Duy Hai - Sunrise with the Fishermen
“Travelling - It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller” - Ibn Battuta. I love landscape photography but have been trying to incorporate more people into my photos to help share their stories. I had the perfect opportunity to experiment with portraits at Duy Hai fishing village in Hoi An.
Duy Hai is a traditional fishing village across the Thu Bon River from Hoi An. Untouched by tourism, fishing is the village’s livelihood. Sunrise is the best time to photograph the village as the fishermen bring in their catch from a night at sea. There is a frenzy of activity as the boats unload at the harbour and the women rush through to “fight” for the best catch of the day to sell in the market or use in their cooking. After breakfast, wander deeper into the market and village. Here, I witnessed locals smoking and drying the fish, sampled local delicacies, learned how fish sauce is made (warning: fermentation is the key and you will smell the factory before you see it!) and people-watched as villagers got on with their tasks for the day. The best part was meeting the friendly locals whose expressive faces were made for portrait photography!
You can take a 10 minute ferry from Hoi An to Duy Hai fishing village. Various group tours also include Duy Hai in half/full day trips from Hoi An - I visited with Hoi An Photo Tour.
My first Hoi An post can be found here.