Hanoi's Old Quarter gives way to pedestrians

Hanoi's Old Quarter may be one of its biggest tourist attractions - but it's tended to be pretty hostile territory for pedestrians. To remedy this, earlier this year, several major streets in the Old Quarter, were closed to everything but pedestrians on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. It's a great initiative and it's adding to the very nice buzz of locals and foreigners around Beer Corner each night as well as street eating, a night market and some streetside entertainment. Some local businesses complained to me about a big fall in trade so there may be a need for some tweaking but this ia great step forward for Hanoi. The initiative is on trial right now - let's hope it stays. This shot was taken along Ta Hien St.