saigon diary

Saigon Diary #7: Trip to Hanoi, Now in Seoul

This is the last installment of my “Saigon Diary” series. I plan to continue this “Diary” series moving forward in my travels.

I’m currently in Seoul. Just left Vietnam a week or so ago, so I wanted to share some reflections towards the end of the trip.

After a great time in Saigon, I headed up to Hanoi with Cindy. We didn’t have a real reason to go– we just wanted to check the place out (because it was so close in Vietnam).

Hanoi was a beautiful place. Much smaller than Saigon, a lot less hectic, and more peaceful. It felt almost like Paris in the sense that the streets were narrow, windy, and a bit random. But there was great beauty in the randomness of the city.

Saigon Diary #6: Trip to Pulau Bidong, Switching to Black & White, Thoughts on Digital

Sorry guys, it has been a while since I last updated my “Saigon Diary” series. A lot has happened since the last time we talked. During that time, I taught a week-long Saigon street photography workshop, I traveled to Malaysia and visited Pulau Bidong (a refugee camp where Cindy was born). I also took a week-long trip to Singapore, where I did a free talk for Fujifilm Singapore, did a 3-day weekend workshop, and now I am back home.

I am only in Saigon for another week and a half, then Cindy and I are heading to Hanoi for a weekend. Then after that, we are traveling to Seoul and Tokyo (teaching an intro workshop in Tokyo), then Cindy is heading home. After Cindy heads home, I’m teaching a workshop in Hong Kong with Gary Tyson, then teaching a workshop in Sydney and an intermediate/advanced workshop in Melbourne.

Not sure where I can update you guys– but will try to skip around with my thoughts.

Saigon Diary #5: Travels to Bien Hoa, Learning Vietnamese, and Coffee Culture

Cindy by the water in Bien Hoa, just outside of Saigon.

Hey streettogs, thank you for waiting for this new episode of “Saigon Diary“.

A lot has happened the last week, namely me and Cindy visiting Bien Hoa– a place about an hour outside of Saigon. Cindy’s cousin got married recently, and it was a great time getting to know her father’s side of the family (while of course, eating some delicious food).

I’ve also learned a lot more Vietnamese– and can now hold a pretty basic conversation (a 4-year old is still better than me).

I’m still not sure what I ultimately want out of this “Saigon Diary” series– nor do I expect to really make any good photos while I am here. But like I mentioned before, I want to share some personal thoughts on the trip, my photography, and keep it all as transparent as I can.

Saigon Diary #4: Leading Lines, Golden Triangle Composition, and Working the Scene

Hey streettogs, thanks for staying tuned in for the “Saigon Diary” series.

For the sake of getting sleep and having higher quality posts, I’ve decided not to keep a daily diary– but to update every 2-3 days (depending on how interesting my days are).

Some people are asking me why I’m showing bad photos in these series. So to clarify, I am trying to make this process of taking photos in Saigon as transparent as possible. So I am purposefully putting out bad photos, critiquing my own work, and sharing some of my thought process. My hope is that this is helpful to you!

Saigon Diary #3: Motorbikes, Vietnamese Coffee, and Night Shooting

Today was another beautiful day in Saigon.

However, I did wake up pretty exhausted. The light from the morning light was nice, getting me up at around 8am. I slept probably around 1:30am (staying up to write Saigon Diary #2). But I think no matter how tired I am, I want to keep up this daily diary.

Anyways, went to the gym– lifted some weights, took a quick shower, and then woke up Cindy. We headed down to breakfast in a rush (at around 8:40– as breakfast ends at 9am). We enjoy our morning meal, and I practice some more Vietnamese to the chef who makes me my morning eggs.

Today is exciting because we meet up with Minh, a friend of a friend of Cindy– who teaches English and agrees to show us around town on his motorbike. I never rode a motorbike before, and am quite excited.

Saigon Diary #2: Learning Vietnamese, Seeing Common Threads, and Triangles

Due to the positive feedback from the first “Saigon Diary #1” I will see if I can do daily diary entries.

Thank you guys also for the feedback on the new blog design. I’ve been wanting to change my blog to a “responsive design” — that would look great across smartphones, tablets, and computers. I also made the change from a 2-column blog to a 1-column blog, to create a better reading experience for you guys. The 1-column design allows me to upload larger images, and also larger text.

I liked having the links on the right column, but now you can either find the articles in the “Start here” page or the “Masters” tab on top. I will play around with the design more in the upcoming weeks. Would love to hear your feedback on the new design in the comments below. Please let me know what you would like about it, and what you would like to see me add/change.

Anyways moving on– today I woke up relatively early again (around 7am). I wish I could wake up that consistently everyday back in the states (I usually get up at around 10am). I did some bodyweight squats in the room to get pumped up for the day, and also to prepare myself for breakfast.

Saigon Diary #1: First Day in Vietnam

DSCF1845 — Saigon, 2014. Last photo of my first day in Saigon, in an elevator. Full story later in the article.

You can download my free Lightroom 5 film street photo presets which I used to process these photos. I used the “XT-1 v2” preset on most of these.

Hey what’s up streettogs– this is Eric Kim reporting live from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam. After a lovely 14-hour flight from Vancouver and a 4-hour connecting flight from Hong Kong, my girlfriend Cindy and I made it safely here!

Today over some strong Vietnamese coffee with Cindy– she helped me come up with a good idea. I wanted to document my time here in Saigon, and also document Cindy’s experience here. I am going to include the contact sheets as well — and take you behind the scenes. I hope you enjoy this journey with me!