In Vietnam the motorbike is the main mode of transport, not only for people but for every imaginable and unimaginable product and produce. Without the motorbike the economy would come to a halt. Bikes of Burden shows in 148 stunning, full color photographs how the motorbikes, the drivers and their loads ride around the cities and countryside in acts that defy your wildest imagination.
Award winning Dutch photographer Hans Kemp first arrived in Asia in 1986 at the start of what turned out to be an 18-month sojourn before finally taking the Trans Siberian train from Beijing back to the Netherlands. The nomadic bug had firmly entrenched itself however and Hans soon found himself back in Asia guiding groups across the Karakoram Highway from Northern Pakistan into China's Xinjiang province and onwards into Tibet.
Establishing a base in Hong Kong in the early 1990's allowed Hans to develop his photography skills, traversing and capturing Asia in iconic images published in a wide variety of international magazines and books. He pioneered the creation of quality postcards in Vietnam and stood at the cradle of Visionary World Publishers in Hong Kong.
His latest book to hit the shelves, 'Carrying Cambodia', which Hans co-photographed with Conor Wall, naturally evolved from his most successful book 'Bikes of Burden', depicting the motorbike culture in Vietnam.
'Bikes of Burden' reputation as a facilitator in opening up Vietnam to the outside world has been the subject of rumor and speculation. Truth of the matter is that on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 Senator Max Baucus, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, in a keynote speech on U.S. -Vietnam Trade and Economic Relations at a forum in Washington D.C. on bilateral trade between the two countries, mentioned 'Bikes of Burden' as "required reading for anyone interested in Vietnam" and "a vision of a country on the go", a reason why Vietnam should be granted PNTR status - Permanent Normal Trade Relations.
On December 9, 2006 the House and Senate granted Vietnam PNTR-status.
Though a long time has passed, Hans' enchantment and fascination with the vicissitudes of Asia has not diminished. Never short on ideas, from his current base Bangkok, he passionately continues to aim his camera at little known corners of this enervating and energizing continent for his next book.
To follow Hans on the road read his blog at www.nohansland.com
