Non la, visible against the wall, blew away the Chinatown-ness of the area

Four persons standing against wall
Four people standing by the wall

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.

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Jun 2009 IN THE CITY VIETNAM

PHOTO DATA

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

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