The bike is a mean of transport that reminds Vietnamese people about memories of the wartime and the subsidy period. Bicycles were the main vehicles on the street at that time.

The bike was the dream asset of many families. Imported bikes of the famous brands like Peugeot, Aviac or Mercie were priced a tael of gold. Therefore, bikes were registered as motorbikes or cars today. In picture: A bike ownership certificate.

The bike was carefully locked in front of a cinema. At home, the bike was in a solemn position. Some families put their bikes on a wooden platform, not on the floor, and they kept the bikes super-clean. "The price for a Phoenix bike was VND220, A favorite bike was VND1,000, equivalent to two years of civil servant salary," Mr. Trinh Thang Kim, 60, recalled. Thang said he had to wait for 10 years to be able to purchase a Phoenix bike.

A bike with the number plate.

People rode bicycles on Hoang Dieu Street, Hanoi.

At the Trang Tien - Hang Bai intersection. Without traffic lights, police officers directly guide the traffic.

At the Hoan Kiem Lake.

During traffic jams, people carried their bikes on their shoulders.

After school.

Having a bike became one of the criteria for selecting a husband of Hanoian girls.

Picking up the bride by bike.

Practicing cycling was unforgettable childhood memories of many people. 

During the wartime, some northern provinces were destroyed by bombs. People had to evacuate to the countryside and the greatest asset that many families still kept was the bike.

A cargo bike was called the battle-field iron horse. Many cargo-bike teams were established to transport rice, salt, medicines ... to the front.

A war invalided and his comrade on the street. 

A women carried her child on bike. A photo by German photographer Thomas Bill Hardt.

When the bike was great property, bicycle pumping became a job.

A hand pump.

A bicycle repair shop in Hai Ba Trung Street.

Bicycles were vehicles to transport cargo on Hanoi streets. 

Cycling near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

The smile of a baby.

The family of four on a bike.

Today bicycles are no longer the unique mean of transport, but memories of a time of suffering still remains in the memories of many generations.