Markets are something indispensable in the capital’s daily life but their stories behind are frequently omitted. As I swept through some websites, what I found was far more than what I had expected. There are some sources referred to the first existence of markets in Thăng Long (former name of Hanoi) in the 15th century. However, according to other researchers, those markets first appeared in the 11th century under the permission of Lý Thái Tổ Emperor. In the late 19th century when French colonialists invaded Hà Nội, these markets were one by one professionally commercialized with a wide range of products including some imported from Europe, India and Hong Kong with products like soap and perfume.  Nowadays, if you take a look around the city, you can definitely see numerous markets including the biggest such as Hôm, Đồng Xuân, Bưởi to smaller ones such as Bách Khoa, Thành Công, Trại Cá and other retailers along the railways, rivers or apartments.

What I find interesting about these retailers is that as long as they have goods, a wooden folding table, a conical hat and a few of other sellers, then they can turn the whole place into a spontaneous market. For the bigger ones, what you can find is uncountable, from accessories, garments, shoes to vegetables, fruits, poultry, cattle or even food stalls serving phở, crab soup noodles (bún riêu cua), beef soup noodles (bún riêu bò), fermented rice sheets (bánh cuốn), sticky rice cakes and so on. Trust me, that kind of food you can find in those local markets is the best.

To sum up, markets in Hà Nội have seemed to be a traditional beauty of the capital, and I just cannot even imagine when local markets are totally replaced by shopping malls only. That makes me ponder!

Here are some photos taken by our contributor Duc Vu in a typical local market in Hanoi.

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)

All Photos taken by Duc Vu
Words by Trang Nguyen

The post Local Markets in Hanoi appeared first on Maze Vietnam.

I once came to Huế as of my admiration for a long-existing city with a rich culture influenced by both the French and Eastern architectures. Before departing, I had actually received a “friendly warning” from a friend of mine living in Huế: “Don’t go or you will be bored to death”. At first, I thought she was just kidding but then I finally realized that it was actually a bit boring as I am kind of an extroverted party goer. The pace of life seemed extremely slow and peaceful as if there would be no crimes or fights. Huế’s life is as semplice and unobtrusive as its culture and people. As a small city with not so many citizens, Huế brings home to mind. I remembered going out on the street at rush hour with a friend who lives in Huế and it seemed like “rush hour” is not a good term to describe such a place like Huế. Mostly in the evening, people like to walk on Trường Tiền Bridge to enjoy the peaceful night on the beautiful Hương River, which literally means “River of Perfume”. Tourists normally take a cyclo around the city to a small China Town, Áo Dài Street and night market.

I reckon that it seems like this city is almost sleeping at 9 pm or maybe 10 pm. However, under Tràng Tiền Bridge or on the night street, there are gonna be lots of people still enjoying their supper. And if you are a “speed lover”, you will be driven crazy because some restaurants’ services are slow to death!

But after all, Huế is still a special city carrying a dignified atmosphere throughout hundreds of years. And I highly recommend it to those who love something “off the beaten track” with no bars, pubs or anything common for a lousy night.

All the photos below are taken by one of Maze Vietnam’s contributor recently living in Hue. She took her camera out and captured all the moments of the pace of life in Hue on a rainy day. All the friendly Hue people are still calm and moving slowly no matter how heavy the rain could be.

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 by Trang Nguyen
Photos by Mai Nguyen

The post The pace of Life in Hue | Photo Gallery appeared first on Maze Vietnam.