion of the wedding of one of my best friends gave me the opportunity to expand the (embarrassingly short) list of German cities I’ve visited. While it was only a short weekend visit, the city of Mainz has a few beautiful spots that I was able to capture. Since I didn’t bring my camera along, the below photos were all short on iPhone - the capabilities for even advanced photography on smartphones keeps growing exponentially.
The pleasant occasion of the wedding of one of my best friends gave me the opportunity to expand the (embarrassingly short) list of German cities I’ve visited. While it was only a short weekend visit, the city of Mainz has a few beautiful spots that I was able to capture. Since I didn’t bring my camera along, the below photos were all shot on iPhone - the capabilities for even advanced photography on smartphones keeps growing exponentially.
Sofia - "Grows, but does not age"
Visited another new city this November - the capital of Bulgaria: Sofia. Commonly listed as one of the oldest cities in Europe, it indeed sports some impressive historical sites dotted around in the city, while there is a clear trend towards modernity. The Soviet legacy is slowly becoming a distant past, although it has certainly not yet disappeared from the cityscape. Also had the chance to visit Rila monastery, about 120km into the mountains - a truly impressive sight.
Visited another new city this November - the capital of Bulgaria: Sofia. Commonly listed as one of the oldest cities in Europe, it indeed sports some impressive historical sites dotted around in the city, while there is a clear trend towards modernity. The Soviet legacy is slowly becoming a distant past, although it has certainly not yet disappeared from the cityscape. Also had the chance to visit Rila monastery, about 120km into the mountains - a truly impressive sight.
Budapest - 1 Day in Buda, 1 Day in Pest...
Another short city break - this time to the city of Budapest, Hungary on the river Danube. Spent two days in amazing weather exploring this historic place.
Another short city break - this time to the city of Budapest, Hungary on the river Danube. Spent two days in amazing weather exploring this historic place.
Athens - Old & Older
During Eid of 2016 I spent a few days in Greece, going to Vouliagmeni on the coast and Athens
During Eid of 2016 I spent a few days in Greece, going to Vouliagmeni on the coast and Athens
Amsterdam - A Photographic Exploration
This May I had to travel to Amsterdam for work for a full week. Having only seen the airport previously, I took the chance to stay over the weekend and spend some time exploring the city. It’s definitely an interesting place with a lot of photo opportunities. I spent 2,5 days exploring the city, largely by foot (I walked almost 70 kilometres). Unfortunately I caught a bad cold early during my stay, so I spent most evenings in bed after work. If I were to compare it to other cities, I’d probably characterise it as a mix between London, Paris and Venezia, although I think it takes more time to truly understand the lifestyle of a place.
Below is a collection of photos from the trip. I’ll point out a few spots that are specifically interesting from a photography perspective, hopefully this may be valuable for others looking for some inspiration before a trip to Amsterdam.
This May I had to travel to Amsterdam for work for a full week. Having only seen the airport previously, I took the chance to stay over the weekend and spend some time exploring the city. It’s definitely an interesting place with a lot of photo opportunities. I spent 2,5 days exploring the city, largely by foot (I walked almost 70 kilometres). Unfortunately I caught a bad cold early during my stay, so I spent most evenings in bed after work. If I were to compare it to other cities, I’d probably characterise it as a mix between London, Paris and Venezia, although I think it takes more time to truly understand the lifestyle of a place.
Below is a collection of photos from the trip. I’ll point out a few spots that are specifically interesting from a photography perspective, hopefully this may be valuable for others looking for some inspiration before a trip to Amsterdam.
