Street hawkers (những gánh hàng rong)

Let's take a break from eating "street food" and think about what's behind the words "street hawker" or "gánh hàng rong"in Vietnamese.

English is not my mother tongue!
I don't feel what could be behind the word "hawker", or between the lines, except its meaning "a person who travels around selling goods, typically advertising them by shouting"

If we use Google translate "gánh hàng rong"means funnily "burden vendors"!
but ,meaningfully, burden, a heavy load!

Gánh hàng rong No 1: selling sweet tofu 

In Vietnamese "gánh hàng rong" is a group of three words, and each word has its meaning.

Gánh hàng rong No 2: selling different snacks from banana paper, rice cracker, small sponge cake...

Gánh: traditional carry tool includes a meter-long bamboo stick put on the shoulder and two baskets hung at two ends, the load on these baskets should be equal in order to keep the balance.  
Hàng: goods
Rong: as I guess, it could come from "rong ruổi": walk around, talk around...

Gánh hàng rong No 3: selling rice crackers, pop corn... 

Gánh hàng rong : traditional carry tool with goods...walking around!

Gánh hàng rong has been "humanized" and means a person who is selling goods on his or her traditional carry tool by walking, shouting around the streets.

Gánh hàng rong No 4: selling glutinous rice cake wrapped with coconut leaf, goose's  eggs

Gánh hàng rong in Vietnamese has been often associated with uneasy destiny, especially, woman or mother's destiny.

Gánh hàng rong No 5: selling "bánh tai yến" 

The goods they carries probably not a heavy load, but to live a hard life, to support family, children is a burden that they must overcome...

Gánh hàng rong No 6: selling cooked sweet potato, cassava, wax banana

Along with the image of woman living a hard life for family, gánh hàng rong still associated with the tradition which could be faded away in the future.

Gánh hàng rong No 7: selling corn sticky rice for nearly 50 years at the same place   

Gánh hàng rong is still an image which is closely linked with our childhood! 

We used to see, to buy stuff from them but do we remember their face, do we know where they come from? Usually, no!     

The last gánh hàng rong: selling favorite green mango and rice paper salad to school children! 

I finish this post with a song "Gánh hành rong", touching music and lyrics.
Hope I won't have a problem with the copyright!