Alleyways of Huê, Việt Nam

[Comanche]

Huê is no different than the other cities of Việt Nam - - life is lived in a warren of alleyways, not in neat suburbs or broad boulevards. These are places tourists seldom go, but down these narrow paths is where living takes place.

Lets wander up this alley that leads away from a small market. Its wide enough for a motorbike, but not much else. Other alleys branch off of this one, creating a maze of twisting walkways. You are unlikely to get lost, but you will be amazed at what goes on back here.




Along both sides of the kiêt are homes. Children play in the alley, though they have to dodge bicycles and motorbikes. This picture is a little unusual because there are usually herds of children playing together. Notice the concrete slabs in the middle of the kiêt. The sewers are underneath the slabs which can easily be lifted for repairs and maintenance.



Some men peered out of a doorway. Seeing my camera, they boisterously invited me in.



After seeing the clear liquid they were drinking, it soon became obvious why they were so noisy. But they were having fun and hurting no one. Though I was offered a shot of the “Vietnamese whiskey”, I knew I wasn’t man enough to drink that stuff. After sharing some laughs when they saw their own pictures, they went back to their eating and drinking, and I walked on up the alley.



Don’t think for a minute that only poor people live on the kiêt. The house on the right is quite nice as can be seen by the pretty stone masonry. There are no zoning laws, so wretchedly poor homes are next to luxury houses.



Each house has a street number. The kiêt has a number corresponding to the total number of kiêts off the main street, then each house has a number on that kiêt, though sometimes it can be confusing if a house is on a branch kiêt off of another kiêt. This gentleman’s house is number 10 on Kiêt Number 36.



The elderly have a job on the kiêt – they are to watch the goings on and report their findings to the other old folks nearby. I was checked out thoroughly by this man, but after I was approved, we shared many smiles.



Children playing, old men smiling, eating, and drinking. That’s life in one of the many alleyways of Huê.

[laurielblack]

I am completely fascinated with your posts and your blog. I am always waiting to see your next installment. Thanks so much for taking us all along on this beautiful journey with you!!! :)

[Twisted]

Fascinating and beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[L Stegall]

Great stuff - thanks for sharing. Vietnam is on my travel list for sure.

[CaptainTom]

Great narrative and photos. The Vietnamese are generally very friendly, and it's good to see that life there is pretty similar to life everywhere else.

[ShutteredEye]

keep them coming! This stuff is great!

[bburton]

Originally Posted by laurielblack

I am completely fascinated with your posts and your blog. I am always waiting to see your next installment. Thanks so much for taking us all along on this beautiful journey with you!!! :)

Yes. I agree completely. I too await each installment. Thanks for the armchair journey.

[Firegirl]

Reminds me a lot of my 2 years in South Korea while in the Army. Darn if I only had a digital camera back then! Maybe one of these days I'll scan some of what I have and post them. I think my biggest lesson while there was that I was guilty of taking for granted all the "luxuries" of our life here. They were doing just fine with what they had, and it wasn't much. I DID drink some of their whisky too......They called it Soju. We'd mix it with a fruit punch and call it Jungle juice. Guaranteed to give you a 2 day hangover!!!

Now that I call myself a photographer and know a little I can really appreciate the colors over there. I love the blues and the greens of the buildings. Make a nice photo.

[johnastovall]

Every time I look at your pictures of Hue, I struck from how different it is now than how it looked at the end of Feb. 1968.

[LoungeLizard]

Wow...