By the mid-1990's, Vietnam's astounding economic transformation was well underway.
Markets crowded with crops, vast flocks of poultry ready to be sold, and kids sitting down to full bowls of food as shown in these photos by Japanese photographer Hiroji Kubota make visually clear what fiscal growth looks like on a local level.
Inside a shrimp processing facility in Cái Răng, Cần Thơ in 1996.
Shot between 1995 and 1999, they depict a country at the nexus of globalized modernity and tradition. Locals roast coconuts with brick ovens in Bến Tre, while employees processing shrimp for export at a plant in Cần Thơ adhere to strict safety standards. In Sapa, H’Mông wear traditional, handmade clothing while motorbikes sneak onto streets overwhelmed with bicycles.
No culture or country ever exists as a static concept, but there are moments of accelerated flux. Truly, Vietnam did not saunter towards the 21st century, but hurled ahead driven by a manic hunger to grow, expand and change for the sake of people's prosperity.
Have a look at these frantic years below:
Making candied coconut for Tet.
A market in session under Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi.
The morning rush in Hanoi.
A parade celebrating reunification in Saigon in 1995.
That doesn't look comfortable for the quackers.
A monk and his apprentice at a Hue pagoda.
A sculptor with his artworks in Saigon.
A floating market in Phung Hiep, Can Tho.
Fresh produce ready for shoppers in the Mekong Delta.
Bundles of sugar canes for sale in Ha Long Bay.
A farmer works on his terrace field.
H'Mong children in a mountainous area.
Helmet, pants, and cool dép tổ ong.
Buying a steamy market snack.
[Photos via RedsVN]
