Over the past four months I have been spending a lot of time at a local gym here in Saigon.  Actually it’s one of the nicest gyms in Vietnam with two locations in Saigon and one new one opening in Hanoi.  It’s essentially the 24-Hour Fitness of Vietnam. A friend of mine from Seattle owns them and I’m a big supporter of what he does.

My mind always wanders during the exercise session.  I study the people around me.  Try to imagine their stories.  The classic Vietnamese body shape is one that is short in height and extremely slender with most likely a 5% body fat or lower.  Obviously this isn’t too much different from that of other developing countries.  Manual labor + limited income for food supply = a body type that Western people strive to obtain.

But Vietnam is changing.  The Machine is taking the place of manual labor and food supplies are perhaps becoming more unhealthy with the introduction of Western fast food restaurants.  I have noticed more and more obese children in recent days running around the city.  In the States, the word “obese” is usually associated with people who have extreme weight issues.  Of course the US has big problems with nutrition and health.  But, in fact, a skinny person can also be considered obese based on their measurements.

I watch as three types of people come into the gym.  The first being the person who either does not know how to exercise properly or does not want to.  Perhaps just being in the environment, going through the motions is enough to make them feel better.  I watch as they watch more fit people exercise.  I assume they think like every other person in the world and longs for what they do not have.  The second is the person who has a level of commitment in which their life schedule allows.  Health is important but some times work gets in the way and they catch up another day.  These people seemed focused on what they are doing, yet always gazing up at the clock to keep to schedule.  The last type of person is what people in the States would call a “Meat Head”.  Someone who spends all of their free time at the gym.  They have incredible bodies and anyone who has spent a day at the gym probably has an idea of how much they have to work towards it.

What first led me to talk to one of these guys was my fascination for the mere size of his body.  A complete contradiction to the Vietnamese stereotype I mentioned earlier.  Tai is 48-years-old.  Though I’d swear he doesn’t look a day over 36.  His arms are about the size of my thighs and his chest is about as thick as his body is wide.  HIs English is good.  He tells me that he comes to the gym every day.  I usually see him in the evenings lifting dumbbells that far exceed my limitations.  A few jokes later exposes a crooked-tooth smile.  I like him.

Some time later I am reading the local newspaper.  A brief in the sports section talks about the famous Vietnamese body builder Ly Duc placing third in a recent competition in Iran.  I stare at the story for a moment in amazement.  My ignorant mind couldn’t comprehend that this sport existed in Vietnam.  I tell my assistant that we must find this sport.  He knew of the existence but says it is not popular and does not know where to find it.  He continues to search in the coming days and I continue my gym routine.  

During one of my workouts, I got up to Tai and as him about body building.  It’s funny that it didn’t occur to me before.  His eyes light up with excitement and he tells me that he is a body building competitor.  I’m sure the roundness of my eyes match that of his and we go on to talk about the sport.  Vietnam has two types of body building competitions.  Men’s Body Building and Men’s Classic Body Building.  Tai is a competitor of the first category.  Big muscles, like what you would see on a movie action hero.  The second is about overall balance and look.

Tai and I traveled to the province of Dong Nai two weeks later to meet his coach and photograph a Classic Body Building competition.  I instantly fell in love.  The grit, the light, the everything.  The event took place in a small stadium at a sports complex.  A couple dozen people sat in folding chairs in front of the stage waiting for the competition to begin.  Behind, about the same amount of body builders readied themselves.  Push-ups, dumbbell curls, shoulder lifts.  They each took turns exhausting their muscles in hopes their definition would be most visible. 

Friends rub fake tanner on their bodies until a deep golden brown is achieved.  The fluorescent light casts a sheen that defines their muscles even more.  One person does not put the tanner on his face and it looks as if he is wearing some sort of muscle suit.  I laugh a little bit to myself as his seemingly white face stands out amongst the crowd.

Further down to the right, I am surprised to see female competitors.  This is a new sport for them.  They are quite fit, but no comparison to the men or to women’s body building abroad.  Still, I am fascinated by them and rituals that take place before competing.  

The men are called up on stage in groups of five.  The rest of the competitors wait in the wings watching.  The men perform seven different poses to showcase their muscles.  The stadium lighting casts long shadows on the stage.  Men in white shirts and black ties write down comments as they judge the body builders.  Finally three medals are awarded in each category.  Flowers are given to the first-place winner.

Tai sat in the audience with several other men that matched his size and proportions.  They will compete later next month in Da Nang.  I hope to be able to travel up there to photograph that category as well.  I like the idea of challenging the stereotype of the Vietnamese man.  Everyone is different.  Those differences are what will help change a country for the better.

 ***

Kevin German is a photographer who lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.  His column, “The Motorbike Diaries” appears every other Wednesday. He is a founding member of LUCEO.

  mind always wanders during the exercise session.  I study the people around me.  Try to imagine their stories.  The classic Vietnamese body shape is one that is short in height and extremely slender with most likely a 5% body fat or lower.  Obviously this isn't too much different from that of other developing countries. ...