You can find a decent haircut anywhere in the world, right? Especially with salons and barber shops popping up all over the place, with the ever-increasing trend of male grooming taking over the world. Well, scrap any idea you have in your mind about trendy, hipster barber shops, with beard creams and pomades galore, and begin to open your mind to a world of simplicity and incredible value for money.
Welcome to the world of the renowned Street Barber.
All over the world, the mighty street barber has battled the elements for centuries in order to provide the masses with a quick, cheap, yet decent haircut. And, in countries like India and China, where money can certainly be an object, these street barbers have continued to provide this valuable service to the public, despite the lack of resources that a typical barber shop can offer. We have been looking at images of street barbers from all over the world, and the similarity is striking. The simple set-up, the bare necessity of barbering does not differ, no matter where you are. Here is a shot of street barbers at work, in Ecuador…
Vietnam’s Street Barbers: In Vietnam’s Hanoi, the street barber is a familiar and certainly favourite sight. Day in, day out, the often ex-military men are cutting hair, not only to provide an income for their families, but also to enjoy the social side of things… There have been street barbers in Vietnam since the 18th century, when French colonists apparently encouraged the the Vietnamese men to wear their hair ‘short and tidy’. In the early 1900’s, when the popularity of barbers was at its peak, there was even a ‘barber village’. In Kim Lien village, generations of families followed the tradition, and produced many of the countries barbers for a long time.
Although no longer functioning as a ‘barber village’, each year the village and surrounding areas hold a festival, where visitors are offered free haircuts and lots of hair stylists and barbers gather to celebrate the history of this special place.
It has been claimed that the number of street barbers here has declined over the past few years, but from what we can gather, the demand and supply aspect is definitely not in decline, with barbers young and old continuing to provide their invaluable service for their ever-demanding clients.
Check out Nomad Barber’s street barber experience in Vietnam…