Muhammad Farhan Osman | Before Tết

Before Tết
By Muhammad Farhan Osman

Known for his monochrome documentary work, Singapore-based photographer Muhammad Farhan Osman presents a rare colour series, photographed on film in Ho Chi Minh City, documenting the restless energy of the city in the days leading up to Tết.

In the final days before Tết, the city’s rhythm intensifies. Streets grow denser with motorbikes, markets expand onto crowded sidewalks, and vendors line the roads with cages of chickens, fresh produce, and everyday goods. Workers move quickly through narrow streets, balancing the demands of daily labour while the city prepares for its most significant celebration.

Rather than focusing on the festivities themselves, this series observes the atmosphere that precedes them. The photographs document fleeting gestures of daily life — moments of work, negotiation, movement, and quiet observation that unfold within the density of the streets.

Departing from his usual black-and-white practice, Farhan photographs this project on colour film, embracing the layered tones and visual complexity of Saigon. The shift to colour reflects the vibrancy of the environment itself, where textures, objects, and human presence collide within the frame.

Together, these photographs reveal the living rhythm of Ho Chi Minh City — a city moving with urgency, anticipation, and quiet intensity in the final moments before the arrival of Tết.

Muhammad Farhan Osman

Farhan’s work often brings attention to humanitarian and social narratives. He has actively documented social issues, refugee camps, and post-disaster environments, using photography to preserve stories that might otherwise go unseen.

Muhammad Farhan bin Osman is a Singapore-based, independent, award-winning documentary photographer known for his strong commitment to visual storytelling. Working primarily within the tradition of raw photojournalism, his photographs capture authentic, unfiltered moments that reveal the realities of people, places, and events.

Farhan’s work often brings attention to humanitarian and social narratives. He has actively documented social issues, refugee camps, and post-disaster environments, using photography to preserve stories that might otherwise go unseen. His approach emphasizes honesty and emotional depth, allowing viewers to witness the human condition through intimate and powerful imagery.

Black-and-white photography remains his signature style, in which he explores light, contrast, and form to create timeless documentary images. While monochrome is his forte, he occasionally works in colour when the story calls for it, expanding the visual language of his documentary practice.

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