Vietnam Study Abroad: Han Thuyen/Hang Chuoi: The Neighborhood

On saturday we mapped the neighborhood around Han Thuyen and Hang Chuoi streets. Within the four blocks we mapped we were able to find everything on the list Gerard gave us as well as many other things. A few words that came to mind when walking through the neighborhood were:

Beautiful
Relatively green
Calm(er), but still lively

There were many things I liked about this neighborhood. First there was the fact that you could conduct most things you needed to do on a daily basis in such a small area. There were two fruit and vegetable markets, many pho places, places to fix your motorbike, a school, a doctors office, shops selling all sorts of things, two temples and a park. If there wasn't an actual shop for something it was still provided. There was a place where keys were cut on the sidewalk and every other week someone came by to sharpen knives. Back home I have to drive to get good quality fresh produce, drive to get my knifes sharpened, walk 15-20 minutes to get to a park, etc. etc. Here most everything could be done by walking less then 5 minutes.

Kid Climbing in the Elementary School Gate

Another thing I really liked about the neighborhood was how much character it had. A full block of Trang Bat was completely devoted to the sale of birds, bird cages etc. In the neighborhood there was a cat cafe (see photo below) and a cool dried flower shop. Each of the houses were different and had cool plants covering them. The neighborhood was close to the big theater in Hanoi and the independent movie theater where we watched Mai's America.

Cats at the Cat Cafe

However what struck me most was how green the area was. Unlike the part of Thang Xuan near the university, the streets in this neighborhood were lined with trees. Many houses had trees as well and there was a park and tenis courts within walking distance. I'm not generally a big fan of cities because there isn't enough greenery, so seeing so many plants really made me happy.

One of the houses with lots of greenery.

Overall I think if I were to live in Hanoi this neighborhood would be high on my list. It certainly seems like someplace I would be happy. Of course, I would want to look at more neighborhoods first seeing as I have only been here for a few weeks and don't have a ton to compare it with.