Cho Lon residential buildings

This residential area in Cholon was burnt down and rebuilt in the 60s, during the war. Unlike much of HCMC which is a mix of modern and ancient buildings, this area is uniformly quite modern concrete housing, yet also very worn down.

It seems people here live very hard lives, with demanding physical work being the norm. Most of the people I met were motorcycle or cyclo drivers.

A motorcycle driver who lost his eye sight in an accident. His neighbours look out for him and help him get by.

A xe ôm (motorcycle taxi) driver with his two dogs in his tiny room, his bed is above the white plastic chair. His wife passed away eight months ago.

Chopping up coal. 

Fighting cock check-up.

Garbage collection. 

The end of a long day. 

A cyclo driver enjoying a break and a cold beer. 

Cholon motor parts district

Like Chinatown in Bangkok, Cho Lon has an area dedicated to selling, recycling and manufacturing motor parts. The work is done streetside, by people of all ages, and the tempo and energy is impressive.

Selling scooter tires in colourful wrappings.

Cholon backstreets and alleyways

Around Binh Tay Market in District 6 lies Cho Lon or Cholon - HCMCs Chinatown. It is very densely populated and the area has a myriad of narrow passageways and streets with all sorts of production, construction work and recycling of used goods going on as well. 

It's easy to spend hours exploring the area, and without the help of French photographer Arnaud I would most likely have gotten lost. He has been living in the city for fifteen years, speaks Vietnamese and shows photography enthusiasts like me around for a living. Arnaud is a great photographer and knows the city well, and I would recommend anyone with an interest in photography to get in touch with him - have a look at his website for more info. 

Cleaning up and checking used tires. 

Relaxing in the shade with friends. 

Making machine parts. 

Lunch time. 

Cutting bamboo strips for basket production. 

A little shrine by a corner, and a girl keeping a watchful eye on the tourist. 

Bicycles and scooters are omnipresent. 

If there's room to walk, there's room to drive a scooter. 

Close to the central market.

A cyclo driver waiting for clients. 

Cholon and the Binh Tay market

Ho Chi Minh City's Chinatown is considered the largest in the world, and covers large parts of district 5 and 6. Cholon was a separate city, 11km from Saigon, until 1931 when both had grown so much they merged into one. 

The name of the area fittingly means big market in Vietnamese, Binh Tay Market spills out into the streets around the building, and the whole area is very busy.

The Binh Tay Market hall.

All the side alleys and back streets are teeming with manufacturing, recycling and machine workshops and small cafes.

At a backstreet cafe.

I will update with more posts with images from the backstreets and workshops of Cholon. 

Live frogs. Animal welfare does not seem to be a priority. 

The market mainly sells food, but there's also a lot of other things on sale. 

Selling lottery tickets.