Vietgone

It is 29 degrees, the city is swarming with motorbikes, and a young family of three whizzes past with a fully-sized dead pig balanced on the back. A common scene in Hanoi, Vietnam, but something Brett Danielsen wasn’t prepared to witness as he entered the country.
“I just thought, ‘Holy shit, where are we?’ For the first hour after we got there my then girlfriend and I just didn’t talk for about an hour because we were so fascinated by what was out there,” Brett muses. “It was just like this poetic chaos. There’s just so many cars going around and they never seem to get into accidents, even though you’d think they would.”
Having only travelled through his country of birth America, then Mexico and Australia, Brett was eager to travel somewhere he hadn’t been before.
“Looking back I don’t really know what made me want to go to Vietnam. I think it was because everyone always goes to Thailand and Bali so Vietnam just seemed like a different place to go,” he says.
What started as a holiday and a means to share his travels with friends and family – Brett hashtagged ‘Vietgone’ to all his pictures – soon became the perfect opportunity for him to make something of his love of photography.
“It started as a social thing and it started to become bigger when I came back. I had a bunch of images that I hadn’t uploaded, and I thought, ‘Well these are good, but what can I do with them?’ I’m a graphic designer by trade and photographer for a hobby so I just tried to marry the two really,” Brett says.
Months of work led Brett to the release of his travel photography book – over 100 pages filled with photos, musings, recipes and tips. Unsure of just how well the publication would go, Brett initially printed off just eight copies (two for himself and the rest for others) which sold almost instantly. A similar thing occurred when he printed a following 30 copies, and with it came the realisation that this could become a much bigger thing.
Brett now has the idea to create an alphabetical collection, with 26 books in total showcasing the wonder of the world. But realistically Brett’s joy comes mostly from stepping out of his comfort zone in new places and taking photos.
“Essentially that’s all I really want to do. I love taking photos, and people don’t often get paid very well doing that, so that’s why I’m doing design – though I love design,” he says.
“I think there are ways you can make money out of photography. You just need to find the right area.”
To see more of Brett’s work, check him out on Instagram (@brettdnlsn) or visit his website vietgone.com. To purchase Vietgone, visit Den Supply Co at Shop 1/111 Pakington St, Geelong West.
By Amanda Sherring