The constant hum of motorcycle engines mimics the sound of flowing water. The acidity of the surrounding air stings the nose and scratches the throat.

Neon lights and bare bulbs offer a raw view of the world they illuminate.

The streets of Hanoi are teeming with life. Bumpers graze, trajectories cross. Sometimes time seems to stop when two vehicles find themselves blocked face to face. The scene evokes ants touching their antennae as they cross paths.

Every month, the horizon is a little more mutilated. From its smooth, straight line rise large rectangles of concrete and glass. More and more newcomers need to be housed. The nearby countryside is encircled by the tentacles of a city without limits.

At the center of this cacophony, the atomic individual. At times an actor, at times a spectator, navigating according to their consciousness. Their relationship to history, their inspirations, the pressure of their peers—these are the winds that can alter their course. Humanity shapes its world. From its needs and desires emanates the modification of its environment.

Newly unified and independent, Vietnam is now free to follow its own path. A novelty for the grandparents, a given for the grandchildren. At the crossroads of Western influences and the rest of Asia, the paths are many. In this context of frantic development, time seems to unravel. The past collides with the future.

The "Vina 2000" series was created between 2016 and 2019 in Vietnam. This work contributed to illustrating the 180th edition of Manière de Voir (Le Monde Diplomatique), a special feature on Vietnam.