Urbanautica

WOUTER VANHEES. VIETNAM SKIN

by Steve Bisson

«I’ve also received quite some feedback in the sense that it’s a shame that it’s not immediately apparent that my photos show Hanoi in particular, saying that it could be any developing Asian city. And that’s true. In fact, that’s sort of the point of the series.»

Hello Wouter, firstly how long have you been in Vietnam? What are the main challenges you have faced culturally?

Wouter Vanhees (WV): Hi Steve, I’ve been living in Hanoi since early 2015, so a bit more than five years now. My job brought me and my family here at that time. We’ve loved living here, but indeed, there have been some cultural challenges. One that sticks out is the language barrier. I found Vietnamese a very difficult language to learn. And while the knowledge of foreign languages is growing in Vietnam, there are still many Vietnamese who don’t speak English or any other foreign language. This makes communication hard at times and regularly leads to misunderstandings. It’s an issue you can adapt to when you live here, but it’s still challenging at times.

I guess the distinction between urban and rural Vietnam is pretty sharp. Can tell us about this relationship through your impressions. Can you also give us some examples of places you have visited?

WV: There are indeed many distinctions in Vietnam, in several ways: urban-rural, north-south, rich-poor, etc. The country has a very rapid rate of urbanization, something which is of course very apparent in cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. In the past three decades, many rural villages surrounding Hanoi have been ‘swallowed’ by the expanding city. What is interesting is that some of these villages have, to some level, managed to maintain a village feel, even though they have simply become a district within the city. A good example is an area where I live, namely Tay Ho district. Although this is a typical ex-pat neighborhood, there are still many Vietnamese people living here, who’ve been in this area for generations. It’s a gentrified neighborhood for sure, but there’s still a core of the old village surviving. I’ve traveled to many places in Vietnam throughout the years. A very rural area that I enjoyed traveling to, was Ha Giang province, which I portrayed in my black & white series ‘The North’.

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'North'

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'North'

For many people, the image of Vietnam has long been conditioned by the events of the war, and especially by a boundless film production that has forged a precise imagination for a couple of generations, at least. To foreigners, somehow, Vietnam represented a recurring scenario of South East Asia although no one had really visited the country. What survives, especially among the new Vietnamese generations, of that season?

WV: Of course all the wars that Vietnam has been involved in throughout the 20th century have been important factors shaping the country, the cities and its people. But don’t forget the last war finished roughly 40 years ago. Since Vietnam has a relatively young population, a majority of the population has never witnessed it firsthand. If anything, they consider it as an important part of their history, and now look at the present and the future with a dynamic and positive attitude.

Let's talk about Hanoi, a city which recurs as a subject, a field of exploration, of some of your projects. Can you tell us what city you have known, what fascinates you and what surprises you about this place?

WV: In short: I’m absolutely in love with Hanoi. While it’s a huge city in absolute numbers, it’s still relatively small compared to many other Asian megacities. And as I mentioned before, somehow the city has, so far at least, managed to retain much of its small-town charm. I adore the colors of the old houses, the little alleys that twist and turn leading to little courtyards, the small and big lakes which gives the city a sense of being open and airy, the Red River and the bridges that cross it, most notably the old Long Bien bridge, the motorbikes which still make up a majority of the city’s chaotic traffic, etcetera. These are some of the elements that have shaped my image of Hanoi. What fascinates me is that the city, while modernizing fast, is still very traditional. Family and hierarchic values, for example, are still extremely important in the current Vietnamese society, and I believe this is still more so in Hanoi than in Ho Chi Minh City, for example. All in all, Hanoi is the city where I’ve been living and working, and which I’ve been lucky to call home these past five years.

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'Hanoi reflection'

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'Hanoi reflection'

The theme of urban transformation, rather impetuous, is a decisive key to your work. We somehow recognize the traits of a phenomenon common to South East Asia. How do you think Vietnam stands out in this process?

WV: That’s a difficult question since I’m definitely not an expert on how this process has been happening in other countries in the region. However, one thing where I believe Vietnam does stand out is in the fact that there are hardly any slums. Sure, there are richer and poorer areas, but no real slums. Some areas which you could consider to be slum-like though, are the temporary container villages where construction workers live. These are usually very small areas with a few dozen containers or hastily built constructions, bordering huge new real estate projects under development. They can stay up for a few months or years while the project is being built; afterward, they’re destroyed and the workers move to other projects to work on. You can get an idea of what they look like in my ‘Under The Skin’ series.

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'Under the Skin'

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'Under the Skin'

In some of your works the contrast between the living conditions of the past and an architecture that responds to the canons of modernity is quite vivid. In the past years, photography has shown us how in some regions of China a very radical, sometimes questionable, policy of housing and real estate that led to the removal of ancient settlements. Do you feel a similar process is happening in Vietnam? How the population reacts to this epochal change?

Similar things have been happening in Vietnam, where old settlements are being erased to make way for new real estate projects. In such cases, there’s compensation provided, but not always to the population’s content. It sometimes leads to disagreements, postponement of projects, etcetera. These are difficult situations, but somehow solutions are usually found.

© Wouter Vanhees from the series 'Hanoi reflection'

With regard to the people. What kind of interaction/collaboration have you experienced through your work? Also, did you have any feedback or reaction to your series?

WV: In my work, I mostly photograph buildings at night. It’s usually very quiet at that time, but still, there have been times when people would notice me. The only reaction I’ve received while producing the photos was curiosity: ‘why is this strange foreigner taking photos at night of some building or construction site in my neighborhood?’ I would simply show a few photos on the LCD-screen of my camera, get a thumbs up, and that’s it. So I’d say that all reactions have been positive. Once my first series ‘Hanoi Skin’ was published, I did get some other responses from Vietnamese people. What’s interesting is that several people questioned what I was trying to hint at with my series, considering it to be some sort of critique to how the city is developing. I’ve also received quite some feedback in the sense that it’s a shame that it’s not immediately apparent that my photos show Hanoi in particular, saying that it could be any developing Asian city. And that’s true. In fact, that’s sort of the point of the series, so to all the people who’ve given me that particular feedback I’ve replied: ‘Correct, you’ve understood it’!

© Wouter Vanhess from the series 'Hanoi Skin'

Your latest works are nocturnal. This helps to isolate the phenomena you are observing and to return it back with more lyricism. At times we catch an almost abstract and metaphysical appeal. Tell us more about the intentions behind your visual research, and what urgencies as an author you try to answer...

WV: There are two reasons why I focus on nocturnal imagery. The first reason is an aesthetic one. I simply think that the contrast between the dark night sky and the colorful city lights is beautiful. The humidity and oftentimes also dust particles create stunning hues of colors across the night sky. The overarching nocturnal theme also adds a layer of consistency to my photos, which in itself can be a powerful storytelling tool. But apart from the nightly aesthetics, I thoroughly enjoy the process of going out at night with the sole purpose of creating these images. Hanoi becomes very still late at night, especially the residential areas in the outskirts of the city. The whole process of scouting these areas, finding a good spot, setting up the tripod and camera, framing and composing the shot, and waiting while the long exposure is happening, is somehow relaxing. At the end of the day, I enjoy this a lot, and isn’t that really the most important thing?

© Wouter Vanhess from the series 'Hanoi Skin'

With regards to your photographic works any book that you would recommend to our readers and that you have particularly enjoyed? Tell us why...

WV: In terms of photobooks, I’m a big fan of the documentary approach of Greg Girard, the visual poetry of Todd Hido and the photographic tableaux of Gregory Crewdson. Another photobook of nocturnal urban photography which I’d like to recommend is the ‘Dark Cities’ trilogy by Singaporean photographer Shyue Woon. A more theoretical photography-related book which I’ve enjoyed reading is ‘Zen Camera’ by David Ulrich. And a book which helped me learn a lot about how Vietnam ticks, is ‘Vietnam: Rising Dragon’ by Bill Hayton. Highly recommended!

---

LINKS
Wouter Vanhees

share this page