Hanoi? Hà Ná»™i. hà ná»™i!
The project began as a comparative literature class assignment, my thoughts were in English. Yet amidst the mix of memories of a life spent in a different world and of a previous self, I couldn’t help but occasionally drifting back to my native Vietnamese. I started out writing with no audience in mind, only writing for myself. The English version was more of a rewrite than a translation.
"If you are a traveler to Hanoi for the first time, its chaotic soundscape will overwhelm you. Millions of motorized vehicles hum together in a cacophony of overused honks and rubber wheels rolling on asphalt.
If you are a foreigner in Hanoi, you probably have not noticed…"
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"I habitually hold my breath right before and during a film shoot. For stabilization, perhaps. Not wanting an inhale to disrupt my hand, maybe. But surely, in the split second life was on pause, my existence became one with the camera."