Saigon on Wheels

An Introduction by
Ed Kashi

In the spring of 1994 I went to Vietnam for the first time. As a youth growing up in America in the 1970's, Vietnam was a place I only knew as a tragic war. With talk in the press of increasing ties between the two former enemies, and the possibility of a lifting of the U.S. trade embargo, my instincts told me that the time was ripe for a visit. I also wanted to visit Vietnam quickly, before the onslaught of U.S. journalists that would be sure to follow any warming of relations between the two nations.

I wanted to do a story about the emerging youth culture in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) as a reflection of the first post-war generation's mood and habits. Arriving in that bustling, free-spirited city, I soon realized that my initial idea wasn't panning out. The Vietnamese youth culture is very tame compared to other places like Berlin, Belfast and the U.S. where I had worked. After a brief panic (I was there at my own expense) I realized my ultimate story had been passing right in front of my eyes: the motorbike culture of Saigon. It was a moment of visual inspiration, and I immediately changed gears to produce a photo essay that would show some of the unique qualities and some of the current mood of a country we know so little about.

This was a completely new experience for me. It was as though a new set of eyes had been given to me.

For the next two weeks, I spent an average of six dirty, dusty hours a day on the back of a hired motorbike in Saigon, cruising the alleyways, thoroughfares, and crowded markets of the city, constantly searching for photographs that would reveal the ways that motorbikes had taken over both the streets and psyche of Saigon.