“Going anywhere nice on your holidays?”
I've never had a haircut from one of them myself, although perhaps I should. Across the world, from Hanoi to Shanghai, Phnom Penh to Delhi, outdoor barbers have long occupied the space between public service and street theatre. Mirrors balanced on walls, chairs borrowed from somewhere else, and customers apparently unconcerned by the lack of appointments, air conditioning or online reviews. Just don’t ask for a Balayage.
Outdoor shave. Chandni Chowk, Delhi, India - 2025
Hanoi
My first encounter with them was in Hanoi in Vietnam in about 1994 where I came across this entire line of barbers waiting for custom. I’ve only recently discovered that many of them came to Hanoi from a village called Kim Lien, a place dubbed as the “barber’s village,” in search of work. There’s an interesting piece about them here. These days, they still exist but in much smaller numbers as the Vietnamese authorities clamp down on unlicensed traders and more affluent, urban Vietnamese go to the salons.
Barber Street, Hanoi, Vietnam - 1994
Shanghai
Back in the early 2000’s Shanghai was already well on the way to urban transformation - but there were still pockets of older community life in the side streets including this, one of my favourite shots of Shanghai from that time. An open air salon, sprucing up pensioners as they then went to practice their outdoor ballroom dancing and Tai Chi on the Bund.
Shanghai hairdressers, China - 2004
Cambodia
2013 in a morning market in Phnom Penh. No small talk here - just a decent haircut, a curious foreigner and Khmer pop music on the earphones
Phnom Penh, Cambodia - 2013
Mexico City
Not quite outdoors this time, and yours truly appears in the mirror. Quite why I photographed it I'm not entirely sure. I have little interest in modern salons, let alone spending large sums on expensive haircuts. But I've always been drawn to the theatre and community of less formal places. Perhaps they say something about the lives around them and me. By the way, this time I did get a Mexican haircut - almost indoors.
Mexico City - 2024
The barbers are still there, although not always where they once were. Some have moved indoors. Some have disappeared altogether. Others have traded mirrors nailed to walls for Instagram accounts and online bookings. But every time I come across one anywhere on my travels, I'm reminded that a haircut remains one of life's more democratic rituals. Everyone needs one eventually. Even me.
