Minh Nguyen – Maze Vietnam

Hanoi hidden bookstore

Minh Nguyen — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 17:36:25 +0000

Step inside the secret bookshop, the oldest one set in the center of Hanoi.

—

—
Shot by Minh Nguyen
Edited by Hung Nguyen

The post Hanoi hidden bookstore appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Hanoi Railway Village

Minh Nguyen — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 04:05:52 +0000

Inside a noisy street with the train whistle throughout the year is a peaceful and slow life. For the people who are living here, the train is a familiar image.No one thinks that living next to the railway is dangerous since they have got so used to the railway life here. This nameless street is called generally as “railway village”. It lasts through many streets, starting from Hanoi Railway Station (Tran Quy Cap street), crossing Long Bien Bridge towards the suburbs, to the provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son and Hai Phong. This railway is about 20km around Hanoi. It goes over many streets and inner urban areas. In some parts of the railway village, the distance between the resident houses and the track is only 3-5m. Therefore, the railway turns suddenly into the public living space, street, gathering, cooking or working place.

Living close to the railway

In the middle of the railway

Get a street haircut

Hardworking dumpster divers

To see more photos, check the open album below or go to Flickr:
Photo Album Flickr
(Please use the left/right arrows to navigate in the files of the open album)

Words and photos by Minh Nguyen.

The post Hanoi Railway Village appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Step inside Hanoi’s apartment blocks

Minh Nguyen — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 16:54:35 +0000

“Hanoi is crowded with hundreds of apartment blocks made with reinforcement concrete dating back to 1960s, partially reflecting Vietnamese apartment architecture and Hanoians’ daily life during that period. Due to the lack of living space, lots of residents had to come up with an idea of creating couples of rebar “cages”, sticking out their apartments. Through ups and downs, lots of them have been scheduled to be demolished to build modern ones, though they are always home to Hanoians and regarded as an indispensable piece of memory in mind.
Minh, born and raised in Hanoi, has been in love with this place and like other Hanoians, always sticking up with the beauty of such old apartment blocks. He decided to pack his back with his camera, put his helmet on, go for a ride on a scooter and head to multiple blocks in Giang Vo, Thanh Cong, Thuy Loi – Chuong Duong and Nguyen Cong Tru to seek for the best shots before it is too late since lots of people believe that these blocks are not likely to survive permanently.” – Chi Le

Thanh Cong Apartment blocks

Little apartments housed in Thanh Cong blocks

Nguyen Cong Tru Apartment blocks

You can hang your clothes up on anywhere

Having a quick haircut by a street barber

Such crazy overhead power lines

Thuy Loi – Chuong Duong blocks

Let’s hang the clothes up there altogether

Life in Giang Vo apartment block

People living in these blocks are always counting on each other.

The neighbors gather up to spend their afternoon together

Will all of these old apartment blocks stay with us forever?

“Although the residents in these old apartment blocks have to encounter some limited living conditions (staying in stuffy and overcrowded areas, even sharing a bathroom with other families and so on), they are still happy and never want to move away from the great blocks.”

Words by Chi Le
Photos by Minh Nguyen

The post Step inside Hanoi’s apartment blocks appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

Hanoi Ao Dai Festival 2016

Minh Nguyen — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 13:32:45 +0000

“Aodai (Áo Dài), the traditional costume of Vietnam, has become the symbol of the country, especially when it comes to refer to the beauty of Vietnamese women. Although Aodai has changed in its styles throughout the years, it still remains some features that make itself different from other dresses.

There are two parts of the costume: a pair of loose trousers and a gown with the back and front flaps floating back and front gently. And this dress often goes with conical leaf hat.

On a beautiful Sunday (16/10/2016), there was a Festival Ao Dai held in The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ba Dinh. Here are some photos that Minh captured during the Festival.” – Chi Le

Please click on the photos below to see them in full size.

The post Hanoi Ao Dai Festival 2016 appeared first on Maze Vietnam.