For Everyday Heroes
Vietnam Travel Sketches

Travelling to Vietnam is not uncommon for Indians. But looking at the country through Reinhard Kleist’s sketches is different from trawling the Instagram feed of the tourists. German graphic artist Kleist’s “bilder” (photos in English) of his travels in the country open up a window to many of us who grew up with the communist slogan in Bengali: “Amar naam, tomar naam, shobar naam Vietnam (My name, your name, our name Vietnam)!”.

Extracts from "Vietnam Travel sketches":

About the artist Reinhard Kleist:

His most successful works include ‘Cash – I See a Darkness’, ‘The Boxer’ and ‘An Olympic Dream’. He has won the Max & Moritz Prize for the best German-language comic book artist and the German Children’s Literature Award for non-fiction.

Travelpedia: Vietnam

© Reinhard Kleist
Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city and the economic center of Vietnam. Under its old name Saigon, it was the capital of the Republic of Vietnam until April 1975. Saigon is a city of contrasts: Here, French colonial flair meets modern Asian metropolis.
© Reinhard Kleist
Hanoi or Saigon? Both are best. Hanoi is more interesting for tourists. The capital of Vietnam seems "crazier", somehow more special. And older than modern Saigon. Hanoi offers numerous sights and is a good starting point for day trips to Sapa, Ninh Binh or Halong Bay.

Uttaran Das Gupta on "Travel Sketches Vietnam"

It is also richer in colour, variety of setting, characters, and, perhaps most importantly, humour."

More Comics for Everyday Heroes

For Everyday Heroes
"Once upon a time in Salvador"

Gunther Schumann says that street art (also in combination with comic art) is the method he uses to explore places. He always has a sketchbook with him because drawing helps block out other attractions, but ultimately, he needs space. He does not like to sit in front of small sheets. His street comic "Once upon a time in Salvador" starts like a fairy tale.

For Everyday Heroes
"Novosibirsk"

For its 125th city anniversary, the Goethe-Institut invited Sebastian Lörscher to spend a week reporting on everyday life and the art scene there. It’s impossible to capture a city of millions like Novosibirsk as a visitor in just one week, so Lörscher limited himself to brief incidents and encounters that together form a larger picture of life in the city.

For Everyday Heroes
"Barcelona"

In 2013, Calle Claus was a part of the ‘Comic Transfer’ programme organised by the Goethe-Institut and travelled from Hamburg to Barcelona. He felt most comfortable in the Catalonian capital when he was able to escape the hordes of tourists flooding the city.

Mehr zu Graphic Travelogues

About the artists

Learn more about our well-known artists, including Barbara Yelin, Reinhard Kleist and Sarnath Banerjee. All with proven comic expertise and sometimes with more, sometimes with less travel experience in the respective country.

About Graphic Travelogues

Graphic Travelogues presents travel experiences by comic artists from different countries, illuminates and identifies recurring topics. From sketches to graphic novels, graphic diaries and travel drawings, we collect treasures here and question concepts and motivations, techniques and experiences.

For Everyday Heroes Vietnam Travel Sketches