Before I Knew How to Cross

From one balcony in HCMC's District 4, the street below made sense before the rest of the city did.

Mar 23, 2026

∙ Paid

Photo Essay

I kept looking down before I knew how to cross.

From the balcony, the street below first made sense as pattern: red chairs on the sidewalk, scooters moving around them, dogs treating traffic like a suggestion, older buildings pressed against newer ones, and the river carrying dredgers and workboats past the edge of the neighborhood.

11:22 p.m., and the sidewalk was still occupied. ETHAN WARD

View from above of a sidewalk meal with red plastic chairs, a seated person at the curb, a dog near the street, and motorbikes passing by. — The same stretch of pavement, a few hours later. ETHAN WARD

Before I Knew How to Cross

From one balcony in HCMC's District 4, the street below made sense before the rest of the city did.

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