Common occupations during the subsidy period, as seen in archival photos.

More than 50 years have passed, but the story of the subsidy period still evokes many emotions for those who lived through it. On several groups that compile old documents, images from this period are often shared, stirring up nostalgia.

Due to difficult living conditions, many people had to take on extra jobs to make ends meet. Some professions became popular because they met the needs of the people at the time, including refilling ballpoint pen ink (pictured). The photo was taken by journalist Daniel Roussel in 1985, while he was a correspondent for L'Humanité (Humanity) in Vietnam.

During the subsidy period, ballpoint pens were not common, so when they ran out of ink, users looked for ways to reuse them. On many streets like Hang Ngang and Hang Dao ( Hanoi ), there were shops that refilled ballpoint pens with ink. Here, the sellers used syringes to fill the pens with ink, in various colors such as dark blue, red, and black, depending on the customer's request.

A woman performs the task of refilling ballpoint pen ink, captured through the lens of journalist and photographer Philip Jones Griffiths.

The subsidy period was from 1964-1975 in the North and from 1976-1986 nationwide. During this time, most economic activities were distributed by the state through a system of ration coupons and rice ration books.

Diplomat John Ramsden photographed a bicycle tire shop on Tran Xuan Soan Street. The work, which he featured in his book *Hanoi in the Past* (2016), depicts the rhythm of life in Hanoi more than 40 years ago.

In the 1980s, bicycles were the primary means of transportation and a valuable asset for many people. However, tires were scarce, sometimes requiring multiple lottery draws to obtain one. Therefore, instead of discarding old tires, people often sought out tire removal services for reuse.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc once wrote in his book: "Getting a bicycle was difficult, and buying replacement parts was even harder. Sometimes a paradox occurred: My bicycle had a 650 mm rim size, but the agency distributed 680 mm tires, hence the tire shortening service. They cut the steel band at the edge of the tire (bead) and shortened it to fit the rim. There was even a tire retreading business: They utilized worn or torn tires, covered them with pieces of raw rubber, and then put them in a hot press mold to reuse them."

People jostle to buy goods at a state-run counter.

During the subsidy period, goods were scarce, and all essential items, food, and provisions were distributed using ration coupons. Trade clerks were considered the most influential figures of their time. They were mostly children of those in the commercial sector, attending a two-year elementary trade course, and only after learning about goods, weighing, warehousing, and customer service were they allowed to work as clerks.

An old man mending sandals on the sidewalk, captured through the lens of John Ramsden.

Living in poverty, most people only owned one pair of rubber or plastic sandals. When they broke, they would seek out sandal repairmen to mend them so they could continue using them.

The community service teams were a familiar sight in most neighborhoods of Hanoi during the subsidy period. They sold hot water or helped purchase food and groceries for single-person households. Additionally, these teams would boil sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng) and assist with purchasing shopping bags during Tet (Lunar New Year).

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nhung-nghe-pho-bien-thoi-bao-cap-qua-anh-tu-lieu-post310856.html