[Photos] In Saigon's Labyrinth of Alleys, Textures and Typographies Galore

Saigon, like New York or Tokyo, is a city renowned for its crowds—the chaotic jostling of people pressing past other people that occurs whenever millions of lives inhabit the same few square meters. Throw motorbikes carrying families of five and toppling with oversized cargo into the mix and you've got a show. This city is a photographer’s dream.

But there's another side to Saigon, a quiet side found in the empty alleyways and outside the gates of family homes. It often gets overlooked, passed over in favor of the city’s more active scenes and charismatic personalities. However, there's a solemn beauty to the painted walls and faded adverts. A hidden, humming energy radiates from each item found in an outdoor market.

These images are a collection of the many textures of Saigon found throughout the city: smooth metal, chipped paint, immovable marble. They’re what lies in plain sight when no one is looking. 

As someone who works in branding, I'm always on the lookout for interesting typefaces, so you'll see it as a motif in much of my photography. In this particular instance, I was fascinated by the retro 3D effect of the numbers. I also love the shape of the wrought metal above the door; it simultaneously looks like lotus petals and a crown.

Throughout Vietnam, you'll find the enigmatic words "KH CAT B TONG," followed by a series of numbers stenciled all over the walls. They're actually cost-effective advertisements for construction companies that drill and tear down concrete. And you thought you've found the Vietnamese Banksy.

Textures on textures as the paint chips away from the wooden shutters and concrete walls.

Typography again! I love the combination of uniform block letters layered on one another in contrast to the imperfection of the handwriting below.

A visual embodiment of peace.

The metal lines crisscrossing above the door create a pattern reminiscent of a tea plantation seen from above.

It's interesting to me as a brand strategist that so many businesses advertise their services with these uniform, nearly identical letters.

Another beautiful and unique wrought iron pattern.

Each of these smaller X's make up a larger X, and it's mesmerizing to shift focus between them.

This is an interesting way to approach the challenge of depicting layers of curly hair (or fur) in stone.

You can almost feel the freshness of these banana leaves and how enjoyable it would feel to rip them strip by strip.

So many great colors and textures in this picture! The thin crinkly plastic and the cheap slick paper that cover the incense sticks, comprising thin bamboo strips coated with a sandy exterior.

Tam Le is a Vietnamese-American photographer and brand strategist based in Saigon. She runs a photography tour for those interested in capturing Saigon’s hidden gems. You can see more of her work on Instagram.

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