Tracks
Last weekend, while visiting Hanoi for a few days, I took a short walk along the stretch of railway track that leads from Hanoi station, over Long Bien bridge and out to the north. I followed the tracks across the busy city streets near the station, then through a quiet neighbourhood, and above a local market. Space is tight; houses open directly onto the tracks. Trains are fairly infrequent so, as in any other Hanoi neighbourhood, people go about their everyday business in the streets outside their homes.
As the railway heads gently up and towards the bridge, there is little room for the market stalls underneath. Here, dog meat is being sold as a train passes overhead.
Wayne and Frank were out looking for trouble.
Other forms of transport are available.
I stopped for a cup of tea…
… which this nice man insisted on paying for.
Unfortunately, I was too late for lunch; the com binh dan was already closed.
Without an H 
85 Responses to “Tracks”
Fantastic series of photos but actually really love the closed food stall just for its simplicity.
Thanks. Sometimes the simple ones are the best.
Wow, this is quite incredible. The things we don’t know. Thanks for posting these great photos.
Great series. I love your photos. I was in Vietnam for a few weeks last year, so this brings back lots of memories. Great photos and blog!
Superb! There are some really great compositions here. I love 1, 5, 9, 10 and 12 in particular, but they are all great shots.
Awesome Jon!
Thank you, Maeve. Hope all is well with you.
good to know the lives around a railroad. It must be very noisy and while there’s still a neighborhood living there peacefully. Great set.
Thank you. It’s actually surprisingly quiet. The trains don’t come by very often, and there’s a lot less motorbike traffic than in other parts of the city.
Duong Sat, the steel road becomes a path, a place of rest
do you think of tomorrow while sitting with yesterday at your back?
the colors, red, green, blue sky
become carrier of waves,
straight lines are pauses
think as you pause
the journey is important only
if you look up
Thanks, Mary. You’re the first person to respond to my pictures with a poem. Hope all is well, and that we can catch up when I make it back to Hanoi later this year.
Wow! Some amazing photos.
Fantastic photos – the colors are striking. There is something so romantic and infinite about railroad tracks that just makes you want to stare and follow them down. My mother is from Vietnam but I have never been to Hanoi – thanks so much for sharing.
http://meetmehereandthere.wordpress.com/
Thank you. Yes, there’s definitely something about railway tracks.
Nice images!
I love how you’ve captured the atmosphere in the photographs, they’re excellent! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Amazing…..
great photographs! 😉
Wonderful pictures!
these photos are breathtaking. I hope to travel someday and see raw images of the world like these.
Wow…very nice!!! Beautiful pictures…pretty cool to see the world outside of my world.
Lovely photos.
Beautiful Photos!
Wow your photos are amazing!
Fantastic images of an interesting slice of life along the tracks. Wonderful post. Hanoi was a photographer’s dream. Loved it.
Thanks for sharing these stunning photos.
Absolutely beautiful, the colours are outstanding. It makes me miss Asia!
Very nice travel shots! The blue wall with the clothes and bicycle is my favorite.
That’s one of my favourites too. I actually have other pictures of it from two or three years ago.
Amazing how those Brits even turn up in Hanoi (Wayne and Frank, that is). Great photos. I wonder if those stalls shake when the train does eventually go by. Great photos! Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful Picture My Friend, Looked like a fantastic trip.
I have been in Hanoi myself, and wish I had more time to explore every side of it! Really good photographs.
nice
Great, simple commentary. Enjoyed. Thanks
A beautiful post! Thanks!
Such a great photo story… i’ll be in Hanoi in a few days too, I’ll keep my eyes open for these great settings!
Amazing images! Congrats 🙂
Absolutely amazing images. Love them!
Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!11
how terrifically enjoyable
thank you for sharing these
Awesome photos there are so many ideas for stories that I can write. Excellent
What awesome photos. What is amazing is the expressions. They have hard lives and you have done a great job of capturing them. Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful pictures, they truly tell a story of an adventure!
From the first images, thought these were taken in Manila. Vivid colors, evokes much emotion!:)
Beautiful series!
Absolutely fantastic photographs Jon! All of them are beautiful but I think the one of the old man sitting near the track is stunning! Keep up the great work!
I love these pics – it made me want to see more of the town and how these people live. Fascinating! Thank you for sharing.
These are outstanding photos! Thank you for sharing them. Very moving.
Very nice work, a treat to look at.
Beautiful work
These are stunning and beautiful photographs. I enjoyed the captions. It made me feel like I could be there, or at least that I wanted to ‘teleport’ there and walk one foot in front of the other along those tracks and pass people’s homes. It really showed me a side of a part of the world that I am not familiar with. Brilliant job!
Great work! Up close and personal with the locals. Thanks for reminding me of Hanoi! Such an amazing city.
These are fantastic! Thanks for sharing them with us.
The solid composition cradles the deep saturation and pools of shadow; each one of these looks like a perfect exposure, not always easy when shooting outside in variable weather. I like how the baby in the first shot is looking down the tracks in alarm, as if maybe, just maybe, a train might be coming.
I visited Hanoi back in 1997. It was actually my favourite part of my one month stay in Vietnam and I was fortunate to travel quite a bit of the country. Your photos are lovely. They bring me back but even more so, you capture a point of view that is unique and fascinating. Thank you.
Beautiful photos
Beautiful shots. For some reason I like number 3 and the “30” best. May I ask what camera you’re using? Greetings!
Thank you. I use a Canon 5D (the old mk I version).
I really enjoyed these photos. Each one tells an unspoken story that touches the heart and takes you away on a journey.
Amazing images. very powerful.
Reblogged this on juwairenmops and commented:
Great!
Nice Captures
Wonderful photos. they really capture a feeling of a culture a world away from my own. I could hear the sounds and almost touch the friendliness of the people you captured as you walked the track.
Lovely photos and a great story.
awesome thanks
All of the photos are amazing!
such an inspiration who does photowalks….keep it up 😀
Amazing photos…………..
Truly fantastic photos in Vietnam. I would like to travel to Southeast Asia some day. The look in the woman’s face sitting on the railroad tracks speaks volumes to me.
Stunning photos. Beautiful work. I felt like I was transported to this lush place and was there with those lovely people.
Amazing photos!
http://www.thesummerofstars.wordpress.com
Great photos…wonderfully framed and exposed. Thanks for sharing!
Your photos describe genuinely life in Vietnam, yet it’s a piece of life in Vietnam.
Great shot!
http://cristianruboniphotography.wordpress.com/
Great images, I’d love to do this when I retire!
lovely pictures…simple yet so brilliant. congratulations on being freshly pressed!
marvellous shots
A lovely set of images.
beautiful
wonderful!
Belatedly, a big thank you to everyone for all the positive comments. I’m very proud of this post, so I’m happy that other people like it too. Thanks also to Cheri at WordPress for featuring the post on Freshly Pressed.
Apologies too for the delay in replying. I’ve been in China for the last few weeks, and couldn’t access my blog.
My VIetnam is so beautiful,
thank you for your photos
Beautiful photos!
Reblogged this on DunlopDesign and commented:
Jon Sanwell captures his journeys on film, the striking contrasts of easterns cultures are depicted in a bare yet dynamic tone. Colours and form marry chaotically, the energy is vibrant and eye catching. The composition and depth of his photographs lead the eye and transports the viewer. Texture is key, laying bare the rough and ready environment, simplistic and vibrant in colour.
You posted this long before I started blogging or following. These are superb. What a variety of sights. Frank and Wayne made me laugh!