Moving story behind urban story-tellers

While Brandon Stanton, the founder of global photography phenomenon Humans of New York, is on his way to travel around the world and dropped by Vietnam last month, a group of young people in HCMC has initiated Humans of Saigon, a Facebook page modeled after the same idea of Stanton.
Eleven young persons aged between 19 and 25 have gathered to work on this project to express their love for the city. Most of them are students, some working in the field of media and design. These young Saigon lovers wants to be story-tellers who are willing to listen to every single episodes of the city’s life and narrate the moments captured by their cameras, says a representative of the group.
Since its very first steps in June, Humans of Saigon (HOSG) has posted nearly 100 photos accompanied by short interviews with people in HCMC, and has seen nearly 16,578 followers on Facebook after four months of operation. Having brotherhood with Humans of Hanoi, the page has been assisted in how to organize the team and operate activities by Northern fellows.
Unlike Hanoi often referred to as the city of nostalgia, HCMC is a dynamic metropole. The hustle and bustle of a big city carries with it a vast number of interesting stories which can enchant any listener.
Every Sunday, members of the team get together to decide where they will come to find new stories in the city. Each small group of two or three members will assign themselves to take pictures and record the stories, which, then, will be posted on HOSG’s Facebook page in both Vietnamese and English.
Meaningful stories come from anyone HOSG happen to come across in the street. It may be thoughts of foreign visitors, memories of citizens, stories about livelihood of street vendors or trifles collected here and there around town. These random stories bring readers a wide range of emotions and thought-provoking moments. There are a lot of sad stories, difficulties and losses. Also, many share joy, advices and experiences about life.
Comments by a retired gangster, for example, have captured strong online attention.
“I’ve been living in this area for almost 41 years. I used to be a gangster, being in and out of jail several times. I got the tattoos when I was there. Each represents a memorable experience or has special meaning to me. For gangs, loyalty always comes first. But I had to pay a high price for my loyalty with my brothers, who used it and took advantage of it. That is what has haunted me all this time. Happiness is when you find out what you’ve been missing in life,” says the gangster in his own story shared with HOSG.
“Before, I risked everything just for money; it hurts my mother a lot. But now when she had passed away, having a lot of money to spend for nonsense like motorbikes, parties, or women does not mean much to me anymore,” he comments. The story has received over 1,000 likes as well as many comments and shares on Facebook.
Or, an old street vendor tells HOSG: “My son is now working in a rubber factory in Binh Duong Province. I earn enough to feed myself by selling chewing gums, so I don’t have to rely on him.”
Besides talks with Vietnamese, HOSG also asks foreign visitors for their opinions about HCMC and Vietnam. In one of the conversations with tourists, a foreigner shares his impression about the city: “This is my second time in Vietnam. Modernization takes place so quickly. Foreigners usually associate Vietnam’s image with war and poverty. Yet it is surprised that there have been also many modern buildings here.”
Despite limitations of time and finance, young members of HOSG are dedicated to the work they are doing. Says one member, “Working on this project gives us the opportunity to look at life from a different angle. We feel happy when the stories have been shared in the Facebook community, and even happier when we can go to many places, meet people from all walks of life, and enjoy their stories.”
In the long term, the group plans to raise a fund to help poor people they used to interview in the streets.
Considering themselves as Saigon’s narrators, HOSG has been in the pursuit of the city’s stories, sketching a beautiful picture of humanity and spreading it to other city-lovers.