Welcome Vietnam

"That's what the world is, after all: an endless battle of contrasting memories." - Haruki Murakami, 1Q84 "Good Morning Vietnam", well known from the popular radio host Adrian Cronauer, who entertained the US-Army in Saigon 1965 and the so called movie starring Robin Williams. But this common greeting is outdated. Vietnam woke up from the struggles of war and socialism and expanded to an economic growing country. The western influence is noticeable at every corner. Starbucks, high fashion brands like Chanel, Gucci or Prada, newest motorcycles and modern architecture - the people want to feel the recent prosperity they waited for so long. You never look back on the fast lane. Especially the 60 percent who were born after Vietnam war know about the events only from their schoolbooks. The youth is no longer interested in the past anticolonial defensives against France and the USA. They are confident and independent, looking forward to a greater future. Also working to get associated by the rest of the world with more than the horrors of war which is already 40 years ago. Welcome Vietnam! In this photographic work I am showing Vietnam in year 2016. The pictures have a subjective diary character and record what I saw and who I met during my three weeks of traveling from north to south. This submission shows a part of my latest work I shot for my exam.