Look directly into the faces of the oncoming horde of motorcycle, scooter and bicycle riders and step off the sidewalk. Don’t hesitate, for he who hesitates is lost. On any given day in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital of more than seven million people, almost every resident seems to be riding something somewhere.
Traffic in Hanoi
New chum tourists are initially amazed as the tide of riders part and weave around them as they cross a busy street. Once you get used to it, central Hanoi is relatively easy to negotiate on foot.
But if you want to place yourself at arms length from the street sellers and enjoy the ebb and flow of the city traffic while you are hunting for bargains, a three-wheeled cyclo, or pedi-cab, is the way to go.
It costs between 30,000 Vietnamese Dong ($A1.70) and VND40,000 ($A2.40) an hour to hire a cyclo and it’s best to negotiate a fixed price before setting off.
Cycle pedi-cab in Hanoi
During the day, cyclo drivers are the harbour pilots of Hanoi, pedaling through the tides of humanity which flow and surge around Hoan Kiem Lake and the French colonial Old Quarter. But, for safety reasons, it’s advisable not to catch a cyclo at night.
Cyclo-rider, Zum, was loitering down the road from the military-run ATS Hotel on Pham Ngu Lao St.
You couldn’t miss him. In 1972, when he was 10 years old, the legacy of an American bombing raid on Hanoi left him severely burned and his face badly scarred. Two twisted fingers are all that remain of what was his right hand.The skin of his face is stretched taut, thick and wax-like and the best he can do for a smile is a tightly formed “O”. But Zum, with two young children and a wife to support, can still laugh, and as he peddles around the Old Quarter he warms to the game of bike-powered bargain hunting.The Old Quarter is a 36-street commercial centre more than 1000 years old, established in the 13th century by Hanoi’s 36 guilds, with each street named after the merchandise sold. Here, partially protected from the heat by leafy, lime-green canopies of deciduous trees which line many of the streets, you can buy everything from sunglasses to T-shirts, musical instruments, jewellery, plumbing equipment, religious offerings, silk, embroidery, lacquerware and fine art.
But with the encroachment of tourism, the boundaries have blurred between the street trade, and while some like Hang Gai (Silk Street) still have their own individual charm, many streets are a mish-mash of merchandise.
This is where local knowledge is invaluable.
First a big, zippered sports bag to put the bootie in. A knowing nod and we are off through the narrow streets of the Old Quarter to a shop bursting with bags. After negotiating a price of $A8, it’s in the bag.
Old Quarter, Hanoi
Silk? Easy. It’s over to Hang Gai (or Silk Street) to search for a gift.
Silk women’s pajamas with accompanying summer gown cost $A22. Some Ho Chi Minh T-shirts for children? Ah yes, down an alleyway, through a chaotic intersection and on to a small shop and the purchase of shirts for about $A7 each. An interesting gift for young boys were Vietnamese military hats. Army and navy officer’s peaked caps and the ubiquitous green pith helmet with red star were on sale for $A9 and $A5, respectively. With a little bartering, the three were purchased for $A16.
When bargaining, it’s useful to use the term “Oi Troi Oi!” when traders place an unrealistic price on goods.
Market in Hanoi
Roughly translated it means “Oh, My God!” in Vietnam’s central dialect, and generally generates some laughs and helps break the ice. Ranging further afield, a tour of Hanoi should take in one of the busy food markets.
The 19 December Market, one of more than a dozen food markets scattered around Hanoi, is a warren of stalls selling fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, live shellfish, roast dog (eaten at the end of the lunar month to bring good luck) and all manner of Asian condiments, herbs and spices. Called Hell’s Gate market by the locals, in 1943, under French colonial rule, it was the site of a massacre.
Cool-climate vegetables from Dalat and Sapa make up a myriad of products including mint, asparagus, green peppers, avocados, cabbage, basil, broccoli, lettuce, fish from Halong Bay, live prawns, freshwater snails and crabs, sea snails, bamboo shoots, bitter melon, lemongrass and Vietnamese mushrooms. Then there’s dragon fruit, water melon, longans, magostene, rambutan, custard apples and cool climate apples and peaches grown near the Chinese border.
Local fruit store in Hanoi
With the meat and fish constantly cooled by large blocks of ice manhandled through the narrow walkways, the produce was fresh and the market clean, with little or no odour, no easy feat in a tropical climate.
Wherever possible, meat is kept live until purchase. In a cage of live rabbits in a meat stall, one bunny was busily doing what rabbits do best, making the most of his last few hours on earth.
Photo Credits
Cycle pedi-cab in Hanoi – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Market in Hanoi – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Local fruit store in Hanoi – by Kirk Slang on flickr – Some Rights Reserved
Traffic in Hanoi – by Simon Morris on flickr – Some Rights Reserved
Old Quarter, Hanoi – by Gavin White on flickr – Some Rights Reserved
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