Philadelphian Brightens Up Hanoi Alley

Scott received a master’s in economics from Drexel university and chose Hanoi as the first place to visit after graduation. He said that the crowded streets of the old quarter were too busy and confusing to navigate upon his arrival. Soon after, he became mesmerised by the hustle and bustle of these ancient streets and chose the area to live and work.

Scott Matt paintsthe old and mossy walls with different colours He hopes that his work will contribute to preserving the beauty of the old streets in Hanoi and improve local awareness of the value of their living space.

He felt bad about the shoddy condition of the lane near his house so he bought paints and started painting the old and mossy walls with different colours. His work has helped create a lively space with bright colours like orange, red and blue. He also turned electricity boxes into eye-catching decorative objects.

““First, many residents were curious about what I was doing and did not understand my intentions. Soon however, everyone supported my efforts. I often painted the walls in the evenings so that the locals would see the new look of the walls the next morning,” said Scott. He hopes that his work will contribute to preserving the beauty of the old streets in Hanoi and improve local awareness of the value of their living space.

The image of an American man passionately painting walls in the lane was very helpful for the locals. “We all supported the work of Scott because he helped our living space become cleaner and more beautiful,” said Nguyen Duy The, a resident of Hang Bac street.

Besides teaching English, Scott also works as a tourist guide to introduce foreign tourists to Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

The small lane has the new lookwith colourful wallsand electricity boxes. Scott Matttalks withforeign tourists about his work. The small lane is now clean with colourful walls.