Everywhere: People: Joel Carillet

Man and Dog uploaded on 1 July 2008

Early morning exercise on a bench at Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake. The lake thrives with activity as thousands come out at dawn to exercise before heading to work.

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Finding Room uploaded on 25 June 2008

When I arrived in the Vietnamese town of Sapa in July 2007, all the hotels in the town center were full. Winding my way down a road to the outskirts, where restaurants and asphalt began to give way to a dirt road and open spaces, I came upon a small hotel that offered me a room on the rooftop for $5/night. This was the view from the lobby.

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Two Cultures uploaded on 25 June 2008

A woman belonging to the Red Dao (one of Vietnam's 54 minority ethnic groups) stands in the Sapa market as two young ladies (both ethnic Vietnamese and likely visiting from out of town on a weekend holiday) stand in the background, holding hands.

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Hmong Smile uploaded on 25 June 2008

A Hmong woman in Sapa, Vietnam. The Hmong are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority groups.

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Beauty and the Beast uploaded on 24 June 2008

A young girl and a water buffalo stand in quiet harmony in a village near Bac Ha, Vietnam

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The Girl in Blue uploaded on 17 June 2008

I came across this young girl in a rice field several miles outside the Vietnamese town of Chau Doc. I had rented a motorbike for the day to explore the backroads in this portion of the Mekong Delta, stopping frequently to take photographs. In this border region (Cambodia is only three miles from where this shot was taken), some Vietnamese are ethnic Khmer and thus look more Cambodian than Vietnamese. This girl's darker skin is one indication of her Khmer heritage. And her smile--well, that's an indication of her joy, so easily found in these parts.

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West Side Saloon (Hat Yai, Thailand) uploaded on 13 June 2008

Hat Yai is known as southern Thailand's transportation hub and sex capital. But too few know it has the West Side Saloon, where bar tenders and waitstaff are dressed in cowboy gear, serving jovial customers as a band plays the likes of John Denver, the Carpenters, and the Cranberries. In my journeys through Southeast Asia in recent years, I've stopped here four times, thankful for the taste of home. For a guy from Appalachia, after months on the road there's nothing like hearing a Thai band sing, "Take me home country roads, to the place I belong."

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Drinking Frenzy uploaded on 12 June 2008

The U.S. Coast Guard would be appalled, but drinking while adrift is a daily scene off the coast of Nha Trang (Vietnam). The "floating bar" is part of a popular all-day boat trip to outlying islands. Shortly after lunch, a crew member swims maybe 100 feet away from the boat with several bottles of (very cheap) wine. He is followed by a small horde of travelers, all of whom are hungry for this novel mix of alcohol and the sea. While the floating bar says little about Vietnamese culture, it says a lot about Vietnamese entrepreneurial skills.