If you’ve resided in Saigon for any period of time, you’d know that the city is full of character. Beneath the apparent urban rush and reserved demeanor, Saigoneers also have a whimsical side that takes getting to know them better to witness.
This is especially true in the case of garbage collector Nguyen Minh Tuan, who adorns his vehicle with garlands and baubles every Christmas to bask in the festive spirit; or artist Chu Ly Choi Xep Hinh, who toys with gravity to create exceptional transient sculptures from empty bottles.
Vimeo user So Artsy, however, hits a quirkiness jackpot with his video Glances in Ho Chi Minh City. The So Artsy account belongs to California-based photographer Tim Artman, who put together the short clip after a trip to Saigon. Artman stood along a busy street in town for 20 minutes and filmed everyone who drove past him; hilarity ensued.
The resulting video was condensed into one minute of zany, almost cartoon-esque facial expressions. Grimace, yawn, scowl, gasp, guffaw — everything was caught on tape in slow motion. While the original video uses a lo-fi beat as background music, Vietnamese Facebook page Cổ Động posted a version of Artman’s work but featuring the cheery Saigon anthem sung by Carol Kim, which improved the video vastly in our opinion.
Have a look at Cổ Động’s rendition of Tim Artman’s video below:
[Video via Vimeo user So Artsy and Facebook page Cổ Động]
