Hanoi, capital city of Vietnam, is what I call the "Paris of Vietnam". The French had, off and on again, occupied Vietnam and only recently left for good in the 1950's, inevitably Vietnam as a whole is quite infused with French culture making this capital city like no other in South East Asia. The architecture is very Parisian.
And there are cheese & baguettes being sold on every street corner, it couldn't remind more of Paris. 
J'adore Hanoi et Paris! Below are a few pictures from this beautiful bustling baguette filled city!
A night shot of a crazy busy intersection in Hanoi's Old Quarter district.
...and a man selling balloons in the middle of it all!
This a street sign that makes me laugh a little everyday...
Western culture is not only infused in the architecture and food in Vietnam. It's also influence the art and design here, which makes for very interesting and unique creations.
Remember Vietnamese lacquer and lacquerware which I had mentioned before? The quite extensive 75-115 day process, which is about 2000 years old, and involves harvesting resins from the Rhus Succedanea Trees. Artists then apply layers of lacquer to fix imperfections in the wood, then several layers including soil and rock and lacquer are applied, then sanded down, then art, eggshell, seashell, mother of pearl, and/or vibrant lacquer colors applied. Lastly, a clear coat of lacquer is applied to complete the stunning piece which is ultra strong and durable.
Well I recently picked up some of the most impressive lacquerware I've ever seen in Vietnam from a brilliant lady named Hue (picture below)!
Hue was born and raised in the village near Hanoi, which is famous for producing beautiful lacquer decor for generations and generations. Though they still continue to make traditional styles of lacquer they have also (due to the French influence) introduced new art forms, designs, and style to their collections. Hue and her family bring lacquer from their village to sell in Hanoi and I was able to hand select the best vases, wine holders, and other decor which represents a fusion of Eastern traditional art and Western design. I hope you'll love it. Here are a few sneak peaks!
Here are a some bamboo spun vases in red and orange!
and here are a couple of really cool square green vases with seashell decor!
1 comment:
Hanoi, Hanoi, Hanoi Hanoii hanoiii .....hhaannnooii ....hannnoiii (set to the tune of ole, ole ole ooolllleeee....
hahah good times. i cant wait to i visit you, im going to bring an empty suitcase so i can bring a crap load back to NC!
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