I take my hat off to these guys, I could not do this under any circumstance. IF (and that’s a very big IF) I managed to climb out over the wall onto the rickety bamboo ladder swinging free I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything cos I would be clinging too hard

The form-work for house construction in Viet Nam is mainly shaped by hand, and often by ladies of steel like this one.

No matter where you are in and around Sai Gon it’s hard not to notice the Bitexo Financial Tower as it dominates the landscape. Construction is due to be complete later in 2010 of the 68 floors and 3 basement levels built to resemble a lotus, the symbol of Viet Nam. When complete over 10,000 […]

The old terrace houses juxtaposed against the ugly (to my eyes anyway) new apartment block make a statement about the change taking place in Sai Gon.

The small hems (alleys) in this city are a never-ending source of fascination. If I get bored with working in my home office the thing to do is head off in some new direction and get lost among the thousands of alleys that criss-cross most residential city blocks. However, the rapidity with which the hems […]

This is the rear of an office block under construction in District 3. The assembly of 4 bamboo ladders tied together enables workers to render and paint the outside of the building. It’s very typical of the type of scaffolding provided for workers here. As they complete a section the ladders are moved horizontally along […]