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THE OLD QUARTER

HANOI, VIETNAM

Image Number 876

Tangles of electricity and telephone wires are virtually an art form in Hanoi's old quarter.  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 hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 400. Exposure of 1/250th of a second and aperture F2.8.  80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with a leaf shutter.