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In the summer of 2021, lying in a field hospital amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, photographer Tran Cao Bao Long thought that if he survived, he would use his collection of photographs to help the children in the Stone Plateau.
Even after the pandemic subsided, that thought lingered in the photographer's mind for months afterward. In the first half of 2022, he spent hundreds of days selecting his favorite photos from 2000 images he had taken over the past 20 years to create an exhibition about highland markets.
Choosing the best works from 2,000 photos was no easy task, because each moment tells a story, evokes different emotions about people and life; it's impossible to compare which one is more beautiful, photographer Tran Cao Bao Long confided. “This kept me awake at night. One night, I suddenly remembered a photo of a girl sleeping soundly in the middle of a bustling old market, so I spent the whole night searching for that photo to add to the collection.”
Photographer Tran Cao Bao Long.
The happiness of a photographer lies in capturing beautiful moments in the flow of life. For Tran Cao Bao Long, happiness is even greater when it can be given away. He wants to bring joy to the people of the Stone Plateau through his photographs. He doesn't consider this a great achievement; the author simply hopes the photo exhibition will be an "extended arm" to help improve the lives of children and the elderly in the highlands.
Market fairs - A treasure trove of Ha Giang culture.
The photo series "Markets on the Rocks" realistically depicts the lives of highlanders at markets in Ha Giang such as Dong Van, Meo Vac, Pho Cao, Sa Phin, Lung Cu, Ma Le... Some of the markets in Ha Giang are held every 6 days, shifting back one day each week instead of every 7 days. Therefore, there is a market day in different locations in Ha Giang every day.
The market reflects the simple life of the people in the Stone Plateau region.
The market usually starts getting crowded from 6 a.m. Therefore, even in the early morning, along the winding mountain roads, people lead horses, carry chickens under their arms, and shoulder baskets of goods. To reach the market, people from many places have to travel a very long distance, sometimes even through the night.
To capture the moments of people shopping at the market at all three times – arriving, shopping, and leaving – photographer Tran Cao Bao Long said he had to start moving to the location before sunrise.
The market is a place where people in the highlands exchange and sell local products.
People of all ages come to the market – from children to the elderly, and from many ethnic groups – Giáy, Lô Lô, H'Mông, Dao… They bring local products such as livestock, handicrafts, brocade, medicine, tools… to exchange and sell. The air is filled with shouts, calls to each other, and the loud bleating of pigs, chickens, and goats.
At the market fair, women all wear their most vibrant dresses and scarves. Men meet friends and drink corn liquor until they're tipsy. Children with rosy cheeks play and chatter excitedly. In the food area, sunlight filters through the gaps in the golden tin roof, piercing the smoke rising from the pots of pho and thang co (a traditional stew). The market fair is not only a place for buying and selling but also a place for the highland people to engage in cultural activities, gather, share stories, and socialize. The market is also where many young men and women meet and find their life partners.
Therefore, the market is considered a unique "living museum" showcasing the culture, cuisine, and lifestyle of the people of Ha Giang.
"I love working in the market because it reflects the simple, unpretentious life, just like the character of the people here," he said. "I'm fascinated by real life. In the market space, everything usually happens naturally, the atmosphere is cheerful, and people are less hesitant in front of the camera. The joy of a photographer is sometimes as simple as that," the photographer added.
Pho Cao Market is located in Dong Van district, Ha Giang province.
Each photograph in photographer Tran Cao Bao Long's collection showcases the diverse activities and nuances of people at the market, clearly revealing the expressions on the subjects' faces. Telling the stories behind each photograph is impossible in a day or two. Tran Cao Bao Long says that he once encountered people who had traveled far and through the night, only to fall asleep at the market and wake up just before closing time. Some photos capture the shy smiles and glances of children waiting for their parents; a pig "smiling brightly" after being bought; or H'Mong men drunk after the market. All these very "real" glimpses appear through the lens of photographer Tran Cao Bao Long with a simple, unpretentious quality.
The most important aspect of lifestyle photography is authenticity.
Flipping through the photos, Tran Cao Bao Long feels like he's rereading a diary of over 20 years of photography, leaving his footprints across the East and West of North Vietnam. Among the places he's been, Ha Giang holds a particularly special place in the artist's memory. This land at the northernmost tip of the country overwhelms many with its rolling hills, but it's the simple life of its people that leaves the deepest impression on the photographer from Ho Chi Minh City. Ha Giang is so familiar to him that "every time I come to Ha Giang, it feels like coming home," the artist says with a hearty laugh.
The market is considered a "living museum" of the people of Ha Giang.
Photographer Tran Cao Bao Long can't remember how many times he's visited this remote border region. He only knows that each time, he stays for a long time, sometimes a week, other times one or two months. During these "returns home," photographer Tran Cao Bao Long wanders along the roads every day, driven by his passion to capture life in his photographs. For his assignments, he has to wake up very early and navigate dangerous paths. Behind the beautiful photos lies a far from glamorous reality.
“After each shot, each moment belongs to the past, never to be repeated, so it’s very precious. Many babies appear in my photos when they are tiny, and when they grow up and have their own families, they show me their children. In some cases, I’ve photographed weddings for two generations,” the photographer said with a smile, recounting the sparkling joys of those who “collect” moments in the northernmost region of Vietnam.
The market sells everything from livestock and poultry to handicrafts and fabrics.
Life enters the photographs of photographer Tran Cao Bao Long naturally. Real life is also his favorite photographic material. “Photography is a perspective on life. The most important thing when photographing life is authenticity. When your heart is sincere, what you use to photograph doesn't matter anymore,” photographer Tran Cao Bao Long shared, “Perhaps it's because I'm lazy that my photos aren't set up or edited in any way.”
According to photographer Tran Cao Bao Long, reflecting "life as it is" seems easy but is not simple. Capturing interesting moments requires a keen eye and the patience to see beauty in seemingly ordinary things. Life in the highlands, as depicted in Tran Cao Bao Long's photographs, is difficult but not harsh; instead, it is full of optimism, joy, and hope.
Here are some other images from the "Market on the Rocks" exhibition:
"The food vendor" photo taken in November 2018.
The market fair is also a place where men and women meet and find life partners.
When going to the market, women will wear their most vibrant dresses.
