The famous Cassini Probe shot of Earth – our home – taken from Saturn’s rings.
The Hustle and Bustle of Hanoi Streets in the 1950s
Chaotic streets and bustling markets, Hanoi in the 1950s was not much different than it is now.
Sure there were less cars and motorbikes back then, and the air quality was probably much better. But these black and white photos show that the spirit of the capital is very much the same. Through these photos, one can almost hear the cacophony of life on the streets and feel that familiar sense of being lost in the crowd.
let’s visit the past, strolling by the Old Quarters and meeting the vendors at Đồng Xuân market through these photos below.
Vendors on Đồng Xuân.
Đồng Xuân Market.
Why such beauty in this place?
Tràng Tiền Street.
Tràng Tiền, Hàng Bài, Hàng Khay intersection.
Basket weavers.
More basket weavers.
For your woodenware needs.
and I don’t have a wooden heart
Blankets for when it’s cold.
Pottery shops.
Offerings for the ancestors.
This is still a very ‘alive’ tradition in Vietnam. There is no ‘official’ religion but unofficially it’s a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism and ancestor worship. Every Tet holiday family graves are cleaned, painted and offerings of flowers and food placed.
Pots and pans.
The iconic cone hat.
It’s called a Non La.
Phở vendor.
Pho – pronounced phurr, is probably the most popular street food in Vietnam. Currently it will cost between 1.50 to 2.00 UKP’s and a bowl will keep you going all-day. It comprises of noodles and thinly sliced morsels of beef along with herbs and vegetable leaves all in a hot broth made from boiling beef bones. Delicious!
Learning to sew.
Trung Liệt Pagoda.
Street food.
On the left looks like ‘Binh Bao’ a white rice based soft dough containing minced and herb infused pork and often a quail egg.
Metalware shop.
Humanity seems to be on the cusp of massive and frighteningly quick changes mainly due to A. I. Humanoid robots doing boring dangerous work, driving a car will become a thing of the past. Personalised treatment for cancer. Changes to your baby’s DNA to remove potential diseases. Teachers will disappear, information instantly available, languages instantly translated, Cash will go, and maybe in a hundred years from now we may need permission from an authority to die! But hey, at the moment we’re ok! we can still fire bullets, aim bombs, send very fast missiles and kill people. I’ve forgotten why! Maybe it’s because rich people with lots of shares in Arms Manufacturing Companies can get richer! Yes that must be it!
Love and peace, john
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