With the rising sun women gather for the daily
exercise classes
that are held all around the Lake. The backdrop is the Tháp Ràu monument
The public run, jog and stroll, threading through the many groups who are...
...following a leader in their callisthenic exercises to music supplied by a ghetto blaster
Calligraphers commandeer pavements to write posters for the crowds. This man is writing in Roman script using a brush
While
Hoàn Kiếm Lake
is a massive tourist attraction, it also functions as a kind of community centre where locals congregate to talk, drink tea, exercise together,
meditate,
and always to watch others and themselves be seen.
Reflection and reflections. Around the world the setting sun induces reverie
The Vietnamese long formal dress - Aó Dài - is a common sight by the Lake. Photographers come here with their subjects who pose against this favourite background
In fact relatively few strangers are seen at dawn - apart from photographers. While locals and foreigners may keep themselves to themselves, there are also many opportunities to meet and talk with others, whatever their background, be it local, national or international.
A visiting photographer converses with this Hanoian
Conversation at the water's edge
Conversation after a game of badminton
Older people come to talk...
...or walk their bikes
But just as much the young stroll...
The Lake is a prime location for students who are required to go out and sketch
...or sit and laugh together
Students are dispatched in large numbers from universities in Hà Nội to Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Some to draw, some to observe, but most to find foreigners with whom to speak English. The demands are usually light, and light hearted, but photos are always a prize.
Our impromptu group in January 2016
A 'pop-up' teacher being snapped after the set questions have been assayed. Often these are the only English at the questioner's disposal!
These men have brought a large teapot for refreshment after a game (tantalisingly barely visible)
It is not just old and young that congregate, families too come not least for an ice cream (tantalisingly not shown here)
Many come on individual pursuits, for them conversation is easy to find
Hoàn Kiếm provides a social centre for all, be it for exercise, or culture, for photography or meditation. But most of all it is a venue for conversation, for talking is Vietnam's number one activity.
Badminton
is a great Hà Nội favourite. Here four women wait their turn to use the 'court' - often no more than a string between the trees
The next page
gives examples of just how much Hoàn Kiếm Lake is used as a backdrop for photographers.
The last page introduced the Lake and the variety of activities that are found around it
A page on the opposite end of the socialising spectrum - a grand Indian wedding
To a page on taking exercise in the streets of Hà Nội
