Meet Minh Duc, the guy who keeps Saigon memories through the lens

Passionate about lenses and a love for exploring the nooks and crannies of Saigon, young photographer Nguyen Minh Duc (duc.rdb) has carried out many impressive photo projects. Most recently, the “time stamp” of street corners and buildings that have existed since the 1960s and even older.

“It's not just a photograph it's all about capturing a moment” – the saying that Minh Duc is most fond of when pursuing this field. Perhaps that's why his works are always authentic, close and leave a very special feeling.

Hello Minh Duc! When did you start taking your camera and wandering around Saigon?

I have loved and wanted to explore the city for a long time, but I used to live elsewhere so I didn’t have the chance. Since February this year, when I decided to move to Saigon, I have had more time to travel and take my camera to capture beautiful scenes.

So how does Minh Duc feel about this city?

For me, Saigon is a very bustling city. Before coming here, I spent nearly 10 years in Hoi An - a place with a rather slow pace of life, so at first I was a bit overwhelmed. But in return, the city gave me interesting things that I had never experienced before. I also received a lot of affection from my friends and uncles here.

“ All of this makes my journey to Saigon so far so worthwhile! ”

Regarding the project “Time Marks”, where did the idea for the photo series come from?

Before, when reading old documents about the city, I collected pictures taken hundreds of years ago. They gave me a lot of inspiration and urged me to find those angles in the present. And so, I walked all over the streets of Saigon, trying to recreate the scene of a time long ago.

How did Minh Duc carry out the project? And why did you choose these locations?

It took me a few weeks to complete the photo series. First, my close friend in Saigon and I selected old photos, researched information about the place and whether it had changed much. After having specific locations, I went there and adjusted the angle to match the old photos. Finally, I came up with ideas for the photo collage, the name of the series as well as the main color.

In the old photos I found, I tried to choose the most typical ones that best represent the image of the city.

What is the most difficult thing Minh Duc has encountered?

It took me a long time to find information about old photos, which street they were taken on, and whether the area had changed much. Because of the photos I chose, some of them had quite vague information and were not complete. But in return, when I found the right angles, I was very happy and amazed that after nearly a hundred years, they were still almost intact.

Investment and meticulousness… What does Minh Duc want to convey in this “brainchild”?

By doing this project, I want to preserve the timeless beauty of the city. Especially to convey to many young people, who may not be born here like me, to have more perspectives and love for Saigon. The city is growing stronger and stronger, but the old values ​​are still cherished and preserved.

Not only “time stamp”, Minh Duc has a series of projects or photo collections about the streets and corners of Saigon. What inspired you?

What motivates me the most to do them is that I love Saigon very much. Everything from culture, architecture, cuisine… to people, are unique and attractive. And I want to use my lens to capture them, in a very unique way and then share them with everyone.

In most of his works, Minh Duc combines typography. Is this how you create your own mark?

Typography (the art of arranging, designing and creating text stickers) is also what I am building and want to create a personal mark. In addition to the individual perspectives on images, people can remember me with the content and typography I put in each image. In this regard, I am also very happy to have a teammate support me in the process of coming up with ideas and implementing the product.

Minh Duc, did you ever think you would be "boxed" into a style?

This is something that almost all artists, not just those in the field of photography, have to think about. “Framing” sometimes creates a unique mark for ourselves, but sometimes it also makes us lose our creativity. I always remind myself of that, the rule is that ideas can overlap, but the implementation will be more creative and different. Exploiting many contents, but I will try to build a direction so that anyone who looks at it can recognize it as Minh Duc’s product.

Recently, the project “Chinatown, strange yet familiar” combining Bangkok and Saigon life has attracted a lot of love. Why did Minh Duc have this special combination?

At the beginning of the year, my team had a long trip to Bangkok, visiting and experiencing this city. Chinatown in particular was a place we visited a lot, and every time we walked around here, it reminded me of Cho Lon, because there were many similarities, both in architecture and culture. Then after returning to Saigon, I “scoured” for those familiar street corners. Combining the two places, surprisingly, they matched extremely well.

Finally, can Minh Duc reveal a little to readers about his future projects?

I will continue to take photos of Saigon, of the small, simple things of the city. Besides, I am thinking of creating a small podcast program to share more about my experiences and feelings here.

Thanks Minh Duc! See you again in the upcoming exciting projects.