Colors of the Market – Hoi An, Vietnam – 360nomad
“I’ve been selling vegetables here since I was about 18 years old. Now I am 70. Just a few of my hairs are turning grey. They are not totally grey though. I also have my hair dyed black” Vọng says laughing. “I am so old, not young anymore. I am sad about being old” she jokes.
“This is my main job. In the afternoon, I am free. It is fun to work here. Chatting is fun but fighting is more fun. Haha! Just kidding! We never fight, just come here to sell stuff, have fun, laugh and then go home.”
“My husband used to work, but now he is old, he just stays at home. Men at his age have no job to do, what should they do? He is the same age as me. I work like this, 70 but constantly working. He stays at home. If I go home now, he may have fallen asleep already. He has a better life than me! I worry about these things those things, but he is relaxed now.”
“In the afternoon, I do the house chores, cook and clean. Clean the dishes that he and his son used. It is rare that he cleans the dishes. I wash them all. But I don’t scold him, because he is my husband. He just watches TV and cooks food.”
“Nowadays, I see that if the wife cooks, the husband will help. In the past, it never happened. Now young generations are better, the husband and wife do everything together.”
Vọng, 70 years old
Hoi An, Vietnam
