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As a Vietnamese adoptee, I always searched for a sense of legitimacy, a sense of purpose, and somewhere to place myself comfortably in the spectrum of identity. I always belonged to myriad worlds - my estranged birthplace, the Middle Eastern countries in which I spent my youth, the activist communities I’ve clung to, etc. Eventually, I came to refer to myself as “misplaced baggage” - something lost in transit.

At the age of thirty I decided to take a backpacking trip through Vietnam. I chose to go alone, as I felt that it was important to focus on my experiences without distraction. Traveling alone also provided me with the solitude I needed to focus on my primary goal all along - to capture Vietnam on film. My photos capture my daily life there - and to me, they are fresh in the sense that they come from the perspective of someone visiting her birthplace for the first time. There is a wonder there and an excitement. Each face and place is extraordinary. I did find pieces of myself there, but more so I found peace with myself and my life in transit.

There are 10 photographs in this series.

Anh Dao is a Contributor

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