» 27 Ta Hien Street

Over the course of his life as a photographer, William Crawford became entranced with the streets of the old quarter in Hanoi which revealed all manner of crafts and the traditional lifestyles of the Vietnamese. Revisiting the same sites repeatedly gave the artist entrée into intimate moments in time as the country shifted from a post war mentality struggling to advance to a thriving metropolis emerging as a model for economic growth in Southeast Asia. As he worked over the years the photographer formed friendships with the local people as they went about their daily lives. His photos became a diary of one man’s efforts to reconcile with the past and heal the wounds of war with a simple humanity of acknowledging the dignity of the human spirit. 
 
All of William’s photos were shot on film which also highlights the transition of a time-honored medium that makes way for the digital age, just as the landscape of the city itself must make way and yield to the current times. 
 
(Edited from excerpts provided by Art Vietnam)