Vietnam National Circus

It's early morning, Sunday. Hanoi's citizenry has been up for hours, exercising beside downtown lakes, eating rice-and-bean breakfasts in sidewalk cafes, and now, here on Tran Nhan Trong Street, lining up by the hundreds for the 9 a.m. performance of the Vietnam National Circus. In war and peace, in good economic times and bad, the circus has played to capacity crowds.

It's early morning, Sunday. Hanoi's citizenry has been up for hours, exercising beside downtown lakes, eating rice-and-bean breakfasts in sidewalk cafes, and now, here on Tran Nhan Trong Street, lining up by the hundreds for the 9 a.m. performance of the Vietnam National Circus. In war and peace, in good economic times and bad, the circus has played to capacity crowds.