As expected, Ho Chi Minh City has its own Chinatown. The Cholon district is the largest Chinese enclave in Vietnam, and like many major cities across Southeast Asia, the presence of the Chinese diaspora is unmistakable.
While wandering through Cholon, I came across a small square where a group of children played near the wall. Beside them, a street vendor wearing a conical non la hat was resting in the shade. She carried a large plastic tub — most likely filled with cold drinks for sale. Though the four of them shared the same patch of sidewalk, they seemed wholly uninterested in one another.
Looking at this quiet scene, you wouldn’t immediately recognize the neighborhood as Chinatown. The vendor’s non la, woven from palm leaves, was so distinctly Vietnamese that it seemed to eclipse the Chinese character of the place altogether.
Jun 2009 IN THE CITY VIETNAM | |
CHINATOWN CONICAL HAT HO CHI MINH CITY WALL |
No
2867
Shooting Date
Mar 2009
Posted On
June 7, 2009
Modified On
June 14, 2025
Place
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Genre
Street Photography
Camera
CANON EOS 1V
Lens
EF85MM F1.2L II USM