THE OLD QUARTER
HANOI, VIETNAM
Image Number 845
As the oldest continuously developed area of Vietnam, Hanoi's Old Quarter has a history that spans 2,000 years and represents the eternal soul of the city. Because inhabitants of each street came from the same village, streets developed a homogeneous look. Commoners' homes evolved out of market stalls, before streets were formed. Because storekeepers were taxed according to the width of their storefront, storage and living space moved to the rear of the buildings. Consequently, the long and narrow buildings were called "tube houses." Typical measurements for such houses are 3 meters wide by 60 meters long.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/110th of a second and aperture F3.5. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach teleohoto lens with a leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.