Some people have a knack for seeing things differently. Just like the backpacker who managed to make Pham Ngu Lao seem like a bastion of authentic local culture, so have Huy Tran and the Only in Saigon crew managed to turn the buzzing, chaotic stalls of Cho Lon into a poetic homage to one of the city's most famous landmarks.
A local institution, Binh Tay Market – more commonly known as Cho Lon – has been around since the 1920s and still functions as the beating heart of trade in District 5. At the very center of the market sits an altar dedicated to its founder, Quach Dam, a poor Chinese immigrant who found success in Saigon and later constructed the current market with a combination of Chinese and French colonial architecture.
The following video captures everyday life within the market, slowed to a dreamy speed as it documents young delivery men and food runners, market stalls and those who come to pay their respects to Cho Lon's founder. Its accompanying soundtrack, a slow, hypnotic tune, only adds to the rhythmic grace of the people in the video.
