Affinity with the S-shaped land
At the end of 1992, when Andy Soloman (then 30 years old) set foot in Hanoi with a Nikon camera on his shoulder and pure curiosity about a country in the early stages of Doi Moi. The initial plan was just a short trip, but Andy soon realized he was fascinated by the smiles and hospitality of the people here.
He recalled the early days when he went to remote areas such as Yen Bai, Ha Giang (old), when there was still no electricity or clean water. Language differences sometimes required him to communicate through 3 layers of translation, from ethnic language to Vietnamese and then to English, but that barrier was quickly erased by smiles.
Andy always had a golden rule when taking photos: Come with the greatest friendly smile and never refuse hospitality. Being welcomed into other people's lives is a great privilege, and then sharing meals, glasses of wine and conversations with them. In some northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam at that time, Andy may have been the first foreigner to visit after many years of war, or in truly remote places, he may have been the first foreigner they had ever met in their memory.
Andy shared: "When I come to a village, children always appear first. They can pull my hand hair, play and laugh loudly, making adults laugh too. The key is to be open, friendly and accepting everything. I come as a stranger, but often leave as a friend.
The bond with Vietnam became even stronger when he met and married a Hanoi girl in 1994. Vietnam, from an exploration destination, became his second homeland, where his two sons, Kien and Jack, were born and raised. After many years of wandering with reportage photography, for Andy, returning to Vietnam is not only to take photos, but to live and feel the beat of a nation that he believes has an extremely strong "common humanity". That love grows over the years, turning each frame of his into a thank you to this land.
Timeless "black and white" stories
Throughout his career, Andy Soloman has been particularly loyal to black and white photography. According to him, black and white shades help eliminate color distractions so that viewers can completely focus on the expressions and souls of the characters. In the project "Continuum: Vietnam" (a project to find old characters that was taken in 1992), using black and white photos also plays the role of "erasing" the time gap. When bringing everything to the same shade, the boundary between the 1992 photo and the current face of the character seems to disappear, leaving only a pure connection between people.
Andy's most impressive journey was the touching meetings. Based on meticulous notes in old notebooks, he trudged back to remote villages to return photos to the old character.
That was the moment he found a Bahnar boy with Down syndrome in Kon Tum. The boy proudly held an old photo of his grandfather and father - a precious keepsake he had never seen before. Or the story in Sa Phin commune, Ha Giang, where he once photographed Mrs. Vuong Thi Ngoc, the sister of the last H'Mong king, next to an antique sewing machine in 1993. When filmed in 2024, the Vuong family mansion became a tourist attraction, and the memories he preserves have become a living part of the heritage.
Besides the joys of reunions, there were also times when Andy was stunned by pity, such as when he met Ms. Nang Giang B (Brâu ethnicity) on the Lao border. The young woman who was sick years ago is now over 80, still poor and in pain because of illness, making the photographer feel helpless but even more respectful of the lives that have passed through his lens.
After a series of sensational exhibitions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Andy's photography journey in Vietnam has never stopped. For him, Vietnam's development after 3 decades is "surprising", but there is one thing that is always constant: the friendliness and sharp humor of people.
Andy's love for Vietnam is now continued through the second generation. His son, Jack Soloman, is also a photographer living and working in Hanoi. For Andy, photography is not just about recording moments, but a journey of gratitude and connection. It is a journey that he vowed to follow for life to tell about a soulful Vietnam through colorless black and white films.
