Landscape is entangled with history and people’s lives. Irrespective of age or social position, we all have very interesting stories that can touch others no matter where we come from.
Recalling Hanoi is my vision of Hanoi, a tapestry weaved out of portraits, people’s stories and the urban landscape that hosts them.

I am continually looking for more people to take part in the project to tell a story.

If you are interested to meet me for more info please write to me (in English or in Vietnamese) volajulie@gmail.com

To know more about the project and how to take part –> please visit the statement page

Interviews

Dear Readers, if there are any of you out there… if you read this blog and would be interested to participate telling your own story, or know someone who might be, please contact me or my assistant Mai at volajulie@gmail.com.

I realize I didn’t make it clear how easy the process is. After you contacted us via email saying you want to take part, we will make an appointment with you at your convenience (during the day). We can help you with finding your story. During that meeting you will tell us about your memory (in English or in Vietnamese) and we will write it down as you speak (you don’t have to write anything); then I will take some photos of you. That’s it! It usually only takes 1h30min. As soon as I am done working on the photo, we will re-contact  you to give you a copy of it.

My goal is to collect up to 80 stories and so far I have 30, and I would like to finish collecting stories before the end of 2012.
It’s not that easy to get people to tell me stories, sometimes people are too shy or believe they don’t have anything interesting to say; I would like to answer to that : That’s not true !
- first, yes I do photoshop the photos so you will look your best (without airbrushing like crazy though), I, myself have a hard time being in front of the camera and I know what it is, so I will always make sure you feel comfortable and you look good,
- and second, everybody has a memory somewhere in Hanoi, it doesn’t matter how small, or big, or extraordinary or ordinary that memory is.

Thin

For today’ story, please welcome Ms Thin. I will never thank her enough for sharing that story with me… shhhh no spoiler, you will have to read it all !

Continue reading »

A Goodbye

Last week I said goodbye to a friend of mine who is continuing her journey in Asia. She is one of the first persons I met in Hanoi, to whom I talked about the project, and who participated in it. Thank You so much for your support. I wish you all the best.

A Free Day

I was staying in a guesthouse Continue reading »

Dear Friends,

today I received my first email from one of you readers. Thank you Van !

This is very exciting but also reminds me I haven’t updated the blog as often as I promised myself I would. As I am looking for a new assistant/translator to help me with the project, this post won’t be translated today.
Van reminded me of my first interview, with Hong May, and how special her story is to me.

We are 4 girlfriends like sisters. We have known each other for almost 20 years now. Continue reading »

Oi Gioi Oi !

I don’t know about you but this weather isn’t helping me at all. I just want to hibernate under my blankets…  I am not just saying that to justify my absence for the last few weeks… alright maybe a little…

Since Têt was a few weeks ago… here is Ly Pham’s story :

A Visit for Lunar New Year

My family used to live in a ‘Khu tap the’ Continue reading »

Happy New Year 2012 !

I just came back from a few weeks in France to visit family and friends for the holidays. It’s the second time I have been back to my home country, it’s nice to be in a familiar environment where everybody speaks your language, but when I come back to Hanoi, I feel like I am coming home !

Speaking about Home, here are two stories from the same person, Ly Bich Ngoc.

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My grand-mother’s house

In the early 90s my grandmother was imprisoned for illegally giving a loan with a high interest rate. She spent five years in the infamous Hoa Lo prison, formerly a French prison for political prisoners and then for American prisoners of war.

I was very young and did not understand what it was really about, but my grandfather would bring me to see her every weekend. To me it was like going to my grandmother’s house.
Every year during Tet Holiday it’s almost like tradition in my family to tell the story of my third birthday. That weekend my parents decided I would not go visit my grandmother cause it was bad luck to do such a sad thing on a birthday. I was so young that I couldn’t understand and I was very upset. So I decided to take my birthday cake and go by myself to see my grandma. I ran away from home at 3 years old with a cake. Somehow I could remember pretty well the way until an intersection where I became very confused and got lost. I asked a police officer if he knew where my grandmother’s house was, but I could not tell him which street and I did not know it was the prison. Because I could remember how to go to my house, he brought me back home. My family was worried sick and some had gone looking for me. The next day I made my parents buy the exact same cake so I could bring it to my grandmother over the weekend with my grandfather.

Hello everybody  and Welcome !

I am so happy to publish this first post on the Hanoi Grapevine! Recalling Hanoi is my project, and in this blog I will present you its development.

Let me explain what Recalling Hanoi is about.

Landscape is entangled with history and people’s lives. Irrespective of age or social position, we all have very interesting stories that can touch others no matter where we come from.

Recalling Hanoi is my vision of Hanoi: a tapestry weaved out of portraits, people’s stories and the urban landscape that hosts them.

Continue reading »