How bittersweet it is. I am in a state of both grief and gratitude. Every year in October, I have given my Vietnam-Cambodia Photo Workshop. Now we are on hold, as we wait for the world to get back on its feet and allow us to travel safely again. The first workshop was in 2015, on the heels of my first grand exhibition and new book, 25 Years Documenting a Changing Country. What a year that was. It was the year I really celebrated Vietnam, a country so deep in my heart.
Back then, we weren't yet going to Cambodia. I added that on in 2017, after a National Geographic assignment in Siem Reap. I found a country enjoying a renaissance, with exciting new art, creative food and remarkable design, a country that was drawing on its terrible past to create a vibrant future. And Siem Reap, I quickly discovered, was about much more than just iconic temples. Whenever I get excited about a place, I want to share it, and so a new workshop location was born.
What I love about this workshop is the surprising juxtaposition of places and people. One minute we are photographing a colorful fashion show in Hanoi. The next, we are solemnly paying respects at the altar of the country's hero, General Giap - he was a friend, and his family are family to me. In Hué we spend a day at a quiet pagoda, documenting the daily life of monks and nuns. In Cambodia we spend intimate time in the homes of landmine survivors. The next day we are together with artisans who weave a rare golden silk.
Along the way, we learn from many wise and beautiful people - my mentors. Each day is a profound, rich and unusual experience. Vietnam and Cambodia are my spiritual homes. This workshop is a way to introduce my guests to my friends; this is the best sort of people-to-people diplomacy.
Photographs below by Catherine Karnow; Tricia Cronin; Kathleen Kenny; Katherine Ozanich; Carol Thomas; JoAnn Swenson and Giap Truong Nguyen.
