The first thoughts you might have when passing the main gate to SAPA might be “Where am I? Is it Vietnam? And in fact people are not that far from the truth. SAPA is a huge marketplace where you can buy all different kind of things but also get a haircut while waiting for your kid who is attending the local private language school. Or taste the true vietnamese cuisine in local restaurants. Some people even call it “Little Hanoi”.
Last summer 2015 I tried to get a bit of insight into peoples life through interviews/talks with the local people.
The man with the cap
Me: Any advice for young men?
He: Always go and try things out you can only gain not lose.
Needles for the life
Mother of 3 children. The oldest one is still in Vietnam.
I came to Czech republic in 2009. Hoping for getting another job than sewing. However as soon as I arrived I got to join the factory where I was sewing pillows. Every day fixing the same seam, it was really exhaustive. My husband was working in a car factory somewhere else so we didnt really see each other. We had hard times back then.
I asked her if she has any hobies. Obviously she doesnt have time nowadays. So I tried at least the times before coming to Czech republic.
I was running my own sewing shop in Vietnam. So everything I did was working. My dream was to become a teacher however our family didnt have enough money so I end up doing what stayed with me till nowadays because it generated money right away. Before sewing I worked on rice fields where the paycheck was even lower.
The goalkeeper
Me: So you like football huh?
He: Yeees! We had just rulled the game againts the team from other town last weekend. Do you also play?
Me: Ehmmmm...