Leather sandals (Dep da) as you like them to be for summer.

I wear sports shoes, Venice skate shoes if you need to know whose clodhoppers I’m sporting, but as the weather gets warmer the shoes stop being sporty and start being funky. The warmer weather is spreading the nose news that it may be time to find an alternate, more breathable cladding for my tootsies. But it’s the motorbike in my life that’s keeping them under wraps.

In search of alternatives, I hit the local bia hoi to ask a crew of seasoned expats their views on suitable footwear for the summer. One long term resident proudly displayed his thoroughly beaten in plastic sandals, the type with the thick over the top style strap, no between the toe action here.

“I wear these things everywhere, through anything. They keep my feet cool, they’re easy to take off in the house, and if I want them clean, I wear them in the shower.”

But what of the toe grinding threat of a sudden, unplanned stop on the motorbike I queried.

“Funny, I never thought about that,” he said, eyeing me suspiciously, as if I might be an agent working for some new footwear safety NGO making its debut in Vietnam.

So I took it to Hang Be, shoe street, the footwear district of the capital city, to see what advice might be sought from the professionals. Sang dan, or good old sandals, are the summer mode. For men, an appealing range of leather sandals (Dep da) is on offer, if you like them in black. Then there are the sports sandals, Tevas, Cats and a myriad of “Nikes”.

Will you sport these dep?

Such was the range of options, that I was terribly confused even before I consulted a sales assistant to address my needs.

 

“You like these?” She said holding up a pair of Tevas so big I could’ve used them for rafts, punting around on nearby Hoan Kiem Lake.

 

While I was daydreaming about creaming premium tourist dollar, she must’ve thought I wanted something sturdier. I was rudely awoken from thoughts of retiring to Mui Ne when she almost booted me about the head with a pair of Doc Marten boots she was wearing on her hands.

 

I fled the shop, thinking to myself that sometimes it’s best to stick with the status quo.

 

I jumped on my trusty steed, feet firmly clad, and spent a while mingling with the traffic and observing roadworthy attire. I was rewarded with a fantastic collection of Dep da, and their plastic cousins dep, which were literally dripping off the feet of all and sundry in an effort to wear as little by way of footwear as was possible, given the fact they were outside.

 

Sitting at the traffic lights, one young chap noticed that I was eyeing up his footwear. He leaned over and whispered conspiratorially that I really ought to stop wearing Giay the thao (sports shoes) in the summer.

 

A myriad of choices here for you.

Our quick conversation enlightened me as to the swath of inner-heat footwear related ailments that could send me quick smart to the infirmary, or worse. He advised I get myself some plastic dep like his – cheapies I had previously thought were only worn during morning ablutions – and avoid leaving my mother without a son.

 

“How thoughtless are you? But I do like your hair,” were the final words of this traffic light healthcare worker, who tutted and sped off.

 

Exactly, I thought. How careless am I thinking of my toes when there is my general health at stake? And with that I sped back to shoe street, where with the help of a slightly less animated sales assistant, I found the answer to the footwear riddle. To whit: a pair of slip on breathable sneakers without heels, designed with me in mind.

 

The shops where you can find some of summer footwear are located on Cau Go, Hang Dau and Ton Duc Thang streets, Hanoi.

 

Story by Dan Kirk, photos by Hoang Huong.