The Daily "Grind": Roaming the Back Streets of Hanoi

 30 June 2024

Dear Friends and Family,

I love roaming the streets and alleys of Hanoi looking at the doors, windows and homes of the people who live here. Many Vietnamese live in homes that are among a rabbit warren of connecting alleys with little sunlight getting past the roof lines. The "roads" are merely concrete or tiled paths, just wide enought to plaster yourself against a wall so that a motor cycle can come by.

During the French Colonial period, Vietnamese homeowners were taxed based upon the width of the home; hence, homeowner built their homes very narrow and very tall. Where possible, the homes are fairly deep. With the change in goverment structure over the decades, some homeowners illegally widened their homes, encroaching upon the alleys making up these micro neighborhoods, typically made of 100 families. Though illegal, it would be more costly for the government to tear down these extensions. So, the alleys became more narrow and only the very tops of the building are exposed to direct sunlight.

Lee and I hired a guide, a young college graduate, to take us through some of Hanoi's hidden neighborhoods. She introduced us to this 84 year old man, who could play multiple musical instruments and was delighted to share his home with us. His home is 4 stories tall and he lives with his daughter, his granddaughter and her husband and 4 young children. Each floor is 160 sq. ft. in size. Yep, 640 sq. ft. for 8 people. Below are pictures of him, his kitchen and his stairway, which also serves as the location for the family's rice cooker, electric kettle, and microwave and other electronics with the cords snaking down the outside of the stairway to plugs in the living room.

(Above/ right) Windows to an apartment. You can just see laundry hanging up inside the window to the above/ right. Hanoi is home to 10 million people with many living at sustenance levels. The walls of this building show the once elegant yellow that was prominent during the time of French Colonialism.

Many of the homes are shop houses with small businesses on the first floor and are usually 3-5 stories tall with multiple generations living in them with each floor ranging 150- 300 sq ft.

This entry was my favorite. I loved how the home owners took advantage of what sunlight they have and created an arbor over the door. You see the front door is open (black, swung back to the left). I peeked in past the brick pillars and the front area was titled and filled with potted plants that could handle the low lighting. There was a hammock and of course, the requisite area for parking the motor bike. 

The picture to the left shows you just how narrow the alley width is.

This door (below left) is a gate that when opened, one would enter a tiled courtyard that likely has a tree and a small garden along with furniture.  This is considered the middle-class area for locals. The "street" was probably 6-7 ft. across. No wider! With some even more narrow. 

 With this door (below/ right) you get a peek of the beayond, an entry that is probably tiled or cement. A place to park the motor bikes. 

This home is definitely more upscale, given the siding and the double doors. The gates almost assuredly open to an enclosed tiled 

area that serves as a living area and place to store their motor bikes. How do I know? You do not see any sunlight glowing through the holes in the gate.

Let's get back out into the sunshine. These two pictures are the windows/ doors of apartments overlooking a street.  You frequently see juliet balconies over here.  Doors are opened for residents to get fresh air, when the weather permits.  Most balconies contained potted plants.  Residents of Hanoi seek to include nature into their daily lives, however and wherever possible.

I hope that you've enjoyed this back street tour into the lives of locals. Lee and I continue to enjoy our adventures, teaching, and our daily lives here.

Peace to each of you-

Karen