Main Street Eat

Phố Huế drills traffic from Hanoi's inner south to its heart at Hoàn Kiếm Lake. A one way procession of engines which changes name to Hàng Bài nearer to the lake, it intersects with three main east-west roads, Trần Hưng Đạo, Hai Bà Trưng and Lý Thường Kiệt, ensuring an increasing glut of vehicles as it passes over each.
Along its length, Phố Huế  is all business. At its southern end lies the infamous chợ đen (black market), just off in a side street. Here, one might be able to recover a stolen remote control or power tool, buy cheap blank CDs, DVD players and karoake machines and speakers. The din created by the merchandising and demonstration of this equipment is quite something. For the locals, the noise is water off a duck's back, exciting even. For me...well, I think I've made my feelings about Hanoi's noise known in many a prior post.
The next stretch of the road is a shrine to the motorcycle. On the run into town, businesses on the left are selling every possible accessory for Vietnam's most common people and product mover. Stainless steel exhaust pipes and shimmering mirrors hang on display like arty industrial installations. Whistles, air horns and flashing lights that deafen, blind and distract are sold in great numbers to the city's young male population. Female customers like to dolly-up their bikes with stencils of butterflies or flowers. This summer's craze in motorbike customising is little plastic cartoon figurines being scewed on the back tyre mud-guard.
For rev-heads, it's all very interesting.

But Phố Huế has its food heart, too. Mid its length, the road takes a slight bend where the Chợ Hôm (Hom Market) is situated. A cavernous central space inside houses some of Hanoi's finest fruit vendors while, out through the rear entrance, vegetable and herb stalls, butchers and fish-mongers operate along with many other specialist food purveyors.
This is all very well if one wants to shop. Normally I would be happy to poke around for a bunch or two of Asian greens, sample a rambutan or two, perhaps even put together an impromptu lunch menu from the foodstuffs on offer. This excursion down Phố Huế  has a purpose, however. These scant descriptions of the commodities available on this street are just a means to an end, an angle into what I really want to say.
I want to shout loudly, "Mỳ Vằn Thắn."

From the top of a mountain of deep fried wontons!
Just opposite the market, this dish of fresh egg noodles and wontons is put together by a chain-gang of mighty women. There is a chain of command and clear delineation of labour but it is hardly unspoken. Efficiency, as in many noodle houses in Vietnam, is in accordance with volume. If there's no shouting, there may be a wait on the noodles. Here, prompt service is a hallmark and barking racket is the prevailing atmosphere.
The preparation of the dish is a methodical portioning of both steamed and deep fried wontons, an egg wedge, thinly sliced xá xíu and a semi-circular slither of liver (try saying that quickly!). All is arranged on the silky nest of blanched noodles and greens. The final flourish is the pour of the ladle.

Mỳ Vằn Thắn comes to Hanoi from China, via Saigon. It came to my face from the bowl, via the chopsticks, quick.