I have just returned to Singapore after a few days in Hanoi, my first trip to the capital of Vietnam. I have visited Hoi An and Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City before, but never Hanoi. There is always a sense of excitement when visiting a new location, possibly more so for photographers with specific ideas in mind.
The two ideas in my mind were street photography and street food - Hanoi lived up to all expectations on both counts. I shall produce a video at some point over the next few days, covering street photography and food in Hanoi - but in the meantime there is the following video - nothing clever, just a short clip from a Christmas Concert performed outside St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
Please do watch and subscribe to the channel - more videos will be forthcoming!
Now, for the first of my two ideas - street photography - I spent most of my time in the Old Quarter. This part of Hanoi really is the beating heart of the city. Street markets, scooters, roadside vendors, cafes, architecture, narrow lanes and hidden back alleys - the Old Quarter has it all in abundance. A street photographer’s dream - some images are posted below, with descriptions. As I say, I shall throw some images and video clips onto youtube, so please do check the channel and subscribe. The sights, sounds and smells of the OQ are experiences that will live with me for a long time and I am sure I shall return at some point.
For the food aspect, an afternoon with a local street food expert had been arranged. I would thoroughly recommend this approach as the choices are many and you may miss out on the best(and safest) Hanoi has to offer - so, hook up with a local expert if possible. My guide was Mark Lowerson, an Australian who has lived in Vietnam for almost 20 years. Mark, and his partner, Tu, run a twitter account and images are regularly uploaded to their instagram account
Incidentally, my own instagram account can be seen here - please do give me a follow, I’ll follow back!
OK, intro over - I’ll move on to some images and some stories behind each photograph. Thanks for reading!
Mango salad - this dish, or a papaya equivalent, can be found in restaurants and on the streets all over Hanoi Old Quarter. Variations may differ slightly but I never came across one that wasn't utterly delicious. Some versions I saw on the streets included meat, basically a beef jerky, shredded and sprinkled over the top of the salad.
Nem Cua Be - deep fried and square spring rolls, with vegetables, pork and crab meat inside. Hot, crispy and juicy, one of my favourites from the trip. The finished dish can be seen on my instagram account.
The night market, held on weekends in the Old Quarter. Here, two food vendors wait for customers. The vendor on the left is well wrapped up, as you can see - the temperature was in the mid teens, cold for Vietnam!
Bikes and scooters are everywhere - crossing the road is a challenging experience! I tend to prefer black and white of this type of image.