A Portrait of Viet Nam

by Lou Dematteis, Oct 1, 1995 | Destinations: Vietnam / Mekong River

Boats laden with goods make their way down a canal in the Mekong Delta, one of seven such canals that meet near the town of Phung Hiep.

Image © 2000 Lou Dematteis

Workers in Tien Giang Province bring bags of rice to a mill near the city of My Tho. My Tho, the provincial capital, is an inland port on the Tien Giang or Upper River of the Mekong. A day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, the farms here grow rice, coconuts, bananas, mangos, longans and citrus fruits.

A farmer in Tien Giang Province transports rice seedlings down a small canal to replant them in his paddies. In some parts of the Mekong Delta farmers can produce three rice crops a year thanks to the tropical climate, abundant water and large labor force. Almost half of all rice grown in Viet Nam comes from the Mekong Delta.

A woman in Can Tho rows across the Can Tho River which flows into the Hau Giang or Lower River, one of two main branches of the Mekong that runs through Viet Nam after the river splits in Cambodia. Can Tho is considered the political, economic, transportation and cultural center of the Mekong Delta.

Lou Dematteis is a regular contributing photographer to Destination:Vietnam. Lou's latest book, A Portrait of Viet Nam, published by W.W. Norton contains many of the photographs our readers have had the opportunity to see over the past two years. We show you some here, in case you missed them.

After a long period of isolation, partially self-imposed and partially as a result of a punishing trade and diplomatic embargo imposed by the United States, Vietnam has in the last few years begun opening its doors to the world. Along with this opening, the nation has been experiencing an internal liberalization that is ushering in dramatic changes in the economic, social, cultural, and artistic spheres.

Throughout the Vietnam War and after, we have known and learned very little about the Vietnamese people. Accounts of the war and the country have focused almost exclusively on American involvement. This book provides us with new information. Focusing his camera on the daily lives of ordinary people, Lou Dematteis documents a vibrant, rapidly changing country of over 72 million inhabitants?a gracious people who were once considered America's most implacable foes and who now look forward to a future of friendship and cooperation.

Return to Steven Bailey's Review of The Province of Ba Ria -- Vung Tau: A Guidebook to Saigon's Beach Resort

Return to Sarah Tilton's article -- Haiphong

Return to Sarah Tilton's article -- Escape to Vung Tau article