If you live in the suburbs, or if you live in the city, or if you live in a small town, you’re familiar with sidewalks. You see sidewalks in residential neighborhoods, and downtown areas. We’re pretty used to them in America, even if we don’t use them all that much. In most neighborhoods in the suburbs, sidewalks are seldom used, except by kids at play. They’re used more in the city to get from the office to the sandwich shop.
But for the most part, sidewalks are not an integral part of life in North America.
Not so in Viet Nam. Sidewalks are a huge part of public life in any city or town. Everything is done on the sidewalk – food is sold and consumed on the sidewalk. Motorbikes are repaired on the sidewalk. Vendors hawk their wares on the sidewalk. Enclosed stores open out to the sidewalk – and probably have a rack or display out on the sidewalk. People use the sidewalk for just about everything except walking. Sidewalks blend with the street, making it hard to know if you are walking on the sidewalk or the street. Because Asians don’t have the concept of “personal space” we prize so much in the west, the sidewalks of Hue are very crowded – and nobody minds if someone touches you.
This will be the first of a series of stories on the Sidewalks of Hue.
Awhile back, I posted about getting around Hue on our bicycles. You may remember Vietnamese bikes are not at the same quality level as Lexus automobiles or Swiss watches. There is almost always something wrong with a Vietnamese bicycle. But, this provides employment for legions of repairmen who set up shop on the sidewalk. Their advertisement is usually two old tires tied together.
Life is hard on these bikemen. They work with the most basic of tools. The nut that joins the handlebars to the front wheel came loose on my bike. The bikeman didn’t have an Allen wrench the right size, so he just pounded the closest size he had into the nut and made it work. The bikeman must be ready to carry his “shop” with him whenever he needs to go home, so everything he owns is carried in some simple containers. Some of you will recognize the containers as old American ammunition cans, prized because they are rugged and waterproof.
The biggest call is for fixing flat tires. Notice the ammo can of water behind this bikeman – he uses it to find the leak. He roughens the area that needs fixing, then applies a patch. Voila! Another satisfied customer. Thai (say “tie”) sets up shop just outside the gate to our dorms, and does a good business with the students.
But, I wouldn’t want to live off the money Thai makes. For fixing this flat he will be paid 10,000 dong (say “dome”), or about sixty cents.
Life is hard – very hard indeed.