Vietnam Deel 2

[FredVN]

Lensman’s journey captures daily moments across Vietnam’s northern highlands (1)

Nguyen Huu Thong has spent much time capturing daily life in northern mountainous regions, with some of his shots catapulted to global fame.

A photo titled "Flea Market Breakfast" capturing the scene of locals eating breakfast at a flea market in Dong Van Town in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang won a special prize at the 2018 Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest.


In 2021, the photo earned first prize in the "Food on the Table" category of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year.

Dong Van Market operates every Sunday from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and is among the largest and busiest in the northern mountains. The market boasts H'mong, Han, Dao, Giay, and Tay produce and serves as a meeting place for young women in their colorful traditional costumes.

Thong, 34, a native of Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam, embarked on a photography career in 2015 and has since then grabbed over 40 domestic and international prizes.

An ethnic farmer carries her child on her back while harrowing a field in Xin Man District in Ha Giang in 2012.

A photo taken in October 2015 captures a H'mong woman yawning while leading cows to the Dong Van flea market for selling.
"I think she had to get up very early to walk from her village to reach the market in the early morning. When I arrived, I saw her standing at the gate of the market. I regret not capturing the lovely moment when both the cows and their owner fell asleep," Thong said.

In 2015, while wandering along Ma Pi Leng Pass, Thong saw a H'mong woman carrying bundles of branches on her back. Ma Pi Leng is one of the toughest mountainous passes in Vietnam.
"It was an emotional moment that suddenly appeared in front of my eyes," Thong said. He named the photo "Mountainous Woman". The photo won the consolation prize in the travel category of the 11th International Art Photo Contest in Vietnam in 2021.

Up to 90 percent of his photos were taken in the northern highlands. Most of the photography awards he won are also of mountainous topics. Among them was "Harvesting Bamboo" taken in 2020 in Lung Pan Village of Cao Bang Province. It was exhibited at Vietnam Art Photo Contest 2020.

 

[FredVN]

Covid-19

Alleen om de foto:

Daily Covid recoveries outnumber hospitalized patients in HCMC - VnExpress International


En één van de gevolgen van het langzamerhand loslaten van alle beperkingen:
Khanh Hoa eyes direct Cam Ranh-Saint Petersburg flight - VnExpress International

Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Province, home to Nha Trang, mulls non-stop flight route to Russia
Tja, Russen en Chinezen op vakantie zijn nog luidruchtiger dan Vietnamezen. Daar wil ik het maar bij laten.

 

[FredVN]

Lensman’s journey captures daily moments across Vietnam’s northern highlands (2)

People walk on a road covered with white snow in Nhiu Co San Village of Y Ty Commune in Lao Cai Province in early 2021.

This shot was taken in Quan Ba District in Ha Giang in early 2021. It captures a family working at noon while their two-month-old baby lies in a towel tied to four tree branches on the ground. The family's meal comprises only a pot of rice with some pickles.

People in Dong Van Plateau always suffer water scarcity from October to March every year. Each family has one to two people in charge of collecting water, most of whom are women and children. Every day they spend two to four hours getting clean water for daily use, which greatly affects children's class time.

This photo taken in October 2016 at Can Cau Market in the highland district of Si Ma Cai in Lao Cai captures local boys eating bowls of pho (noodle soup) with black chicken.

A woman smiles while harvesting straw in Tan Yen District of Bac Giang Province on a sunny autumn afternoon in 2020.


Bron: Lensman’s journey captures daily moments across Vietnam’s northern highlands


Zelfde omgeving als de voorgaande serie, maar een grote contrast is nauwelijks denkbaar.
.
.

 

[FredVN]

Workflow fotografie

Mijn huidige globale idee voor een workflow is als volgt:

Fotoshoot
Op dit moment kan dat van alles zijn: van een paar landschapsfoto’s onderweg tot een complete model- of event shoot zoals b.v. voor mijn “kleine bedrijven”. Zie Kleine Bedrijven in Vietnam - door auteur en fotograaf Fred van den Bosch

Futura Photo
Als eerste worden de foto’s op de HD gezet en ingelezen in FP. Per groep kijken welke foto’s bewaard of weggegooid moet worden.

FastRawViewer
De twijfelgevallen meer in detail bekijken en op basis daarvan zo nodig alsnog deleten. Alle goedgekeurde foto’s sterren geven.

Lightroom
Primair wordt LR gebruikt als catalogus en “wat globale aanpassingen”. Per foto wordt beslist of deze daarna nog extra wordt bewerkt in…

Naar keuze
Luminar 4, Luminar AI, Luminar Neo??, Aurora HDR, Nik.
Vaak is de keuze voor één van deze programma’s nogal intuïtief: “eens kijken wat er gebeurt als we…”. Hoewel er zich wel een patroon begint af te tekenen:

• Zwart/wit conversie: Nik
• Photoshop-achtige zaken: Luminar.
• HDR-achtige zaken: Aurora en soms Luminar AI.

Nu ik weer naar buiten mag, wil ik dit de komende tijd gaan testen. Ik verwacht n.a.v. die testen nog wel een paar (kleine?) aanpassingen.

Geen idee hoe het geheel zich in de toekomst zal ontwikkelen.


Opmerkingen
Even met nadruk: dit is mijn workflow met mijn ideeën en mijn programma’s.

Iedereen heeft zijn of haar eigen werkwijze. Mijn werkwijze moet dan ook worden gezien als één van de zeer vele mogelijkheden en zeker niet als regel. Kijk of er misschien goede ideeën tussen zitten en probeer of die voor jou ook werken.

Oorspronkelijk was mijn idee een combinatie van Lightroom en PhotoShop. Maar omdat ik PS alleen incidenteel gebruikte en dan ook nog wat specifieke tools raakte ik er nooit in thuis.

Zelf heb ik daarom al geruime tijd geleden besloten om geen/nauwelijks gebruik te maken van PhotoShop. Redenen zijn niet alleen die steile leercurve maar eigenlijk ook mijn ideeën over fotografie: het moet in de camera gebeuren. Zoals de bekende fotograaf Frank Doorhof ook zegt: “Why fake it when you can make it”. Overblijfsel van het analoge tijdperk en het vrijwel uitsluitend maken van dia’s. Al geef ik onmiddellijk toe dat die instelling met de komst van Luminar AI wel “wat” aan het verschuiven is.

De kans is dan ook heel groot dat ik PS nu definitief terzijde schuif en verder ga met Luminar AI en t.z.t. Luminar Neo (jawel, mede om PS te kunnen droppen toch maar aangeschaft).


Afsluiting
De afgelopen weken zijn er door de full lockdown vrij veel artikelen over fotografie geplaatst. Een combinatie van factoren: ik moest binnen blijven en op de websites was maar weinig interessant materiaal te vinden.

In principe is dit voorlopig het “laatste van dit soort artikelen”. Uiteraard blijf ik foto’s plaatsen en zal ook nog wel eens iets beschrijven, dat ik heb gemaakt of ben tegen gekomen. Maar ik ga proberen om het weer wat meer over Vietnam te hebben. Al maakt het doorlopend gebrek aan interessant materiaal het mij wel moeilijk. We gaan het meemaken.

Inmiddels zijn alle artikelen over fotografie van de afgelopen tijd tot een boekje gebundeld. Het moet nog een keer goed worden doorgenomen op fouten. Daarna wordt het op de site van mijn dochter geplaatst, waar ook mijn boek over “Kleine bedrijven in Vietnam” staat.

Gratis te downloaden!

Als het zover is zal ik dat vanzelfsprekend hier melden.

 

[FredVN]

Oink, oink

Naast het gegil en gekrijs, wat de hersenloze hufters hier “zingen” of “karaoke” noemen, hebben we sinds afgelopen zaterdag een nieuw fenomeen.

Ik was op het terras met een aantal reparaties bezig toen ik uit een huis ergens 50 - 100 meter verder een hoop gegil, gekrijs en gekreun hoorde. Het klonk net als iemand met barensweeën.
[Of als een grootschalige orgie met met kleine Vietnameesjes en een American football team als deelnemers. Denk alle afmetingen er zelf even bij. ]]

Ik riep Minh.
“Varkens”, zei die.
“Nou, meer hersenloze aso’s” was mijn antwoord.
“Nee, die beesten met die platte snuit”.
Dat vind ik ook nog wel een geschikte omschrijving van het tuig, maar hield dat gevatte antwoord maar voor me.
“Echt? De varkens van de overbuurman maken minder herrie dan die hufter zelf”.

Daar wist ze eigenlijk ook geen antwoord op.

Laten we hopen dat er snel balkenbrij van wordt gemaakt.

 

[FredVN]

Mekong Delta woman pays homage to native cuisine with clay miniatures

A miniature grocery stall made with clay by Pham Thuy Thanh Thao. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre


A young artist from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho is earning recognition for her clay miniatures of traditional southern foods, which she uses to tell stories of the carefree agrarian lifestyle of her hometown.

Pham Thuy Thanh Thao, 27, from Ninh Kieu District in Can Tho, has spent years perfecting the art of clay sculpting thanks to tutorial videos from the Internet.

While clay modeling started as a hobby for Thao, it soon turned into a burning passion, motivating her to abandon her career as a preschool teacher in order to pursue art full-time.

Though many consider clay modeling to be a child’s hobby, creating the perfect pieces requires just as much dexterity and perseverance as any other art discipline.

According to Thao, her inspiration comes from the nourishing and vibrantly colored southern meals she has enjoyed since childhood, including traditional dishes and produce.

Miniature version of a traditional Mekong Delta meal. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Miniature version of dragonfruits. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre


Many of Thao’s finished works sell for hundreds of thousands of Vietnam dong (VND100,000 = $4.3) each to doll collectors and home design enthusiasts who wish to keep pieces of Vietnamese culture in their living spaces.

After deducting materials and labor costs, Thao pockets VND5-10 million ($220-439) per month from her art.
“She loves this craft so much,” said Le Ly Bao, a friend that supports Thao in producing miniatures and running her store.

During the ongoing social distancing bout, her business came to an abrupt halt as delivery services in Can Tho were shuttered.

However, Thao chose not to let her ambition go to rest. Instead, she began designing workshops to teach children the art of clay miniature sculpting. She plans to launch these workshops once Vietnam gets COVID-19 under control.

Miniature version of a dish of ‘com tam’, also known as broken rice with toppings. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Miniature version of dried fish and squids. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

A miniature grocery stall made with clay by Pham Thuy Thanh Thao. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre


Bron: Mekong Delta woman pays homage to native cuisine with clay miniatures


Heel knap!!

 

[FredVN]

Explore colorful Vietnam through the lens of an Indian lecturer (1)

Hoi An Ancient Town in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Prabu Mohan


Ten years ago, when mathematics lecturer Prabu Mohan, an Indian national, received a job offer from British University Vietnam, he had no intention of spending a decade in the Southeast Asian country.

Though he had no friends or connections in Vietnam, the image he built for himself of what life in Vietnam could be for him made the move feel like the start of an exciting adventure.
“I wanted to try to spend at least a year [in Vietnam] and see how it went," Mohan told Tuoi Tre News.
"Now, I will be finishing up my 10th year here at the end of 2021.
“When I decided to visit Vietnam, I read a lot about the cost of living, food, and other things.
"But what surprised me more was the friendly Vietnamese people.
“I didn’t know a single person in Vietnam but I never felt like a stranger, even on day one.
"In every stage of the last ten years, I have met so many people who have offered to help me in many ways.”

A collage of photos of Hanoi taken by Prabu Mohan and shared on his Instagram handle @the_prabster with the caption 'Hanoi, I can safely say, my home away from home, after being here almost a decade.'


In June 2020, Mohan took a six-week road trip between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Prior to the trip, some of his friends warned him against driving alone, but Mohan had already set his heart on doing the 5000+ km trip solo and using the time he was not driving to indulge his passion for photography.
“I met a lot of photographers along the way who gave me ideas about places to visit during the trip," he recalled.
"It was a fun-filled experience."

Mohan features many of his photos on his Instagram account @the_prabster, where his 4,000 followers have the opportunity to take in the beauty of landscapes, cities, and bits of daily life that he captures with his camera lens.
“A lot of my friends in India have told me that my photos make them want to visit Vietnam," Mohan said.
"Meanwhile, here in Vietnam, expats often message me to ask for tips and how to get to some of the places featured in my photos.
“I’m not sure whether I’m really inspirational, but I would be happy if my photos and trips truly did inspire people to explore this beautiful country.”

'Is it a painting? No, it’s an aerial view of rice terraces in the northern mountains of Vietnam during water season.' Photo and caption by @the_prabster


After a decade of living in Vietnam and seven years of pursuing his passion for photography, Mohan believes that the country offers infinite inspiration to photographers.
“There are so many places to explore and even venues I’ve already visited seem to be in a state of constant change depending on the season or weather,” he explained.
“I remember during my first visit to Mu Cang Chai [in northern Yen Bai Province] in 2015, there were not many tourists or homestays.
"Now, the situation there is very different.
“Even in Hanoi things are changing.
"Back in 2012, there were very few shopping malls, but now there are many because Vietnam is developing so fast.
"There are changes in every aspect of life here.”

Fireworks to welcome 2021 in Hanoi. Photo: Prabu Mohan


In April 2020, one of Mohan's photos went viral of a building in Hanoi festooned with national flags in solidarity with the country’s fight against COVID-19

Entitled 'We Are In It Together,’ the photo won the first prize in the ‘World in Lockdown’ section of the Editorial category at the 2020 Aerial Photography Awards held six months later.
“The reason [why I won], I think, is that some photos attract a wider audience because people are able to connect with the piece on an emotional level,” Mohan said.
“[We Are in It Together] related to COVID-19 at a time when everyone was unsure about the virus.
"It gave everyone confidence that we could fight [the virus] together.”

Mohan is currently in India after taking a vacation and expected to be back in Hanoi late this month.

Below are some of his stunning photos:

Prabu Mohan took this photo in Sa Pa, a popular resort town in Lao Cai Province of northern Vietnam, minutes before sunset.

 

[FredVN]

Covid-19

Outbreaks likely if HCMC drops guard in the 'new normal' - VnExpress International
Ben ik hier ook bang voor.

Want men trekt zich vaak niets van regels aan.
4-year-old boy drowns in pond at coffee shop in northern Vietnam
In dit geval met extra triest gevolg. Maar als eerder geschreven: in 2030 had deze jongen het overleefd, want dan had er een bord gestaan bij de vijver (en kon hij al lezen op 4-jarige leeftijd).

Maar ook in mijn provincie zijn ze –als eerder gepost- nog steeds aan het zoeken, nu naar een groen licht.
Khanh Hoa seeks green light for allowing foreign tourists - VnExpress International

En gevonden:
Resort town Da Lat installs its first traffic light - VnExpress International

 

[FredVN]

Covid-19

BREAKING NEWS

Kort geleden kreeg Minh bericht, dat buitenlanders in de provincie Khanh Hoa zich konden laten inschrijven voor vaccinatie.
Zojuist ontving Minh een email dat ik op 8 oktober gevaccineerd kan worden.

Met SinoPharm.

Chinees.

Uit: The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine: What you need to know (2-9-21)

Is it safe?
SAGE has thoroughly assessed the data on quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine and has recommended its use for people aged 18 and above.
Safety data are limited for persons above 60 years of age (due to the small number of participants in clinical trials). While no differences in safety profile of the vaccine in older adults compared to younger age groups can be anticipated, countries considering using this vaccine in persons older than 60 years should maintain active safety monitoring.

Ehhh, ik sla mijn beurt voorlopig maar over.

 

[FredVN]

Explore colorful Vietnam through the lens of an Indian lecturer (2)

A photo from above captures the Tam Tien fish market in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam.

'Back in action after COVID-19. A colorful corner in Hanoi. Ta Hien street, also known as the beer street.' Photo and caption by Prabu Mohan

A bookstore in Hanoi captured by Prabu Mohan

'Star trails at Ganh Da Dia in Phu Yen. It’s been a while since I did star trails. The trouble is I have to shoot for at least 2 hours to get some good trails. So leaving the camera out and sitting idle is sometimes boring considering the 3 hours. But this time, I decided to camp here, hence it wasn’t much of a trouble.' Photo and caption by Prabu Mohan ⁣⁣

'A top-down view of Hoi An ancient town, one of the most vibrant and colorful places in Vietnam.' Photo and caption by Prabu Mohan


Bron: Explore colorful Vietnam through the lens of an Indian lecturer

 

[FredVN]

Covid-19

N.a.v. het aanbod voor een SinaPharm-vaccinatie was ik nieuwsgierig of er nog andere opties zijn. Ruim 2 weken geleden ontving ik een mail van

die in de rest van de mail duidelijk suggereerde, dat ze vaccineren.

Hun tarieven kennende (ik ben er bijna 25 jaar geleden in Hanoi geweest en een paar jaar geleden in HCM, zeker HCM is gewoon en westerse kliniek) was ik wel nieuwsgierig wat voor prijskaartje hier aan zou hangen.

Dus Minh laten bellen.

En nee, ze vaccineren niet. Dus andere klinieken denkelijk ook niet. Daar hebben we maar geen tijd in gestoken.

We hebben wel wat ideeën over de redenen maar die…

 

[FredVN]

Shot of bamboo fishing baskets nets international merit award

A photograph taken in a craft village that has made bamboo fishing baskets for more than 200 years won a merit award at the 2021 All About Photo Travel Contest.

The striking photograph by Ly Hoang Long was taken as a resident of Tat Vien Village, Tien Lu District, Hung Yen Province, crossed a bridge with a bicycle carrying several dozens of the bamboo fishing baskets.

Photo by Ly Hoang Long


A photo description on the contest's website notes that after the rice crop is harvested, farmers in Tat Vien Village in the northern province spend their spare time to knit bamboo baskets for fishing. It is a traditional craft preserved through many generations. The baskets are then loaded on to a bicycle for sale in surrounding areas.

The village is in Thu Si, a poor commune, around two hours from Hanoi. The commune is home to around 500 craftsmen who make the traditional bamboo fishing baskets.

The baskets have a tubular shape with two ends tied with knots. They are used to catch fish and shrimp in shallow waters of slow streams and rivers. People place the traps with the open end facing upstream and wait until fish swim into the baskets.

All About Photo, an online magazine dedicated to showcasing the work of photographers around the world, received thousands of entries for the Travel Photos of the Year contest that was judged by a panel of 10 experts.

The first prize with a $500 cash prize went to Russian photographer Yulia Nevskaya for a shot featuring a family of small indigenous people far north of the country.


Shot of bamboo fishing baskets nets international merit award - VnExpress International

 

[FredVN]

Filmmakers want classification to replace censorship

Filmmakers have called for classifying movies based on viewers’ ages instead of censoring them or prohibiting their screening.

Censorship was the main topic in an online discussion titled ‘Ai Gop Y Gio Tay Len’ (Raise Your Hand If You Want To Speak Up) this week between many members of the film industry.

Nguyen Hoang Diep, director and a member of the National Film Evaluation Council since April, said the censorship process has problems like unclear regulations.

Speakers recalled how films such as ‘Cyclo’ (directed by Tran Anh Hung) and ‘Bui Doi Cho Lon’ (Charlie Nguyen) were banned in the past.

‘Rom’ director Tran Dung Thanh Huy said the film had to be cut and edited a lot to meet censors’ requirements, affecting its plot and artistic goals.

Many movies have been similarly mangled to meet the censors’ requirements.

A still from "Rom" by Tran Thanh Huy. Photo courtesy of the movie


For instance, violent scenes had to be excised from ‘Trai Tim Quai Vat’ (Monster Heart) though it was a horror movie.

Director Nguyen Hoang Diep said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism should be more open to movies like web series.

At a National Assembly debate on September 14 on amendments to the Law on Cinema, culture minister Nguyen Van Hung had suggested web series makers should censor themselves and take responsibility, and authorities will supervise the final result.

In a seeming reference to this, Diep lamented: "We open the door to (movies on) the Internet but straitjacket the movie industry. Movies in theaters have a much smaller audience than on the Internet".

Director Phan Dang Di said he would soon write to the National Assembly on behalf of the panelists on the show, drawing practical experience and learning from other countries. They wanted the law, which will be amended in October, to spell out what could or could not go into a movie and avoid ambiguity so that its provisions could not be subjectively applied.

They suggested changing the name of the censorship body to the Cinema Ethics Council and have professional filmmakers on it, and having its branches in the south and north. They need to record and publicize their works, including discussions, members' opinions, reasons to classify movies, and other actions, they said.

A still from 'Cha Va Con Va...' (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories...), directed by Phan Dang Di. Photo courtesy of the movie


But the cinema authorities have their own opinions.

On September 27 director of the Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vi Kien Thanh, said the proposal to remove screening prohibitions is unreasonable and incorrect.
"I understand what filmmakers are wondering. However, in the 14 years since the Law on Cinema was passed, hundreds of films have been produced and shown in cinemas, filmmakers are all based on that to work. The draft of the law will concretize many points, not prohibiting or causing difficulties for them."

The National Film Evaluation Council brings together voices from many different backgrounds, from producers, directors to independent filmmakers. They all try to understand producers, and evaluate movies with open minds, pursuing the goal of promoting the Vietnamese movie industry’s development, Thanh said.

Previously, Trinh Thanh Nha, a screenwriter with five years’ experience who sits in the council, said sometimes members have to watch two films in a day. "The censors have to watch and listen to every detail because any carelessness could cause them to miss something vital."

All the movies released in Vietnam -- around 200 foreign and 40 Vietnamese annually -- are assessed by this 11-member council, which makes for a huge workload.

The Law on Cinema was passed in 2006 amended once in 2009. Lawmakers will consider further amendments to the law and vote on them at a session starting at the end of October.


Bron: Filmmakers want classification to replace censorship - VnExpress International


Vooral het antwoord van de cinema authorities is “briljant”: niks nadenken over classificatie, want ze hebben het te druk: ze moeten alles tot in detail bekijken. Tot wel 2 films per dag.

Paul Verhoeven zal zich hier denkelijk niet echt thuis voelen.

De film van de tweede foto 'Cha Va Con Va...' blijkt op de één of andere manier ook nog een Nederlands tintje te hebben:
Zie Cha Và Con Và (Film, 2015) - MovieMeter.nl

Waarschijnlijk om dezelfde redenen als
Busan International Film Festival rejects Vietnam’s injunction against screening domestically banned film

Zie op de tweede foto ook het geweldig geconstrueerde Vietnamese leidingensysteem. Op zich trouwens nog niet eens zo rot gedaan: je kunt de pomp tenminste nog verwijderen zonder zaag.

 

[FredVN]

From bathroom queues to loud sex: workers’ on-site travails

At 1:30 a.m. Hai left the line of colleagues waiting to take a shower, giving up after five hours of waiting.
"The company has provided everything essential, a place to eat, to sleep... but not a decent bathroom," Chiem Hong Hai, 24, a worker at an electronics company in Thu Dau Mot Town in Binh Duong Province, says.

For the last few months his company has required workers wanting to continue working to live in the factory as a measure mandated by authorities to contain Covid-19, and so more than 1,000 people work, ate and live on-site.

The first day they stayed at work, everyone took their clothes to the bathrooms and found out there was not enough space for them. The company’s director asked them to use the 20-odd bathrooms in another building meant for managers and experts.

After losing his patience, he returned to his tent, thinking "being dirty" was preferable to waiting any longer. But he can rarely sleep well in a place where thousands of workers lie in tents since it is too warm.

The stay-at-work model was first tried at industrial parks in the northern Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces in May when the localities were under lockdown, and it helped companies avoid disruptions in production and sustain the supply chain.

It was then quickly adopted in southern provinces.

By August nearly 6,000 companies in the major industrial hubs of Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces had workers staying on-site or traveling in a bio-bubble between home and the workplace.

Workers at Ha's company are tested for Covid. Photo courtesy of Truc Ha


Dao Minh Tinh, chairman of the trade union at Hai’s company, says the company could not meet the needs of thousands of workers initially because of the suddenness of the requirements.
"On the third day the company installed dozens of field bathrooms and more fans for the workers. Air conditioners were installed after a month."

Taking care of their workers has been a challenge for many employers.

Le Thuy Truc Ha, head of human resources at a printing and fashion company in Binh Duong’s Tan Uyen Town, says nearly 300 people have been staying at the company since late June, and things have been difficult.

Some spend too much time bathing, forcing others to wait, she says.
"Some wait too long and get angry".

If bathing and eating and drinking are difficult enough, hanging out the wash is another big challenge. One day when it rained workers rushed out to get their clothes hanging outside, ignoring social distance.

At many places, imposing rules on thousands of workers is not easy amid the modest living conditions.

Men and women workers at Hai's company sleep in two different places but in the same building.

Each person is provided with a tent but they are close to each other, and Hai sleeps next to a man whose wife works in the same company. She often sneaks into her husband’s tent at night, taking away what little sleep Hai can manage.

Their intimacy is "too loud", he says.

Sometimes he angrily tells them to let people sleep, but they simply ignore him.
"The company is good, but the employees make themselves and their colleagues miserable" is his conclusion after living at the workplace for nearly three months.

Nguyen Hong Nhung, an employee at a furniture producer in Binh Duong, says stay-at-work lasted exactly one week at her company.

More than 700 employees lived on-site, but on the very first day the police came after workers played cards, ate and drank together, and live-streamed the whole thing on social networks. Others went out surreptitiously to buy things. Within a week the company became a Covid hotspot with 40 people becoming infected.

A medic sanitizes tents of workers in a company in southern Binh Duong Province. Photo courtesy of Ngoc Vy


"Mistakenly" using others’ belongings also seems to be a problem.
"I brought seven garments, but just a few days later I had nothing to wear," Hai says.

At Nhung’s Company, workers charged their cell phones in a common place. But when she plugged hers in and took a walk, it went missing. Upset, she took a power socket to her tent, violating safety regulations.

Companies also have the problem of taking care of workers’ babies. Ha's company had five children staying with their parents, provides them with free food and allows them to sleep with their parents.

Hai's company on the other hand did not allow children to stay on its premises, and within the first week six employees quit.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has admitted that the model is too expensive for many businesses and ensuring social distance is also very difficult, and so many have called for more suitable models.

Enterprises also want to speed up vaccination of their employees and more support from the government in the form of deferring tax payments.

Le Xuan Tan, a director of Hanh Phuc company in Dong Nai Province, said businesses needed more time to prepare for the stay-at-work model and take care of thousands of workers.

Hai and many of his colleagues have become used to working and living at the workplace, but his ‘neighbor’ has resigned.

In the last three months Hai’s income has increased by VND3-5 million ($132 - 220), and he did not have to spend anything on food and other items.
"Now I’ve started to like this model."


Bron: From bathroom queues to loud sex: workers’ on-site travails - VnExpress International


Tja, loud sex: de kamers lijken me inderdaad “wat gehorig”. Ik herinner me sommige campings…

"Sometimes he angrily tells them to let people sleep, but they simply ignore him."
Tja, dat roep ik al jaaaaren over karaoke.

Zou dit trouwens erger dan karaoke zijn?

 

[FredVN]

Covid-19

Hier wordt naar hartenlust het Russische Sputnik-vaccin gebruikt en is men bezig om het hier ook zelf te maken.

Als je dan leest…
WHO says 'near' to solving issues on Russia's Sputnik V vaccine



Vietnam receives another 603,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from US
Is er eentje voor mij bij? In plaats van SinoPharm of Sputnik…


En voor wie een vakantie wil plannen…
Vietnam plans to fully reopen to int’l travelers by June 2022
Hou daarbij in het achterhoofd dat plannen niet tot de kernvaardigheden van Vietnamezen behoort.

 

[FredVN]

Collision kills woman, son on way to hometown in central Vietnam

The motorbike is severely damaged following the collision on Lo Xo Pass in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, October 4, 2021. Photo: Trong Y / Tuoi Tre


A woman and her son were killed on the way back to their hometown after their motorbike was hit by a truck along a mountain pass in central Vietnam on Monday.

The accident happened on Lo Xo Pass in Phuoc Son District, Quang Nam Province, according to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Quoc Tuan, the district’s police chief.

Ha Thi Vuong, 43, was carrying her son, 16-year-old Nguyen Van Thanh, on a motorbike when they collided with a truck traveling in the opposite direction.

Thanh was killed on the spot while Vuong was seriously injured and brought to the hospital for emergency treatment.

The truck is pictured following the crash on Lo Xo Pass in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, October 4, 2021. Photo: Trong Y / Tuoi Tre


However, the woman later succumbed to her wounds.

Preliminary investigation showed that the truck was traveling in the wrong lane.

Eyewitnesses said the mother and son were traveling from a southern province to their hometown in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa.

Police in Quang Nam stated that many residents had been returning to the province and neighboring localities from southern localities over the weekend following the relaxation of COVID-19 movement restrictions.


Bron: Collision kills woman, son on way to hometown in central Vietnam


Een enkele keer post ik dit soort berichten. Geloof mij, deze zie je met ontmoedigende regelmaat.

Want dit type van ongevallen is geen uitzondering maar gewoon regel. Ongetwijfeld onder het mom van “ik ben de grootste” halen op dit soort kronkelige bergwegen een truck met oplegger of een touringcar rustig één of meerdere andere lange voertuigen in.

Bochten lang.

Luid toeterend.

Blijkbaar in de heilige overtuiging dat een tegenligger daarmee meer kans heeft om een veilige plek te zoeken.

Als je mazzel hebt als motorrijder blijft er net voldoende ruimte tussen auto en reling om overeind te blijven. Of zoals ik dat er geen reling maar gelukkig wel op gelijke hoogte als de weg een berm zonder sloot is. Echt, dat alles is zeldzaam. Ik had echt geluk.

De gemiddelde Vietnamees achter het stuur van een auto, truck of bus is een hersenloos blind paard. Snelheid schatten van tegemoetkomend verkeer? Welk tegemoetkomend verkeer. Dit is de uitzondering op de regel, dat verkeer, dat niet recht voor je zit, er ook niet is.

Zoek nog maar eens in dit topic op “inhalen”. Ik heb dit soort situaties regelmatig beschreven, meestal uit eigen ervaring.

 

[Kees Vetje]

De kans is dus groot dat je een frontale botsing kan krijgen. Allemachtig wat een toestanden.

 

[FredVN]

Waar dacht je dat die ca. 10.000 verkeersdoden per jaar vandaan komen? Op grond van dit soort artikelen en mijn eigen ervaringen gok ik dat inhalen op onoverzichtelijke plekken het leeuwendeel is. Geloof me, de gemiddelde Vietnamees achter het stuur van een bus of vrachtwagen is rijp voor een psychiatrische kliniek.
Erich zit nu in Engeland. Als hij terug is zal ik vragen of hij wat toepasselijke video's kan maken.

 

[FredVN]

Leerboek

De naam zegt het al: ik maak af en toe met Affinity Publisher een “leerboek” voor mezelf.

Kort geleden had ik voor een shoot met Minh tevoren een aantal poses uitgezocht en die met haar uitgewerkt. Die poses heb ik links op een pagina gezet en rechts mijn eigen meest overeenkomstige foto. Om test-redenen heb ik geprobeerd om de originele foto zoveel mogelijk 1:1 te kopiëren, zowel qua pose als belichting.

Op deze manier kan ik vergelijken en zie ik als -nog steeds- beginnend modelfotograaf zaken, die ik tijdens de shoot had moeten zien.

En waarvan ik hoop dat ik die een volgende keer niet vergeet.

Een voorbeeld met andere foto’s..
De linkse foto is gemaakt door Peter Coulson, een bekende Australische modelfotograaf.
Rechts een foto uit de shoot met Thanh. Zie Vietnam Deel 2
Beide modellen leunen tegen een witte muur, die voor reflectie zorgt. Dit principe heb ik ook bij Thanh toegepast.

De uiteindelijke foto van Peter Coulson uit een video vond ik heel fraai maar voor deze vergelijkings-demo niet helemaal geslaagd: alleen het hoofd. Zie onder.

Voor de vergelijking heb ik daarom een scene uit de video genomen als de opname wordt gemaakt.

 

[FredVN]

Covid-19

Schitterende foto van een wachtrij voor een 2e vaccinatie.

Crowds jostle for second Sinopharm vaccine jabs in Vietnam’s Binh Duong Province

Such a chaotic situation involving thousands of people might cause high risks of COVID-19 spread

tuoitrenews.vn

 

[FredVN]

National sports complex requests land return after F1 cancellation

A part of the F1 racing track in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh


My Dinh Nation Sports Complex seeks to reclaim the land on which the F1 track was built since the race got canceled.

The complex has sent a report to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to ask Hanoi People's Committee to return 12.86 hectares of land they had used for the construction of the F1 track back in 2020.

The land is located in lot 1B, under the management and long-term use of the complex. To build a race track for the first ever F1 event in Hanoi, the land was temporarily assigned to Hanoi authorities to manage and use.

However, in October 2020, organizers announced the F1 race in Hanoi was postponed.
In March 2021, the F1 Hanoi race got delayed indefinitely before Hanoi officially canceled the event.

The complex plans to use the land to build an indoor arena for SEA Games 31, to be hosted here next year.

The National Sports Complex was established in 1999 and has the right to manage and use 247 hectares of land. After several adjustments, the complex is currently managing 170.55 hectares.

The highly anticipated Vietnamese Grand Prix, the first F1 race in Vietnam, has been postponed since March 2020 because of Covid-19. The race was supposed be held on the Hanoi Street Circuit, a temporary track next to My Dinh National Stadium, which was built on the area of National Sports Complex.


Bron: National sports complex requests land return after F1 cancellation - VnExpress International


Voor wie het zich afvraagt…

 

[FredVN]

Shot taken in Hue wins second prize at UK photo contest

A photo capturing a Vietnamese woman in traditional ao dai costume in ancient town Hue earned a British lensman the second prize at the National Geographic Traveler Photography Competition.

Walter Monticelli’s shot taken during his trip to Hue in central Vietnam shared the runner-up award in the People category with India-based photographer Rajiv Joshi.

Photo taken by Walter Monticelli in Hue, Vietnam.


"While walking between temples in the Imperial City, I heard a faint melody playing in the distance," Monticelli told National Geographic.
"Following the sound, I reached a room in which a group of women wearing traditional clothing were playing music with traditional Vietnamese instruments.
"I'd been standing there for a while, taking in the sound, when I noticed this lady sitting next to the entrance enjoying the music her friends were playing."

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last royal family to rule the country from 1802 to 1945. It is home to royal tombs, ancient palaces and pagodas that attract millions of foreign visitors every year.

The winner of the category was Claire Waring for a shot of ice fishing on the frozen sea in Hokkaido, Japan.

The contest, which is in its 10th year, seeks "to highlight the best in travel photography," its organizer said when announcing the winners on the National Geographic website.

This year's competition opened for entries in March 2021 and received thousands of submissions across all categories.


Bron: Shot taken in Hue wins second prize at UK photo contest - VnExpress International

 

[FredVN]

East meets West at luxury Indochine-style resorts (1)

Designed by world-renowned architects, these hotels and resorts in popular tourism hotspots straddle the harmonious beauty between traditional Vietnamese features and French aesthetics.

Designed by Bill Bensley, "the king of exotic luxury resorts" as he was dubbed by Time magazine, Hotel de la Coupole – Mgallery in Sa Pa in the northern province of Lao Cai takes inspiration from the 1920-1930 period in France.


While its evocative facade and nostalgia-tinged ambience revive the splendors of 1920s French Indochina, the vibrant colors, patterns and textures of its interiors are inspired by the hill tribes, who live all around the mountains of Sa Pa, and the lush sophistication of French haute couture.

The hotel has 249 rooms and suites that allow tourists to enjoy breathtaking views of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range and rice terraces.


From the hotel, guests will be ferried to Muong Hoa cable car station from where they can make a seven-minute trip to the Fansipan cable car station, enjoying the beauty of the Hoang Lien Son range with its rolling forests and valleys from a great height.

Each room is decorated with colorful ethnic minority motifs or paintings collected from all over the world.

Each room costs from VND2.4 million ($105.88 ) a night.


# # #

Located on Le Phung Hieu Street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Capella Hanoi Hotel, inspired by French-built Hanoi Opera House, a symbol of past extravagance, opened its door last May.


The hotel was also designed by Bill Bensley to revive the heydays of the Grand Opera era in early 20th century France.

The hotel has 47 rooms and suites, each individually styled with operatic artifacts and custom portraiture that pay tribute to legendary Opera artists, composers, designers and performances.


Each room is equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and a balcony, overlooking the Hoan Kiem (Sword Lake) and other busy entertainment spots dotting the capital.

A night's stay costs from VND6.5 million ($283.31) per person.

One of the highlights of the hotel is its indoor swimming pool that resembles a paradise for opera singers to refresh themselves after exiting the stage.

 

[Badgast]

Op de een of andere manier doet die laatste foto pijn aan mijn ogen... ;-)

 

[FredVN]

Ik denk dat je na een uurtje verblijf hier volledig gedesoriënteerd bent.
Niets voor mij.