Visions of Vietnam: 21 Beautiful Faces from Saigon, Hanoi and Beyond

Our eyes and (to a larger extent) our faces are the windows to our soul. Michael Clemmer writes:

According to the ancient Chinese tradition of xiàng shù (face reading), the lines of our faces reveal not only the type of life we have lived but also how long we will live.

The lines of our forehead show the way of our thinking as well as parental influence.

That long line from the bridge of your nose down to your chin is called the Long Laugh Line. It’s the best. It says you will live past your 70s and those “crow’s feet” show that you are not easily fooled.

So skip that facelift and Botox. Every precious little line tells the world what a special person you are.

And in few places in the world is this more evident than Vietnam. Here, we share our favorite portraits from the people of Saigon, Hanoi, the Mekong Delta and beyond.

(Note: those with a weak stomach, turn back now. You’ve been warned …)

#1: Elderly Victim of Ketsana Typhoon

© Bùi Linh Ngân

One of many elderly queuing for relief rice from an NGO in Quang Nam Province – Vietnam, after Ketsana typhoon or “typhoon #9” in Vietnamese.

#2: A Motorcycle Taxi Rider in Chinatown

© Tri Nguyen

#3: H’Mong Babygirl

© Bùi Linh Ngân

Babies in plateau areas are wrapped with hats, scarves, sweaters … everything but socks. It explains very clearly why all of them have running noses.

#4: Everyone Loves Noodles

© Anton Novoselov

#5: Wandering Sapa

© Nguyá»…n Thành Lam

#6: The Face of Commerce in the Mekong

© Davidlohr Bueso

#7: The Local Butcher Shop

© Bùi Linh Ngân

In the mountain regions of Vietnam, people love fatty pork.

#8: The Street Barber of Hanoi

© Nathan O’Nions

#9: A Lifetime in the City

© Edson Walker

#10: Carried Away

© Staffan Scherz

#11: A Simple Smile

© Petr & Bara Ruzicka

#12: Generation in Hanoi

© Nathan O’Nions

#13: A Cham Priest at Kate Festival (Phan Rang, Ninh Thuan)

© Staffan Scherz

#14: The Ice Cream Man of Phu Quoc

© Eddy Milfort

#15: “I Wanna Be in the Photo Too!”

© Bùi Linh Ngân

#16: Calling It a Day

© Staffan Scherz

#17: A Victim of the Saigon Monsoon

© mr_thomas

#18: Hard at Work in the Mekong (Cantho, Vietnam)

© Davidlohr Bueso

#19: Mobile Gift Shop in Hanoi

© Nathan O’Nions

#20: A Lifetime in Long An

© Staffan Scherz

#21: Curiosity

© Wagner T. Cassimiro “Aranha”