Real Life

Every day is about survival for the average person in Vietnam.

The economy is growing and tourism is a big part of that, but off the main streets where tourists spend their money ordinary people run errands, collect salvageable materials, and sell whatever they can from early in the morning until late at night.

The woman in this photo just found a plastic bottle worth trading for something. It’s about 8 in the morning. I noticed many street vendors camped out in their same positions from right after sunrise into the early evening hours. How much could they possibly make in a day? Not much.

This photo was taken in Sa Pa where tourists are bussed in by the hundreds every day. They spend lots of money, but the average residents of Sa Pa are left to roam the muddy back streets struggling to make a living. There’s no sign of resentment on their part. It’s just life.