Overlooking Hanoi’s deserted streets, tiny balconies have become places of refuge during the coronavirus lockdown as city residents squeeze desks, yoga mats and chairs into the spaces to get their share of fresh air. Below them, everyday objects – bamboo poles, beer crates and ladders – form makeshift barricades on the Vietnamese capital’s streets as authorities try to slow the spread of Covid
Balconies photographed by Nhac Nguyen. Barricades photographed by Manan Vatsyayana
Eight million people living in the Vietnamese capital have been under a strict stay-at-home order since late July, allowed out only for trips to get food or hospital visits.