FARMERS, My Lai: Rice farmers take a shade from an improvised umbrella during a break from back-breaking field chores in My Lai.

PARADE, Hanoi: Two elephants carry the "Trung" sisters during the national independence day parade in Hanoi. The Trung sisters raised an army and revolted against Chinese conquerors in 39AD. Several streets around the country were named "Hai Ba Trung" to honour the heroines.

CHILDREN, Quang Ngai: An old woman watches young girls in traditional costumes on their way to a town celebration in Quang Ngai.

STREET LIFE, Quang Ngai: A female vendor transports goods on her shoulder, a mother pushes her hooded daughter on a bicycle, while a "xe-om" or motorcycle-taxi driver waits for passengers.

FATHER AND SON, Central Vietnam: A moody day for a father and son at a park in central Vietnam.

VILLAGERS, My Lai: A farmer carries sprinklers to water his crops while an ambulant vendor looks for customers in My Lai.

RICE FARMERS, My Lai: Farmers take a break from field chores in My Lai. Vietnam is the third largest rice producer in the world, after the United States and Thailand.

LENIN PARK, Hanoi: Three school girls make their assignments near Soviet-made rockets displayed at Lenin park in Hanoi. Majority of Vietnam's population are below 25 years-old, too young to even remember or know anything about the wars that ravaged the country.

MEMOIRS, My Lai: Three soldiers pay tribute to My Lai massacre victims. My Lai was the site of the brutal massacre of hundreds of innocent civilians, mostly women and children, by rampaging U.S. Army soldiers during the Vietnam War.

CYCLO, Hanoi: Cyclo or cycle-richshaw is one of the most popular public transports in the country. Cyclos serve as schoolbus for children, delivery truck for merchants, and even as ambulance for medics. With the rapid encroachment of automobiles, cyclos are facing extinction.

MINE SWEEPER, My Lai: A landmine sweeper speeds with his metal detector on his bicycle after a clearing operation in My Lai. My Lai hamlet is still one of the most heavily mined area in the country.

WRESTLING, Co Loa: Villagers compete in a friendly wrestling match in Co Loa. Traditional wrestling matches are still popular in rural areas where the likes of Hulk Hogan are still unheard of. Raw talents are aplenty here. Raw is War! WWF watch out!

BUDDY MASSAGE, Hanoi: Elderly Vietnamese massage each other on an early morning at a Hanoi park. Talking about communal efforts!

"DREAM" HONDAS, Quang Ngai: Vietnamese children cling on to their elders on board a motorcycle in Quang Ngai province in central Vietnam. Motorcycles are rapidly surpassing bicycles popularity as the mode of transportion, as standard of living improves.

STREETBARBER, Hanoi: Mr Thanh, a street coiffeur, attends to a customer along a Hanoi sidestreet. Thanh charges 5,000 dong (less than 40 cents) for each trim with a free neck massage. He does ear-cleaning on the side.

WEDDING, Haiphong: A newly-wed couple cruises on their two-wheel limo near Haiphong. Weddings are set on auspicious dates based on the partners astrological signs. October to February is the wedding season.

MARKET ECONOMY, Hanoi: Entrepreneurs conduct business at an open market in Hanoi. Vietnam's centralised government is slowly adopting the open market economy... but the people have already taken it... quite literally.

WOMEN, Hanoi: Female labourers share a meal at a Hanoi sidewalk. Women can be seen at factory sites, farm lands, construction sites, the military and even at the parliament.

BOOTBLACK, Hanoi: A barefooted shoemaker waits for patrons amidst a wall of secondhand footwears in Hanoi.

BUFFALO FIGHTING, Do Son: Two water buffaloes lock horns during the annual buffalo fighting in Do Son. Buffaloes are conditioned for a year for the event culminating the town festivities.

MOON FESTIVAL, Hanoi: Young girls parade with their colourful lanterns to celebrate "trung thu" or moon festival. Trung Thu is the biggest festival for children in Vietnam.

PLAY STATION, Hanoi: Young boys concentrate on their moves as they play video games at a makeshift playstation in Hanoi. Games which are mostly pirated from China are still more popular than the more expensive Japanese computer games like Sega and Nintendo.

STILL LIFE, Hanoi: Greasy pots and cauldrons sit still after hefty servings of hot "pho" or chicken/beef noodle soups in Hanoi. "Pho", made of flat rice noodles cooked with chicken or beef broth, is a very popular mouth-watering dish in the country.

MADHATTER, Hanoi: A hat vendor awaits customers for his wide array of headwears. Baseball caps and fashionable hats are fast replacing the popular conical hats and military helmets.