OCTOBER 2014
29
During these trips, I also picked up photography as a hobby and having the privilege to experience the diverse cultures and attitudes of Vietnam’s people first hand, I wanted to feature a snippet of what I’ve seen to my friends and family who were living in America and other contemporary countries in an entertaining way. I was curious if there were any blogs or media site that had the same goal in mind. Shortly into my search, I found “Humans of New York” by Brandon Stanton. I then took his concept of photo portraits and captions from real life stories of the people he photographed and applied it to Vietnam. As the audience for “Humans of Vietnam” begin to double, triple, and then multiplied to such a number that I couldn’t comprehend anymore, I realized my cause behind “Humans of Vietnam” grew deeper than just a unique collection of photos and stories of Vietnamese natives.
Since the controversial Vietnam war in the 1960's-mid 1970's, Vietnam has long been misrepresented by the media and because of its previous communist reign, Vietnam is stigmatized as a unsafe, tyrannical third world country. But the politics and reputation of Vietnam often overshadow the diversity, culture, and genuine individuals of Vietnam- individuals with real dreams, hopes, mistakes, and lives. I want to separate Vietnam from it’s stereotype
and showcase the country’s people in a way that anyone can relate to through my stories - to change the world’s perspective on Vietnam. I hope my page can be a bridge from wherever you are to the vibrant, exhilarating country of my second home Vietnam. Now, if you told me today that a photo I took would change someone’s life, I’d tell you I’m not trying to change someone’s life, I’m trying to change the world.
THE CULTURE
EXPOSURE