Hanoi's Old Quarter

souvenirs galore

Here we are in Hanoi, Vietnam! Our first time to visit Vietnam, we are here for the Fulbright Regional Conference. Ronnie is here to meet with other Fulbright scholars who have been stationed all over southeast Asia.  I’m here to have fun. After the conference ends on Friday we, along with Tom and Anne Weeks from Ohio (another scholar and his wife stationed in Surabaya) plan to spend one night on Ha Long Bay. In the meantime, Anne and I plan see as much of Hanoi and the surrounding area as we can over the next few days. Wow, lots of photo ops!

young artist at work

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is the country's second largest city. The conference is being held at the Hanoi Hilton, thankfully not THE Hanoi Hilton of 60’s notoriety. In fact, the hotel has added the word “opera” to its name to try to disassociate itself from the Vietnam war era.

Today's photos are from the Old Quarter. Below is a lady picking lice from someone's hair. It's not at all uncommon to see this. With unsanitary conditions, one would expect that head lice would spread easily. Most likely, the homes and businesses are too dark inside to see the tiny boogers, thus the need for natural daylight.

Nit picking, literally.

snails, eggs and such

The makeshift "restaurants" consists of someone's cooking set up, along with plastic tables and tiny stools lining the wall. Many people crowd these tiny tables to eat their favorite foods.

 

sidewalk cafe

sidewalk dish washing and cooking

Bicycles are very common and are loaded down with a variety of foods and merchandise. Notice the tables and chairs to the right.

There are several coffee shops in the Old Quarter.  In addition to the luwak coffee that is also famous in Indonesia, the Vietnamese have a weasel coffee. Yes, I googled it and it is the same "process" by which the luwak coffee is made. Although supposedly now they have figured a way to make a synthetic weasel coffee. How would you synthesize the insides of a weasel? Beats me!

 

Since the conference didn’t start until tonight, we had a bit of play time today. We walked from the hotel to the Old Quarter (sometimes known as 36 Streets). There is a ton of history for this area, as it dates back 2000 years. Here’s more info if anyone is interested. http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1001 We spent about 3 hours walking and only saw a part of it. Perhaps I will go back with Anne tomorrow?

very common for locals to wear masks

Each street of the Old quarter was named for merchants who specialized in a particular trade (silk, jewelry, etc). The area is still full of many artisans and merchants. I think it’s safe to say that everyone there is either selling or buying something. It would be the perfect place to buy souvenirs...if only I had more room in my suitcases.

I know, I take too many photos like this but I am always fascinated by what they sell and how hard they work to live. I thought this woman had a nice "presentation" on the back of her bike.

Some of the hawkers can make you a little uneasy, as they are quite pushy and persistent. I know they are just trying to make a living but most simply will not take ‘no’ for an answer and will follow you along saying “cheap, cheap” until you almost have to be rude to get rid of them.

I tasted these (one bite) but didn't care for them - at all.

The streets are filled with cars, scooters, cyclos (3 wheeled bicycle cabs), peddlers and pedestrians. The sidewalks have become motor scooter parking lots, so one really has to watch each step to keep from getting run over. People sit outside their shops as pedestrians wander through. Others cook (and eat) on the sidewalk or in the alleyways on small plastic stools.

making a deal with the artist

the Old Quarter, Hanoi

 we walked past Hoan Klem Lake and this bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple