Chris Zhu is a Canadian self-taught photographer who has called Ho Chi Minh City home for the past 4 years. With an inclination for nature, and photography’s ability for storytelling beyond words, Zhu’s works capture the spontaneity and candid moments of day-to-day life through the medium of mobile photography.
His debut project, 63 Imprints, captures moments of everyday life in all 63 of Vietnam’s provinces.
Retracing Lost Steps
Zhu’s journey across Vietnam was inspired by the story of his maternal grandfather, who worked in Vietnam decades ago. He rarely spoke of his time here, and thus Zhu’s quest to relive his family history was one of many paths.
With no clear indication of where his grandfather had been, Zhu took to visiting every province in Vietnam.
A Personal Touch
From volunteering to motorbike holidays and business trips, Zhu’s 8-year long journey across each of Vietnam’s 63 provinces was conducted at a deeply personal pace and level.
The pictures he has chosen to expose are those that left the greatest impression on him. His work is centered around individuals he met during his travels, from Hmong children in the mountainous, misty North to centenarians in the Mekong Delta.
This is apparent in the candidness of his photography. Rather than capture the grandness and majesty of monuments or landmarks, Zhu chooses instead to showcase the beautifully mundane, and inherently personal realities of everyday life in Vietnam.
This decision highlights Zhu’s curiosity for Vietnamese culture and history, and how they affect the material realities of the Vietnamese people.
A Subject In Mutation
Zhu’s arrival to Vietnam coincides with a period of tremendous economical development. While the big cities like HCMC and Hanoi have been cosmopolitan for years, secondary cities and rural settings have undergone transformative development in the past 10 years.
Zhu’s photography aims to preserve stills of the present, lest the unique memories they capture be forgotten in a country defined by rapid, radical change. The massive range of subjects serves as a testament to the incredible diversity of Vietnam, both between provinces and nationally.
Opening on Saturday March 29th, 63 Imprints is Chris Zhu’s first solo photography exhibition. Curated by Kirk Patrick Hilario Testa and Tran Truong Bao Khiem, it features a collection of pictures taken in each of the 63 provinces of Vietnam, from 2017 to 2025. The exhibition runs until April 13th, at 11:11 Espace Thao Dien.
