While touring the Re-Unification Palace in HCMC / Saigon, we took a few minutes to relax on the roof. While I was paused in the middle of an all glass roof top room, I captured these two images. Very different men. Same place. Practically the same moment.

Just a few selects of many, many photographs of the people of Saigon.

The streets of HCMC / Saigon provide endless amazement. Above are just a few selects from many. Enjoy!

Sobriety has set in. The intoxication of travel, a warmer climate and beautiful country is now a memory. It is no longer our current experience. But the soul-shaking stories we discovered are still reverberating in my mind. Still very real. Still very much alive. While I am not currently living these stories, those we met are. And living them every day. Every minute. 

We can not simply be "tourists" in their lives. There one day, gone the next. Friendships were born, and we're excited to see these grow. To watch these stories evolve, and to be part of something much greater than ourselves.

As storytellers, our associative nature is strong. It is our ally. Empathy is paramount, or at least our best effort. To tell a story well, we must feel the pain, the joy, the struggle, the success. We must be a part of the story. We want to be involved, to help make an impact. This is an element that drives us. It is much, much more than simply telling a story from a journalistic standpoint.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be working on telling these stories. More will be coming ...

There are not enough words to properly articulate the stories we have heard while in Vietnam. In the coming weeks and months we will try our best to craft several stories. As we leave Vietnam, heading back to NYC, the above image is one of my favorites from the entire trip. It's not so much the image, but the life lived by this man. Just ask about the Professor and I'll try my best to retell his story.

This morning, Jordan and I had the honor of sitting with two young Vietnamese students whom we recently met. We now consider these two young men good friends. I am awe-struck by their passion, their conviction, their purpose, their call. To put it simply, these young men are truly inspiring. Whether young or old, anyone could learn a thing or two from our new friends.

Jordan and I spent the morning with them at a cafe near our hotel in city center. We chatted, we shared, and most importantly, we learned. Our new friends openly shared their stories with us. There is not enough time now for me to even begin to share these stories. Much more will be coming soon. I just wanted to show a few images from an impromptu, off-the-cuff portrait session we had after coffee and encouraging conversation.

Best $8 I have ever spent ... Driving a motorbike through the wild, chaotic streets of Ho Chi Minh City! Exhilarating! There is a rhythm to this city that is quite obvious, yet not easily articulated. Such an apparent heartbeat, unwritten rules of conduct, both on the road and when building relationships. The best type of tourism should educate. And our intent in Vietnam is to learn as much as we can about the people of this beautiful, vibrant country. Therefore, our "tourism" has been focused on the people more than the buildings or statues or landmarks. The people of Vietnam are simply amazing! Watch the video above, and you will see the evidentiary proof this apparent rhythm.

After working our way through a maze of an open-air market, we spotted an alley snaking through a mass of compact housing. The video above starts on the edge of the market just before we head down the alley.

We walked through an amazing open air market in an area that is basically a backpackers district. The amount of live seafood is amazing!

We spent a wonderful day in Danang. The morning started at 3:30am, heading to the airport at 4am, boarding a plane to Danang, then reaching our breakfast destination on China Beach. The breakfast was out of this world. The beach was beautiful. The few hours to relax were just amazing! We then headed to Marble Mountain – a truly astounding place. The video below shows one of the caves at Marble Mountain. Check it out:

Next we headed into the city to grab some coffee and then connect with a group of university students and young professionals. And that was a total blast. The Vietnamese people are so hospitable and engaging. And most of those we interact have excellent English skills – Makes me feel that I really need to start working on learning a second language.

Below is a great slideshow of photos taken by the wonderful Rachel Chester who not only takes great pictures, she also provides a solid stream of comedic relief!