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My heart belongs to Vietnam

 “It all started in 1993, in Nha Trang, Vietnam.”

Eva Mellquist and Gunnar Simonsen, establishers of the nightclub “Smuget” in Oslo, were on holiday in Vietnam. They met Mai Loc when he was working, riding a bicycle taxi. Eva has recorded what happened since.

“Through letters and many stays during the years, we became close friends. Many of our friends also visited Mai on their trips to Vietnam. They often returned with presents for us, from Mai. In 1998, we were invited to his wedding. Our present for the happy couple was a television set and a camera amongst other things. This was the first time we got invited to their home. Their house was situated on top of an old Chinese graveyard.
Mai later bought himself a motorbike so he could take the tourists further, to the remote tribes of the countryside. The tourists brought their cameras, so did Mai. He posted me a picture of an old lady, taken with the camera I bought him. I was positively stunned; the boy had an eye for photography! He buys himself a better camera, realising his own talent.
I continuously receive new photos and I am delighted. In 2003, I return to Nha Trang together with a friend of mine, only to discover loads of fabulous photos both in black and white and colour. The old graves surrounding the house are cleared, making it legal to live there. They even have a spirit stove in their kitchen. Mai and his wife have become parents to a little boy who is now four years old.
By the year he is allowed membership to the local photography club, an enormous honour for a “ciclo-boy” from the lowest parts of society. The other photographers could not help noticing his talent and enthusiasm. He has taught himself everything he knows. He is totally autodidact.
One of his photos is sent to France, to a big photo competition, and he receives second place in a big contest in Nha Trang.
In addition to his guiding trips, he works as a receptionist in a backpacker hotel, owned by some relatives of his wife; that was one of the conditions from her family when they married. “

Nationality: Vietnam
Place of birth: Khanh Hoa, Vietnam.
Occupation: Hotel Receptionist/Photographer.