Buzz
Images and stories about Cam Pha have reached me through phone calls, text messages, and emails long ago. When the 'city of coal dust' truly appeared before my eyes, it stirred something deep within me.
Summer vacation: Some summer days in Cam Pha
Yet in my memories, I couldn't explain why Cam Pha felt so familiar and close to me. One day, I suddenly remembered that my ex-boyfriend was born and raised in Cam Pha, later in Hanoi. Whenever he felt sad, he would... go back to his hometown.
Surely, there must have been some lonely months and years there!
1. Cam Pha is about 200km northeast of the capital Hanoi, about an hour's motorbike ride from Halong, located on National Highway 18 leading to Mong Cai, bordering the Bai Tu Long Bay of Van Don Island district.
The city boasts a stunning coastline, but its terrain is predominantly hilly, covering over half of its area, with the remainder comprising plains, deltas, and sea. Beyond the shores lie hundreds of limestone islands.
The diverse landscapes of Cẩm Phả offer numerous advantages for tourism, although the narrative of coal mining presents a challenging scenario for the smokeless industry sector.
Typically, tourists pass through Cẩm Phả en route to the island district of Vân Đồn or the border town of Móng Cái. Few seem inclined to linger in a city veiled by coal dust, where trucks laden with coal trudge along roads, and antiquated coal mining facilities line the streets.
The sea lies far beyond...
2. Arriving in Móng Cái at 2 am from Hanoi, we found the streets deserted and inquiries at several hotels yielded no vacancies. A call to a friend brought two motorcycles racing to our rescue, eagerly whisking our group through labyrinthine alleys until we secured accommodations for the night.
By 6 am the following morning, we were seated outside the reception hall, awaiting breakfast arrangements.
In the new group of friends in Cẩm Phả, there are both familiar faces and strangers, some have known each other on Facebook while others are meeting for the first time. However, everyone's origins, occupations, or ages have become secondary; it's the appreciation and friendliness of the 'Phả youths' that touches everyone.
Dragons and snakes travel to Bến Do. The photographer has surely exploited the theme of 'Bến Do' to exhaustion, worn out cameras and film. The youths of Phả go to the market at Do countless times, yet never hesitate to take friends to 'admire' the fish pier and take photos. And perhaps pick up some lunch along the way.
Bến Do market, in my memory, is truly beautiful in the early morning. The fishing boats arrive at the shore, laden with seafood, the children of the coal region with their livelihoods at sea, captured in the beauty of labor through the lens of a passionate photographer.
I always praise your old photos like this because the market at Do always appears so vivid, abundant, and rustic. And that memory of the market is a weekly market, bustling from 3 am to 7-8 am when it disperses.
The first session is over now. The second session is for retail traders, they gather all day, goods sorted and, of course, prices a bit higher.
We squeeze through the crowded seafood market, amidst the hustle and bustle of buyers and sellers, then climb the balcony of a two-story house right by the sea.
The city faintly visible amidst a canvas of leaden clouds, houses clustered closely together, afar lies countless fishing boats and rocky islands dotting the vast expanse of water.
Walking through the homeland of coal, occasionally you only see streaks of shiny black veins along the path and are told that this hill is now under the city's development plan, no longer permitted for coal mining. A panoramic view of Cẩm Phả from above thus holds promise of preservation.
The weather isn't conducive for photography. A smoky painting beneath the gaze. It could be the color of smoke or perhaps the color of coal dust. The houses, fishing boats seem to blur, the coal conveyor belts on the sea also blur away.
Where down there is the bustling fish market pier? Have you ever stayed up late or risen early? Where is the square honoring Vietnamese miners? Are there sad years or are these moments, tranquil and light in the arms of friends?
4. 'Phả Youth' jestingly stands confidently on the 'virtual life' rocky outcrop. The wind billows, tousling hair and even the thin outer shirt.
Standing still, gazing down at the city below, dreamy and blurred, surely the children of Cẩm Phả are lulling one's heart in the rhythms of love.
