Footpaths in Vietnam!?

Stop Five, Hanoi 25/04/2015 to 31/05/2015
(Written by Her)

Oh Footpaths, the bain of my life in Hanoi. One wouldn’t think that something as mundane as footpaths could irk anybody to the point of writing a blog about them. But here we are.

Let me explain:

In Hanoi, people live on the footpaths. You might notice from photos that house, shops and other business premises are very narrow. They were built during a time when people were taxed on the width of their property. Narrow business premises, many of which serve as the home of the proprietor in a room out the back, inevitably tend to spill over onto the footpaths. Small tourist stores line up their wares along the ground, paintings of galleries are hung outside, convenience stores leave produce in boxes along the footpath. The use of footpaths is aided by the fact that many business don’t have doors, instead they have an open front which is locked via a pull down shutter at night. As a result, it’s sometimes hard to tell where the shop ends and the footpath begins. 

I felt it only necessary to accompany my 'Hanoi Footpaths' blog with a video of road walking! It's mad really but we're still alive and kicking (despite a few near misses).

A general lack of space in the city of Hanoi means that most families either live in a backroom off their business premises or, if they don’t own a business, they live in a small flat found, hundreds of which can be found down the many narrow (seemingly endless), dark, damp alley ways off the main streets. Needing space for their animals (usually chickens or ducks raised for eating of course), these families often hang cages along the alley ways, or better still, allow their animals to roam free around the footpaths. The scraggly looking chickens and cockerels wander around nibbling at people’s leftover sunflower seeds under bar tables. We have had to shoo them out of our way when walking down the road. 

Footpaths become carparks in some areas where parking is difficult (quite a lot of areas). Motos are abandoned outside shops, bars and restaurants to the extent that some business have actually hired staff to keep the parking somewhat organised. One day, I was sitting alone on a street front table in one of our regular bars when I saw a young girl drive right to the door of the bar, hop off her motorcycle and take out the keys. Later her two friends seemingly abandoned their motos outside the door and hopped off, blocking all entry to the bar from the footpath. Within seconds an older man, maybe early 60s moved their motos in line with others he had neatly arranged at one side of the bar front, opening up a clear walkway about the size of one person wide, just enough for others to reach the bar. He continued to move people’s motos for the entire hour that I watched. A valet service for motos? It seemed that there were always at least 10 motos parked outside at any one time. It was perfectly normal, reasonable in fact that the entire footpath outside the bar was impassable by pedestrians on the street, just as long as they could reach the bar if they so pleased!

Finally, business is conducted on the footpaths.  Hairdressers, barbers, restaurants, bars, cafes, shoe makers, beautician’s welders, you name it you will see it as you walk along any Hanoi footpath, outside the main tourist area. Children do their homework on plastic chairs outside their parents shop. Men fix moto tyres using buckets of flaming tar (which you try to inch past in case a breeze picks up and scalds your leg). I have seen women lying on the ground in front of fans which have been brought outside for some refuge from the heat of the day. 

I have closely missed some dangling electric wires encroaching on the footpath. I have walked past paintings propped up against lines of moto – left in the sun to dry. With all this to contend with, walking in Hanoi is a veritable obstacle course. Furthermore, when footpaths are available for walking, they are in horrible condition. We have frequently come across broken bricks, holes in the path, overgrown tree roots disturbing paving. Meaning, it is never a pleasure to walk anywhere. 

Part of my issue with such hectic footpaths in Hanoi is that going anywhere fast is an impossibility. While slowness is a way of life here, and perfectly acceptable, tourists who seem to be moving without purpose are like sitting ducks for the hawkers and vendors trying to sell knock off books, bags and lighters (branded with Paris and London logos!). Furthermore, as you meander around obstacles, you quickly find yourself walking on the street where cars, motos and cyclos beep at you to move out of the way. Add to this the state of the paving (uprooted by trees and new buildings), holes in the road due to a poorly maintained drainage system and a sticky humid day - walking along a main street can become cause for a headache. 

I’ve read that the current use of footpaths in Hanoi has become a political issue. There has been a long history of traders who come from the countryside to sell their wares in the city. These people don’t own property, relying solely on the business they drum up on the street (i.e. footpath). In contrast, the young more educated city folk want to see this tradition eradicated. They feel that tourists would be more interested if walking around the city was safer (true). They have successfully lobbied the government to change the street vending laws, thus making it more difficult to be a country vendor. Police arrive to move people on, rather than allow them to use the footpath. From what I can see, country vendors have a difficult enough life. I guess I'll have to deal with street walking and give them a break.