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A guitar club in Hanoi gathers for street performances every Sunday afternoon at Ly Thai To Flower Garden, besides Hoan Kiem Lake, where local passers-by have chance to enjoy or even join in the melodious atmosphere.
Groups of young people play guitar and singing has become a common sight around the city; around them people enthusiastically adding their voices and others clapping along to the rhythm.
Some of these young people are members of an online guitar forum, Hocdan.com, one of the largest forums for guitar lovers in Hanoi.
Established in October, 2011 by Hieu Orion, one of the most famous guitarists in Hanoi, hocdan.com now boasts some 43,000 members, mainly students.
They chose this place to gather every Sunday afternoon with their guitars, cajon drums and harmonica, playing well into the evening.
Hieu Orion says he always has always had a special love and respect the street artists.
“When visiting foreign countries, I always liked watching people playing their instruments on the sidewalks, in subway stations or parks, without paying much attention to whether people listened or not. This really impressed me," he said.
The first meeting of the group was not online, but a personal gathering.
“I can still remember the feeling of that first meeting. It was unlike any stage performance. The atmosphere was just great," he said.
Sometimes the young artists are joined by older ones, such as violinist Ta Tri Hai, another famous street artist who has been playing on the roads and corners of HCM City and Hanoi, winning the love and respect of a large number of people.
Pham Thanh Tra, a 63-year old resident of Hanoi commented, “I usually go for a walk every afternoon around Hoan Kiem Lake and I always wait for the Sunday afternoon gathering of the young guitarists. We don’t have many street artists in Hanoi, so they are quite special to me."
Meanwhile, Laura Smith, an architect from America, also praised the performance. "Even though I don't understand all the songs, I really love this atmosphere. It adds a lot of charm to the city."
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