Thuận Hưng, Vietnam, is known as the "rice paper village," where thin, paper-like wrapping for rolls of sweet or savory fillings are made. Jürgen Horn and Mike Powell traveled ninety minutes by bus and then walked four kilometers to see the real craftspeople who produce rice paper to get a better feel of the work than was available from the factory tour for tourists in Saigon. Thanks to their dedication, they were treated like celebrities …or aliens.
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a celebrity without the hassle of “getting famous”, then climb on a local Vietnamese bus and visit a far-flung village like Thuận Hưng. Within minutes of boarding, we had shaken the hand of every passenger, and taken selfies with half of them. And by displaying passable Vietnamese while paying the fare, we nearly sent the bus into a state of hysteria.
The rarity of their visit also meant that they were invited to eat plenty of paper from people showing off the quality of their goods. Read about their trip to Thuận Hưng and see plenty of pictures at For 91 Days.