Cyclo Zone

 

Cyclo - a traditional type of pedi-cab in Vietnam. (2016)

It came as part of a tour package. We indulged our weary feet with the slow "cyclo" ride around the historic old quarter of Hanoi, and to provide our driver the employment. The narrow, bustling streets were crowded with motor bikes, almost non-existent side walks, people selling their wares or engaged in conversation around tiny plastic table sets while having Vietnamese coffee or tea. 

It was curious how the streets were still organized -- named by product. One street might sell different types of string and yarn (Yarn Street), another street sells only picture frames, another books, another spices, and so on. If one shop didn't carry what you needed, they directed you to one down their street that might have it. This ancient system was efficient for someone in the market for a specific item. But, it also seemed in the spirit of cooperation rather than competition -- to help the client and to help each business survive. In a somewhat related podcast, I recently heard about Darwin's "survival of the fittest", and that previously overlooked in his writing was that species that are the "wisest" survive because they've learned to collaborate or cooperate. It seems a theory the world today needs in order to be sustainable.

Hanoi's Old Quarter