(On Going)
Huy Anh removes his straw fedora as he enters the graveyard near Hanoi, clutching a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in his other hand. Following his parents through the knee-high grass, they search for his late grandfather’s grave, a soldier of the People’s Army of Vietnam during the ‘American War,’ referred to as the ‘Vietnam War’ by Americans. Dusting off the headstone, cutting the grass, lighting incense, placing flowers, and bowing, they engage in a ritual that has endured for centuries. Yet, for Huy Anh, there’s a sense of vagueness.

The war has been over for 50 years in Vietnam, long enough for more than half of the population to have not directly witnessed that horrific era.

Following the fall of Saigon, Vietnam entered an era of reconstruction and nation-building as the socialist model began to crumble. Today, its economy is booming, thanks to a shift in political ideology that has opened up the country. Alongside economic changes, there have been dramatic shifts in culture and society, particularly embraced by Vietnamese youth.

This project is a collection of photos that depict the country as it is, with moments of both happiness and sorrow.

No Mud, No Lotus