Hanoi: Street markets

There are so many markets in Hanoi – it’s difficult not to visit them. I love all the small street markets that seem to are dotted around the city – you just walk a few steps and suddenly in a corner or alleyway is a market with young girls and old ladies selling local produce.

Actually, some times it’s not even an actual market, it is just a women sitting at the side of the street and selling something to you…

… often you also see them selling directly from the back of their scooters and bikes.

Some will sell you different fruits, vegetables, eggs while others will only specialise in one produce, for instance bananas – because that’s what they grow.

Or they could be selling freshly baked Bánh mì, which is the Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The bánh mì is usually more airy than its Western counterpart, with a thinner crust.

It is only women selling on the streets – and women of all ages, even this small girl was already being a shopkeeper!

Of course, in every quarter are also areas with proper market stalls. Those markets are usually covered and the sellers are grouped together by the produce they are selling – so all fish mongers will be next to each other, then there will be all the ladies selling chicken and eggs, then you will have all the dried goods, maybe next up the fruit and vegetables… and so on.