Project Letters: ink and paper

In addition to the photos that I purchased (most were purchased on a street behind the bus station near Ben Thanh Market), I also purchased loads of old letters. Many were written by soldiers in the Vietnam/American War. Some were responses to the soldier's letters. Some were written during the fight against the French colonial forces. Many were received, read, then discarded. Many were sent but never received.

Unlike the photos, the letters revealed different aspects about the correspondants' lives. Their voices came across with so much nuance and feeling, and yet they were mysterious. I did not, I could not, see their faces. I could only guess at the layers that were exposed on the thin pages of the letters. They revealed something utterly internal about each writer and yet my understanding of them was so external. And that may be the way it is supposed to remain.

There was an especially interesting thread between a wife and her husband who was stationed somewhere in central Vietnam during the early years of the war. I'll write more about it later, but suffice it to say, each letter was a missive that had to be explored with depth and persistance. And time, which was something I did not have while in VN. It was rather disappointing that I could not spend more time and money to devote to this project. It continues to be an interesting venture...