The cries of street vendors are still heard in Vietnam, although some product and services are no longer offered.
Oral announcements have long been a part of Vietnamese life, especially those issued by the civil authority. Each village head, who would be ordered by the village head to announce writs issued by the Canton chief. Following some drum beats, the herald would shout out the proclamations. Sometimes, the herald announced village events. This was an early form of the communication in the countryside.
Other announcements in the village related to commerce. The scrap metal dealer would yell, “Dong nat doi ban han noi ho…” (Scrap iron for trade, sale or welding). His voice meandered slowly, like a leisurely song. The woman who traded in feathers had her own short but effective cry: “Toc roi hoi keo doi …” (Hair for barley sugar candy). A child could not help but try to find something to trade for some barley candy. The Chinese trader carrying a load of potions on his shoulders would cry, “Thuoc e …e …e…” (Medicine!) at each corner. And the man who castrated pigs would yell “Hoan lon o”, a lasso in one hand and a very sharp small knife in his pocket. The dogs seemed to smell the danger from a distance and chased this man everywhere.
Many of these mobile entrepreneurs are disappearing. The scrap iron man changed to dealing in aluminum, then stainless steel pots. His voice is now rarely y heard. The feather lady with her barley sugar produced ones that don’t compare. This Chinese trader no longer does the rounds, western medicine having grown in popularity. And every cow or pig is already castrated by the time it leaves the breeding farm, putting another mobile tradesman out of business.
Hanoi, once full of merchants, was a center for oral advertising. Each good or service had a familiar chant, from knife-sharpening to soybeans to vegetables. New technology has resulted in new methods. Ice cream vendors have replaced calls with a whistle. While the man who buys broken electrical goods rides a bike equipped with speakers that blast a recorded chant: “Electric motor, bicycle and fan. If they aren’t useful, they should be sold.”
Nowadays, we still hear the choice of the lady who sells millet cake: “Ai ke nao …ao …ao…” (Anyone want some ke?). Her millet cakes are usually eastern by little kids and the elderly. The newspaper vendor plays a tape, the voice like that of news announcer presenting a story about social evils. Every newspaper vendor in Hanoi seems to use the same taped voice.
There are other ways to advertise too. A knock on the door might reveal a boy selling toothpicks made by blind people, or a flyer advertising a newly – opened exam. Or perhaps a suspiciously honest – looking woman is begging for funds to rebuild a pagoda, or a monk is selling expensive incense, his speech sweeter than the Buddha’s.
I once received a card printed the message: “Do you want to rent out your house? If so, call this number.” Funnily enough, the ads for concrete drillers are totally silent, as their phone numbers are typically stenciled on walls or doors.
Sometimes in the street we can still hear the voices of the banh khuc lady, the dumpling man or the Saigon bread seller, over and over again, like a skipping CD. The trash lady we heard most often. She collects waste paper and other objects that can be recycled or mended. Her chant is a of unaccented words, like a child speaking a foreign language. The words are hard to decipher but everyone understands them. Shoemakers may also be heard soliciting business on foot.
While mobile vendor’s no longer sell Chinese medicine or castrate cattle, many street vendors remain. The cures of vendors offering vegetables, tofu and bread may still be heard daily. Oral announcement are part of the rhythms of life in Vietnam. If these cries fade, we may find ourselves lost in our homeland.
This article written by Lanh Nguyen from Vietnam Heritage Travel
For original article, please visit:
http://hotel-in-hanoi-vietnam.com
Street sounds
The cries of street vendors are still heard in Vietnam, although some product and services are no longer offered.
Oral announcements have long been a part of Vietnamese life, especially those issued by the civil authority. Each village head, who would be ordered by the village head to announce writs issued by the Canton chief. Following some drum beats, the herald would shout out the proclamations. Sometimes, the herald announced village events. This was an early form of the communication in the countryside.
Other announcements in the village related to commerce. The scrap metal dealer would yell, “Dong nat doi ban han noi ho…” (Scrap iron for trade, sale or welding). His voice meandered slowly, like a leisurely song. The woman who traded in feathers had her own short but effective cry: “Toc roi hoi keo doi …” (Hair for barley sugar candy). A child could not help but try to find something to trade for some barley candy. The Chinese trader carrying a load of potions on his shoulders would cry, “Thuoc e …e …e…” (Medicine!) at each corner. And the man who castrated pigs would yell “Hoan lon o”, a lasso in one hand and a very sharp small knife in his pocket. The dogs seemed to smell the danger from a distance and chased this man everywhere.
Many of these mobile entrepreneurs are disappearing. The scrap iron man changed to dealing in aluminum, then stainless steel pots. His voice is now rarely y heard. The feather lady with her barley sugar produced ones that don’t compare. This Chinese trader no longer does the rounds, western medicine having grown in popularity. And every cow or pig is already castrated by the time it leaves the breeding farm, putting another mobile tradesman out of business.
Hanoi, once full of merchants, was a center for oral advertising. Each good or service had a familiar chant, from knife-sharpening to soybeans to vegetables. New technology has resulted in new methods. Ice cream vendors have replaced calls with a whistle. While the man who buys broken electrical goods rides a bike equipped with speakers that blast a recorded chant: “Electric motor, bicycle and fan. If they aren’t useful, they should be sold.”
Nowadays, we still hear the choice of the lady who sells millet cake: “Ai ke nao …ao …ao…” (Anyone want some ke?). Her millet cakes are usually eastern by little kids and the elderly. The newspaper vendor plays a tape, the voice like that of news announcer presenting a story about social evils. Every newspaper vendor in Hanoi seems to use the same taped voice.
There are other ways to advertise too. A knock on the door might reveal a boy selling toothpicks made by blind people, or a flyer advertising a newly – opened exam. Or perhaps a suspiciously honest – looking woman is begging for funds to rebuild a pagoda, or a monk is selling expensive incense, his speech sweeter than the Buddha’s.
I once received a card printed the message: “Do you want to rent out your house? If so, call this number.” Funnily enough, the ads for concrete drillers are totally silent, as their phone numbers are typically stenciled on walls or doors.
Sometimes in the street we can still hear the voices of the banh khuc lady, the dumpling man or the Saigon bread seller, over and over again, like a skipping CD. The trash lady we heard most often. She collects waste paper and other objects that can be recycled or mended. Her chant is a of unaccented words, like a child speaking a foreign language. The words are hard to decipher but everyone understands them. Shoemakers may also be heard soliciting business on foot.
While mobile vendor’s no longer sell Chinese medicine or castrate cattle, many street vendors remain. The cures of vendors offering vegetables, tofu and bread may still be heard daily. Oral announcement are part of the rhythms of life in Vietnam. If these cries fade, we may find ourselves lost in our homeland.
This article written by Lanh Nguyen from Vietnam Heritage Travel
For original article, please visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment