17 October 2010

See if you look this good at 1000 years


In the middle of the 10 days celebrating Hanoi's 1000th Birthday, there was a tragic fireworks accident during the unloading of the fireworks for the finale that killed several people. This is the only part of celebration that really made international headlines. My heart goes out the families of those killed. I also have mixed feelings about the limited amount of access that citizens of Hanoi had to various events--most venues were just not big enough or open enough to accommodate the 100,000s of people that wanted to participate. It makes me appreciate even more the kind of mass event planning that goes on for every sporting event in the US each weekend, or the masses that watched the Obama Inauguration.


But these photos show the fun side of the celebrations -- some of the most crowded, peaceful, and bedazzled street crowds, mostly not from Hanoi, lights and banners and flags along main thoroughfares, the more openly displayed heritage of the Hanoi Citadel, flower-bedecked sidewalks, calligraphy displays, views of the highways near Westlake, and images from artist Dao Anh Khanh's Life Tree light-and-sound structures.

A selection of 37 photos is available by clicking here.