French violist Aurélie Vinatier, who worked in Hanoi for four years, is so ‘obsessed’ with local peddlers’ cries to sell their stuff that before leaving the country to get back home, she brings with her recordings of sounds she heard every day in Hanoi, in which the cries play a central role.

Vinatier, who works for the Durand Salabert Eschig Publisher of the Universal Music in Paris, finds her stay in Vietnam, where she was surrounded by all kinds of sounds, a golden opportunity.

However, when she first arrived in Hanoi, she was overwhelmed and hugely annoyed by the pervading, relentless noise day in day out, such as horns honking, dogs barking, and drunk men arguing.

“Then it suddenly hit me that if I listen carefully enough, I will recognize music in these noises. Every day as I heard the peddlers crying their wares at the place I lived, I began to find music in them and thought I should record them as a memento of my stay in Vietnam. As a musician, I find myself humming the tunes from time to time,” Vinatier shared.

She then began to delve into the cries to find out their meanings and sound structures, and it was then that she becomes completely infatuated with them.

“Just like in other countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia or France, peddlers’ cries are gradually disappearing or even vanish altogether in today’s modern, fast-paced world. In Ho Chi Minh City, which seems more modern than Hanoi, peddlers’ cries are heard less often,” the French artist noted.

In what Vinatier has perceived of the cries, they are short, easily recognizable mini-tunes which have been imprinted on almost everyone’s mind.

“Some peddlers have incredible crying voices. I’m talking about the electric appliance fixer or the bread peddler. Their voices are somewhere between a call, a shout and a singing voice,” she stressed.

“The cries give me the feeling that Vietnam is breathing a chestful of fresh air. What I’ll never forget about Vietnam is its non-stop sounds, voices, birds’ twitter and even disturbing noises.

The French artist said she plans to put her recordings into audio files, and later produce a photo book with a CD featuring her favorite sounds and cries.

She may also adopt some of these sounds and cries in the installation exhibit put up by one of her friends in France.

If the response is positive, Vinatier said she may introduce the recordings to a French radio station.

“I came here a bit late. I feel that some years ago, the peddlers’ cries seem more genuine and intriguing. I managed to record a number of them, but my collection would be much more diverse if I came here earlier,” she regretfully shared.