Vietnamese Countryside

Duck herders, water buffalo and mountain markets, from the central coast to the far north.

Da Nang, Hanoi and Hà Giang, Vietnam May 2017 8 photos

Five weeks in May and June 2017, from the coast around Da Nang to Hanoi and then up into the mountains of Hà Giang, close to the Chinese border. The best moments were rarely the sights: they were ducks being walked down a road, buffalo by the roadside, and the colour of a market morning.

Hundreds of white ducks march along a dirt bank beside a ditch, driven by a herder in a conical hat holding a long stick.

Aerial view over sand dunes and new streets to a long beach, with Da Nang's high-rises and green mountains in the distance.

A small herd of grey water buffalo graze among cut branches on a slope, below forested hills with low cloud.

A fruit seller in a conical hat sits on a tiled lakeside path while people rest on a bench and wall, looking towards a small tower on an island.

Close-up of a water buffalo with long curved horns and rope tied around its head and nose, beside a road sign and a tree.

Blackened tar-heating trailers with tall chimneys line a jungle road, with a shirtless worker beside them and a road roller further up.

A woman in a conical hat carries a duck in a plastic bag along a wet street, past chicken cages, with two women in colourful pleated skirts behind.