Hanoi

The BUSTLING Streets

The first thing I noticed when leaving the airport, other than heat and humidity, was the sheer volume of traffic and the sheer number of motorbikes. The motorbike is obviously the transport of choice in Hanoi as the streets are narrow and busy, a car would be too slow and cumbersome There are some about and we even saw a Rolls Royce Phantom and a Bentley but this was rare. Speaking to some people about the history of the city, 10 years ago, the motorbikes would have mostly been bicycles and the change happened very fast with an influx of cheap bikes from Honda a few years ago. However, there were still a fair number of bicycles about. The streets seem, on the face of it to be a city-scale, motorised version of british bulldogs, with the general attitude of 'pick a spot and go flat out' but once you get used to it and start crossing the road as advised, it's surprising how few accidents there are. The advice for crossing the road is honestly:

1. Just step out into the traffic. 

2. Don't stop or slow down but keep a constant speed.

3. Never go back.

This works amazingly. the motorbikes simply weave around you. They see you crossing and predict your path and simply avoid you. There may be 30-40 bikes zooming past but it's actually surprising how safe it feels after a while and it even becomes quite fun. There are very few traffic lights in Hanoi Old Town and as such, the cross roads are amazing to watch. Somehow, the system simply works. You’ll find many people with moped repair kits or small workshops on the side of the road with parts lying on the pavement while they have taken a motorbike apart to repair them. On the working bikes, some huge loads in bags or boxes dwarf both the bike and the rider. We did see one moped with 3 pigs on the back, with the driver, his wife and a child too. Also, while not a huge load, the bonkers image below of a couple walking their dog!

Street Food

One amazing part of life in Vietnam is the street food. While it can be sensible to avoid some if you have a fragile constitution, there are tours that will guide you around some vendors who have passed their hygiene tests. There are hundreds of street food vendors in Hanoi and the offerings are infinitely varied, both in food or production with some selling from their bikes or from mobile carts. One of the street-food places was so popular, they had 3 spaces on opposite corners of a large crossroad with small plastic chairs where we ate. The kitchen was on the other side of the busy crossroad. The food would be carried across the road to the tables and there was always a waiter going from one place to the other weaving in and out of the traffic. This was amazing to watch. The vendors without a premises (normally selling from their bikes or from some sort of trolley) would fetch their ingredients and produce from the market early in the morning and sell throughout the day. Some would cycle in over 15 miles, buy their food from the market then travel the city selling it throughout the day and cycle home at the end. The bikes they used looked pretty ropey but you couldn't help but admire their tanacity.

The Markets

Hanoi's markets were wonderful. Busy, hot and fascinating. You could get anything in any one of them, from fabrics to fake watches and some very odd mannequins with entirely made-up faces in plastic bags. Both Sarah and I found this quite disturbing!

Most cities and towns in Vietnam have a market hall and the one in Hanoi was particularly grand. it was originally built by the French but suffered a huge fire so had elements from both French and Vietnamese building styles as a result of it's reconstruction. Inside, it was huge, spanning 3 floors with fabrics at the top. We knew this as when we turned up, we'd get followed by people who'd repeatedly point out that their shop was upstairs and the best of all the others so we should head up right away. Some were more persistent than others but all gave up after a while. Initially, we found the environments rather intimidating but we soon learned, a smile and 'no thank you' was normally enough. We did buy a few things but I can't say what as it will spoil some upcoming Christmas surprises...!

The People

The first ting to say about the Vietnamese is that they are among some of the friendliest people I have ever met. They would often offer directions when we were looking puzzled in the street and many would say hello as you pass them in the street. A far cry for the 'locals' of London who seem to be having a city-wide 'frown-off' every day on the tube! In Vietnam, they seem to have 2 'modes'. Working flat out, or sleeping/socialising. I was up very early on some days and there would be a lot of people in cafes having coffee like in the UK but some would appear to stay there all day. Socialising (according to our street food guide) often evolves around food so people would meet at one place for a snack and head to another for something else. Unlike 'The West', he'd say, "eating is not about getting full" but people could stay in some places for a very long time. We also didn't see much evidence of public drunkenness. The only suggestion was on a walk home one night, there had obviously been a fight at a restaurant and a lot of the chairs and tables had been broken in the process.

Life there seems extremely hard but they are ingenious with their solutions and ability to repair almost anything with tools that would either be totally wrong for the intended use or be at home in a museum. Many were only too happy to be photographed but some would scowl a little but I'd have already got them and moved on... 

Street Photography

I don't think I am a great street photographer and actually, normally avoid it as I tend to feel very self conscious when photographing strangers in public but there are a few example I thought were good enough for a post here in the following shots. Most were taken in and around the market(s). I thoroughly enjoyed it and think I may be a little less intimidated when out shooting in future. I learned that hesitation is no good and to pre-set the camera to save time. There should be a visible improvement in my street work throughout these posts and I hope you have enjoyed this one.