Loving Saigon is not difficult: the city is home to some of the country’s most amazing people, culinary creations and rich history. However, because the southern metropolis is such a welcoming place, it’s getting more and more crowded. Therefore, it’s extremely rare to see empty Saigon streets during the day, a phenomenom which was been perfectly captured in photographer Minh Hoa’s Tet photo album.
According to Hoa, he’s had the idea for the project, now titled Co Mot Sai Gon Binh Yen Nhu The (There’s Such a Serene Saigon), for years. Only this year was the shutterbug free enough from family obligations to cruise city streets on the first day of Tet to capture a completely different side of Saigon.
“I tried to record some of Saigon’s most serene moments as a gift to everybody,” Hoa writes in the album’s description, “especially those who were born and raised in the city like myself.”
The subject of his photos is not anything new: well-known Saigon streets such as Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Dong Khoi and Vo Van Kiet. However, due to the timeframe in which they were taken, these commonly congested roads were almost unrecognizable if not for popular landmarks.
Have a look at Saigon’s rare moments of tranquility below:
[Photos via Facebook user Minh Hòa]
