National Geographic: The Glow of Vietnam

National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow shares some of her favorite photographs from a recent assignment in Vietnam. Read more in "The Glow of Vietnam" in the April 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler

Luxury Meets Natural Beauty

Luxury and taste come to Vietnam. The Amanoi resort, on an unspoiled part of the coast just south of Nha Trang, offers private villas with individual swimming pools.

Traditional Vietnam

The Barber of Hanoi (left): Despite change happening at light speed in Vietnam, timeless scenes remain, even in the cities. In Hanoi, the nation’s elegant capital, barbers still set up shop right on the street. Bui Pham Quat is not only a barber, but also an artist—he created the wall behind him. The Vietnamese are very romantic, and as Quat said, “Even the barber has an artist within him.”

Farm to Table (right): In the Mekong Delta, a Sunday family lunch is very much “farm to table”: The chicken was from the backyard, the greens from the garden. The curries are made with coconut milk, typical of food from the south. "Baguettes are ubiquitous," says Karnow, "and every bit as good as in France."

Splashing Good Time

At the Vinpearl Water Park in the Royal City district of Hanoi, cheerleaders from a nearby college frolic for their friend’s iPhone video camera, protected in a waterproof pouch. “I was astounded by this scene,” says Karnow. “The enormous waterpark, one of the biggest in Southeast Asia; the cheerleaders, an American import I've never seen in Vietnam; an iPhone in a plastic pouch. This sums up brand-new Vietnam to a tee.”

Designed in Vietnam

Backstage at Do Manh Cuong’s annual fashion show, models prepare for the catwalk. The designer, who trained at Dior in Paris, is perhaps Vietnam’s hottest fashion couturier, known worldwide for his classic couture and ready-to-wear clothes. “I remember photographing the first fashion show in Vietnam in 1994, and the models wore bathing suits," Karnow recalls. "The audience was bewildered and shocked. The lighting designer had a single light, which he switched off and on; the whole setup was very rudimentary. Now we have events where the audience is dressed to the nines, wearing Chanel, Prada, jewels.”

Local Art

Healing Blocks (left): At a tiny shop in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, handmade woodblocks are sold for both decorative and auspicious purposes. The tiger prevents bad luck, the Buddha brings happiness and health. Papers stamped with the woodblocks are sometimes buried in a yard or cemetery to bring about luck in different ways. A third-generation owner, Pham Van Quang, told Karnow that he considers himself a healer and can sense which woodblock a customer may need.

Vietnamese Art Scene (right): One of the founding fathers of Vietnamese contemporary art, Ha Tri Hieu paints poetic tableaux that show the simplicity of life in the countryside, where his family hid during the Vietnam War.

Clam Diggers

In central Vietnam, near Lang Co Bay and under the shadow of the Hai Van Pass, girls dig for clams to take back to their families for dinner.

A Changing Cityscape

From the 68-story Bitexco building, one of Vietnam’s tallest structures, the view of Ho Chi Minh City changes dramatically every year. Once French villas lined the Saigon River; now a tunnel connects downtown to outlying suburbs.

(Source: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/traveler-vietnam-photos/#/street-barber-food-vietnam-karnow_88538_600x450.jpg)