‘I want to live on land’: children’s hopes and dreams in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

Long Xuyên – a merchandising and fishing centre in the Mekong Delta region of southwest Vietnam – has become a relatively affluent city. But down the stream, daily life is still a struggle. Families live in modest sampans (flat-bottomed boats with a small shelter) on polluted waters and, in lieu of school, children scavenge for dead fish and sell lottery tickets to help their families scrape by. Down the Stream is by turns a touching glimpse into the modest aspirations of the area’s children, and a heartbreaking portrait of cyclical poverty.