Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life in Vietnam and Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City in ways that diverged from reporting in Vietnamese and foreign media. Images of empty streets with no traffic became features of Western reporting and were mimicked by Vietnamese media. Yet, in alleyways and smaller st...

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Main Author: Christophe Robert
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Pôle de Recherche pour l'Organisation et la diffusion de l'Information Géographique 2020-07-01
Series:EchoGéo
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/19692
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author Christophe Robert
author_facet Christophe Robert
author_sort Christophe Robert
collection DOAJ
description The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life in Vietnam and Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City in ways that diverged from reporting in Vietnamese and foreign media. Images of empty streets with no traffic became features of Western reporting and were mimicked by Vietnamese media. Yet, in alleyways and smaller streets, life went on. Through a sequence of images of street scenes and COVID-related signage, I discuss ethnographically the importance of the informal sector for providing the basic necessities of life in the city. This is especially true for the basic provision and sale of food. Images of street markets show the key roles of women to ensure these essential tasks were not disrupted during the pandemic. This informal sector work, like the role of women in society in particular, is rendered invisible, considered routine and habitual. The sudden disruption from COVID-19 brought into view daily patterns of life and work, and placed them temporarily in a new light.
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language fra
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publisher Pôle de Recherche pour l'Organisation et la diffusion de l'Information Géographique
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spelling doaj-art-34e4a1c473864213ab029a0114caa02d2025-01-30T12:43:41ZfraPôle de Recherche pour l'Organisation et la diffusion de l'Information GéographiqueEchoGéo1963-11972020-07-015210.4000/echogeo.19692Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in SaigonChristophe RobertThe COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life in Vietnam and Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City in ways that diverged from reporting in Vietnamese and foreign media. Images of empty streets with no traffic became features of Western reporting and were mimicked by Vietnamese media. Yet, in alleyways and smaller streets, life went on. Through a sequence of images of street scenes and COVID-related signage, I discuss ethnographically the importance of the informal sector for providing the basic necessities of life in the city. This is especially true for the basic provision and sale of food. Images of street markets show the key roles of women to ensure these essential tasks were not disrupted during the pandemic. This informal sector work, like the role of women in society in particular, is rendered invisible, considered routine and habitual. The sudden disruption from COVID-19 brought into view daily patterns of life and work, and placed them temporarily in a new light.https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/19692genderVietnamCOVID-19visual ethnographyinvisibilityinformal sector
spellingShingle Christophe Robert
Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon
EchoGéo
gender
Vietnam
COVID-19
visual ethnography
invisibility
informal sector
title Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon
title_full Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon
title_fullStr Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon
title_full_unstemmed Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon
title_short Visualizing the invisible: COVID-19 pandemic season in Saigon
title_sort visualizing the invisible covid 19 pandemic season in saigon
topic gender
Vietnam
COVID-19
visual ethnography
invisibility
informal sector
url https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/19692
work_keys_str_mv AT christopherobert visualizingtheinvisiblecovid19pandemicseasoninsaigon