[Photos] A Tourist-Free Hoi An of the 1990s by Photographer Doi Kuro

 

Phan Rang, 1998.

Witness the casual atmosphere of central Vietnam more than two decades ago. 

In Vietnam's famous origin myth, half of the nation's original citizenry settled with their father, Lac Long Quan, near his sea-adjacent hometown. There, they learned to live in concert with their coastal surroundings: scooping fish from the ocean, planting fruit and rice in fertile soil, and cavorting atop vast sand dunes. Towns grew and communities expanded as the modern world emerged from myth, but their descendants still live in the colorful region where the mid-afternoon breeze carries an unmistakable hint of sea salt.

Japanese photographer Doi Kuro took these photos during several trips to the region throughout the 1990s. While the towns are not as developed as in 2019, the photos depict people sharing meals on tiny stools, pedaling down quiet streets and rowing into calm waters just like today. 

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