This photograph, which shows a sugarcane vendor in front of a temple in 1915, is part of over 30 monochrome photographs of streets and markets in old Hanoi on display at the 22 Hang Buom Street Culture and Arts Center from April 21 to June 3.
The event, hosted by the French Institute of Hanoi, takes visitors back in time to early-20th-century Hanoi
A French photographer took this photo of a steam food vendor in 1930. Many French photographers took photos of Hanoi between 1915 and 1955.
This photo shows an old quarter fruit and sugarcane vendor in 1930. Baron, a British tourist who visited Hanoi in the 17th century, said “There were many street vendors in Thang Long [Hanoi], despite the presence of a lot of markets there. Those street vendors sold things they made themselves.”
Vendors selling flowers on a street near Dong Xuan Market in 1951. Dong Xuan Market was built in 1890 and gathered vendors from the largest markets at the time, including Bach Ma and Cau Dong. In traditional songs, singers dubbed the place the most interesting place in old Hanoi, where people from different regions came to shop.
This photo was taken in 1951. It shows horse wagons, cyclos and women holding their carrying poles on Hang Than Street, which was named Rue du Charbon during the French colonial period. Many ancient houses and temples can be seen on the street as well.
This photo, which was taken in 1951, shows street vendors taking a rest near Dong Xuan Market. According to Olivier Tessier, a scholar from the French School of the Far East who has studied Vietnamese culture for years, the majority of street vendors in old Hanoi came from villages nearby.
This photo shows children selling pomegranate syrup at Dong Xuan Market in 1951. Paul Bourde, a French journalist, described the capital during the period thusly: “There were no indoor markets nor fixed locations for markets in Hanoi. The whole city was a giant outdoor market. Markets were held every six days, with sellers and artisans from nearby regions gathering. Streets were full of people.”
This photo shows a candied fruit vendor during the 1955 Tet Lunar New Year Festival, which was the first new year holiday celebration after the French pulled out of Vietnam.
This photo immortalizes vendors selling fish at a market in 1955. Fish were kept in bamboo baskets and tied together with leaves or bamboo strings.
This photo shows vendors at Hoan Kiem Lake. Sixty-two-year-old French exhibition visitor Isobelle said she enjoyed seeing photos of old Hanoi. “After tens of years, many things completely changed, except for the presence of street vendors in the city. I once bought fruit and Vietnamese green rice from them, which was an interesting experience,” she said.
