Saigon By Night
by Thuỳ Huỳnh
I was born and raised in Saigon. The project "Saigon By Night" is dedicated to my beloved city. Over the years, Saigon has experienced significant development, with skyscrapers now dominating the skyline. Most Saigon residents are familiar with the saying "Sài Gòn hoa lệ, hoa cho người giàu, lệ cho người nghèo," which translates to "Saigon is glamorous, glamour for the rich, horrendous for the poor." This quote reflects the socioeconomic disparities in Saigon, where the wealthy enjoy luxuries symbolized by flowers, while the poor face hardships represented by tears.
In this project, I want to approach the angle of daily nightlife in this bustle and hustle city, as what they call “street culture”. What comes between is how they struggle to live in such a splendid city.
I have decided to make the street vendors the main characters of my project. Life is a rush and it has never been easy for them (or for us). They go around selling their goods, no matter how bad the weather is. One thing I really admire about them is that they can provide for their entire families and raise their kids with the income from their small businesses.
Speaking of street culture, I would like to talk about street food. I am proud to say that Vietnam has one of the best cuisines in the world. Especially in Saigon, there are a plethora of street vendors. It would be a shame to visit Saigon without trying the street food. In addition to my mom's cooking, these street vendors have played a significant role in my upbringing.
I had a really funny experience while shooting this project. They actually mistook me for a reporter and even called me that, which made me really happy. In reality, I'm just a 22-year-old girl who loves photography. They were so friendly and open during the shoot. They said things like, "Do I need to smile?", "Let me pretend to cook for you to take a photo.", "Hey, how’s the photo? Do I look handsome?", "Am I going to be on TV?", and so on, as soon as they saw my camera. If this project has a chance to be published in a magazine, I would like to give a huge credit to them.
I don’t have much to write about myself. In fact, I’m not a photographer and have never learned about photography. I just have a strong passion for photography, especially street photography, since I was a kid, and after all these years, I still enjoy it. However, I have not been able to invest much in this due to various reasons. Moreover, I have some ideas, but I don’t know where to get started. I'll take it step by step. First, I want to ask for the opportunity to have my project published in a magazine. Even if my work doesn't meet your requirements for publication, I would be grateful for the chance. It means a lot to me.