Hanoi viewed through Leica M

kiemchacsu said:
These below 3 photos were taken on a provincial train, which connects Vinh and Dong Hoi, 2 cities in middle of Vietnam. It's quite slow because it stops on every small stations between the rout. Many people still heavily on this kind of slow train to access where roads still being not convenient enough.

On the train by Trung Nguyen, on Flickr

On the train by Trung Nguyen, on Flickr

On the train by Trung Nguyen, on Flickr
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Here we call trains which stop at every station "locals" and the ones which go faster and stop at just a few select large stops are called "expresses." A 2nd class ticket on a local has to be great fun and a great way to see the people and the country.
 
boojum said:
I had one up until recently. The 2CV is a great car.
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Marvelous image, full of nostalgia for me. I bought one for CDN $500 in France in 1966 and it took me all over Europe. Driving through countries at a top speed of 53 mph is a wonderful way to see the world! The downside was the police in France and Germany often chased me off the freeways for holding up traffic. I recall the cops on the autobahns drove Porsches. I wonder what they get about in now - Mercedeses and BMWs, or plebeian Japanese cars?

I eventually took my 2CV to Canada, and kept it on the road until 1972 when I parked it on an icy street in Toronto and while a Metro bs skidded into it, folding it up like an accordion. The plus side of this was the bus authority gave me more in settlement than I had originally paid for the car.

I did miss it for a long time, tho' the heaters were good for defrosting the windscreen and that was about it. Driving around in it during the cold months we had to dress up like Eskimos. Steering a 2CV with mittens on wasn't an easy thing to do.

Sadly, I've lost all the photos I took of my travels in Europe and of this wonderful vehicle. Yours brings back so many happy memories. Very few on the roads nowadays in North America, likely for safety reasons. Like the equally old Saabs and the original Volvos. All gone.
 
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kiemchacsu said:
Dear Skiff,

Thank you for your comment.
Regarding the question, I think younger people are interested in film even though i have no clue. The labs owners might know better, I will ask when I meet them.
I think both reasons you quoted are both right. Photo labs in Vietnam (actually Hanoi and Saigon only) are reasonable good and process price is super cheap. I know many foreign folks get their film developed in Vietnam before coming back to their country after visiting. It's less than $2/roll C41 developed and scanned high resolution, B/w film is a bit higher about $3-4/roll.
And yes, online Facebook like "FILM PHOTO CLUB" is also a driven force for Film community in Vietnam. It's so popular that recently the admins decided that photos need to be approved before they can appear on group. About this point, I was among people who against this policy, i think it will not encourage people to shoot film. But let's see how this policy will affect the labs and community in long term.
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Ooooh, maybe I had better bring that Contax II or Contax III with a load of Ilford XP-2. Maybe shooting mono film in Hanoi is a good idea. The more I read this thread the more ideas are exposed. I guess that is what reading is all about. ;o)
 
boojum said:
Ooooh, maybe I had better bring that Contax II or Contax III with a load of Ilford XP-2. Maybe shooting mono film in Hanoi is a good idea. The more I read this thread the more ideas are exposed. I guess that is what reading is all about. ;o)
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Bring whatever gears/ films that encorage you to travel and shoot most. Surprisingly, developing prices have not changed that much since I wrote that comment back in 2018.
 
kiemchacsu said:
Bring whatever gears/ films that encorage you to travel and shoot most. Surprisingly, developing prices have not changed that much since I wrote that comment back in 2018.
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Trung, what is mono film availability in Hanoi? Would I be advised to bring what I want to shoot? If I can get good, fresh C-41 mono in Hanoi reasonably I will do that. I like to put even a small amount of money in the local economy when I can. And I get to meet more local folks. A true win-win.

I have been told that a homestay in Ninh Binh or Sapa would be enjoyable and doing both would be twice as enjoyable. I'd probably like to do another trip so it is not a given that this is the only one. Maybe I would come out again. We'll see. But it all seems quite wonderful now.

Thanks for the help and info. Oh, BTW, my French is pretty rusty but way better than my Vietnamese. Is it offensive to use French in Vietnam? Is it useful, I mean are there folks there who speak it still or is English more prevalent? I'll pick up "Please" and "Thank you" and more but I know I will not be at ease in Vietnamese. I'll learn what I can and just try to be as polite as I can.
 
boojum said:
Thanks for the help and info. Oh, BTW, my French is pretty rusty but way better than my Vietnamese. Is it offensive to use French in Vietnam? Is it useful, I mean are there folks there who speak it still or is English more prevalent? I'll pick up "Please" and "Thank you" and more but I know I will not be at ease in Vietnamese. I'll learn what I can and just try to be as polite as I can.
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English is more common for folks who do the services and selling goods here.
 
Trung, you are so helpful and I appreciate that. Thanks. I have been watching a ton of YT videos on food in Vietnam. My impression is that it is just about impossible to get a bad meal.

Now I eat everything. In HK my host's husband took me out for yamcha and ran me through the "ugly" stuff. Chicken feet, red and white, duck feet, ducks blood, stuffed goose intestine and so on. When we got to spinal cord of a cow Larry threw in the towel. My take was that the Chinese had been eating this stuff for 3,000+ years and there were over a billion of them. It couldn't be that bad. ;o) Hog and cow tripes do not thrill me but in a bowl of Pho I'll eat them. What the hell, the Vietnamese have been eating this for 3,000 years, too. ;o)

Or I could stay home and eat bologna sandwiches. Which do you think the better choice? LOL

I just want to walk in, eat, drink a coffee or salt plum, cause no commotion and have the people there wish I would come back again because I was not a rude American with a big face. Because I was just a quiet, no hassle polite customer. That worked in France, in The Netherlands and in Mexico. One of the finest compliments I ever got was in a small town in Scotland, "I don't like Yanks but you're alright." That's how I like it, too.

Thanks for your help.
 
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