Three men sitting at a streetside cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam

Three men sitting at a streetside cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam

Three young men in long pants and T-shirts sit on red plastic stools at a streetside cafe in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. A woman wearing a headscarf stands nearby beside a rack of items for sale. She carries a plastic bag of goods and is either another customer or a staff member of the family that owns the combined cafe and street stall business.

Roadside kiosks like this are small businesses that can be opened by less wealthy families with minimal capital input and stock supplies. Such small stores usually are open long hours and sell low-priced items that any family might need, but might not want to make a longer trip to a major market to buy. Their one or two tables also cater to workers taking breaks, or unemployed people who like to socialize in public without spending much money.

Such small stores usually are open long hours and sell low-priced items that any family might need, but might not want to make a longer trip to a major market to buy. Their one or two tables also cater to workers taking breaks, or unemployed people who like to socialize in public without spending much money.