Yen Phu Street on a winter day in the 1980s.
On Aug. 12, a photo series by Ab Stokvis was introduced on a forum about old Hanoi.
Earlier, photographer Ab Stokvis posted a series of photos on his personal Facebook page and shared that in late 1979, he joined a humanitarian group consisting of journalists and medical experts working for a non-governmental organization to visit Vietnam.
They visited healthcare facilities and centers for orphans and the homeless. The group first arrived in Hanoi, followed by Hai Phong, Da Nang, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City. The photographer captured street scenes and everyday life in the places he visited.
A public water pump on Yen Phu Nho Street in Tay Ho District.
Under the photographer's post, many readers recognized the familiar location and reminisced about the time of their grandparents. During the subsidy period, which generally refers to the period between 1975 and 1986, clean water was scarce, and people often lined up at public water pumps on the streets. They took turns filling buckets and then carried them home to use for cooking and daily activities.
The Ben Nua area under Long Bien Bridge.
Before it became a bus station, this was a gathering spot for rafts of wood, bamboo, and leaves, along with bundles of chopped bamboo for sale.
In 1902, Long Bien Bridge was inaugurated, with a railway in the middle crossing the river to Hai Phong, and car lanes on both sides. Around 1924, the bridge was expanded, and Cot Dong bus station was disbanded since buses no longer needed to cross the river by ferry. Vehicles started gathering at Cho Nua to pick up passengers due to its convenient access to the bridge, forming Ben Nua station.
After the liberation of the capital, the place was renamed Long Bien station. In 1987, Hanoi decided to move Long Bien station to Gia Lam, and Ben Nua became Long Bien bus station as it is today.
A wall painting in Yen So Commune in Hoai Duc District set a target for agricultural production for 1980-1982 - veggies: 3,000 tons/year; Fish 600 tons/year; Pigs 115 tons/year; Rice 930 tons/year.
A child patient was captured in a photo as Ab Stokvis visited Bach Mai Hospital on Jan. 7, 1980. The hospital is now one of the largest public medical facilities in Hanoi.
A stall selling trung vit lon, duck eggs with embryos inside, on the side of a road.
The long wooden bench and the simple-patterned tablecloth were familiar items used in daily life at the time.
Nguyen Thai Hoc street, heading towards the Temple of Literature, with a peaceful scene contrasting with the current bustling and chaotic atmosphere.
