Passage to Vietnam: Through the Eyes of Seventy Photographers - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1885559003 ISBN 13: 9781885559005

Publisher: Against All Odds Productions, 1994

Synopsis

Passage to Vietnam, the result of a remarkable collaboration between East and West, is a fascinating look at an ancient nation caught in the midst of dramatic change. Spectacular photographs and a detailed text present the most intimate and comprehensive look at Vietnam ever assembled. To create this unusual portrait, 70 photographers from fourteen countries were given unprecedented access to a country that is just now emerging from decades of war and isolation.
Magnum photographer Bruno Barbey rode along with thousands of pilgrims down the Swallow River to the Perfume Pagoda. Pulitzer Prize-winner Jay Dickman traveled to the northern highlands, where he photographed the ancient Hmong tribe. And former Life photographer Dick Swanson went back to Vietnam for the first time since the war, photographing its lingering effects on the people of Quang Tri Province.
The photographs are complemented by captions written by Fortune magazine editor Colin Leinster. In addition, noted travel writer Pico Iyer shares his impressions of a country just awakening from twenty years of isolation. Pulitzer Prize-winner Stanley Karnow explores the long struggle the Vietnamese have waged to preserve their homeland. And Vietnam Investment Review correspondent Peter Saidel gives an insider's look at Vietnam as socialism and commerce meet face to face.

About this title

Review:

A fascinating look at an ancient nation in the midst of dramatic change. Spectacular photographs and a detailed text present an intimate and comprehensive look at Vietnam. To create this unusual portrait, 70 photographers from fourteen countries were given unprecedented access to a country that is just now emerging from decades of war and isolationism.

Magnum photographer Bruno Barbey rides along with thousands of pilgrims down the Swallow River to the Perfume Pagoda. Pulitzer Prize-winner Jay Dickman travels to the northern highlands, where he photographs the ancient Hmong tribe. And former Life photographer Kick Swanson goes back to Vietnam for the first time since the war, photographing its lingering effects on the people of the Quang Tri Province.

The photographs are complemented by captions written by Fortune magazine editor Colin Leinster. In addition, noted travel writer Pico Iyer shares his impressions of a country just awakening from twenty years of isolation. Pulitzer Prize-winner Stanley Karnow explores the long struggle the Vietnamese have waged to preserve their homeland. And Vietnam Investment Review correspondent Peter Saidel gives an insider's look at Vietnam as socialism and commerce meet face to face.

From Booklist:

Smolan's Day in the Life photography series has been extremely popular, so much so that his latest volume, an eye-opening book on Vietnam, will be featured in Newsweek and has an 85,000 print run. Smolan and company set 70 enterprising photojournalists loose in Vietnam for one week. They took 200,000 photographs; the editors selected 200. For everyone who remembers, or visualizes, Vietnam as a country savaged by all the horrors of modern war, this selection of images will be a revelation. For one thing, Vietnam is a country of ravishing natural beauty: a land of mist and mountains, rice paddies, rivers, and rain forests, with a 1,400-mile coastline. Isolated from the West, especially the U.S., after the war, Vietnam has not only regained its intrinsic, pristine majesty, but has preserved traditional ways of life, even in the increasingly progressive cities. Many photographs capture people at work in fields, markets, and shops; engaged in prayer and other spiritual rituals; and at rest and play. The Vietnamese are extremely attractive, agile, and hardworking, at one with their homeland and proud of their 4,000-year history. Travel writer Pico Iyer describes the romantic yet industrious atmosphere of Vietnam in his fine introduction, while other essays provide historical background and consider Vietnam's future now that relations with the U.S. have been normalized. Donna Seaman

About this edition

• Publisher: Against All Odds Productions
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1885559003
• ISBN 13: 9781885559005
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Smolan Rick, Erwitt Jennifer