Page 6
6/3/2024
Cloud of smoke…
The bamboo water pipe (điếu cày) is one of the iconic symbols of Việt Nam and it is used to smoke a thuốc lào ("pipe tobacco"). Thuốc lào is a type of tobacco made from the Nicotiana rustica plant that has high concentrations of nicotine.
Everywhere you go, you will see a điếu cày and every street-side trà đá (ice tea vendor) will have a điếu cày available for those who wish to smoke while drinking a refreshing glass of tea (usually green) with a chunk of ice in it. Not sure if they provide the tobacco, or if it is a bring your own? or both? sort of situation.
Below is a picture of the điếu cày that one of the security guards at my apartment uses. These pipes are ~ 24 to 28" long and they contain some water to cool the smoke before you inhale it. I'm guessing there is a small tube that extends out the backside of the silver bowl at the bottom of the pipe that goes down inside the tube that is probably filled with water to just below the level of the bowl. "
Smoking thuốc lào is not against the law because it is not a narcotic. That said, as with all tobacco, it has negative health consequences.
![pictue of long bamboo pipe leaning against wall on right side of picture. black steps are going up on left side of picture.](https://docs.gato.txst.edu/692183/w/2000/Qta47PIGO8xJ/pipe2-0099.jpg)
The gentleman in the blue in the center of the picture below makes điếu cày by hand and sells them on the street. He was outside the market where I buy my food each week. He had just finished making two điếu cày and is taping them together. As a side note, notice the man squatting down. I once saw a Vietnamese man sit like this for 45 minutes while he shined shoes of customers at a coffee shop.
![picture of four men and on young boy. Men ara looking at something off-camera to the left. Man in middle with blue shirt is holding two brown lengths of cut bamboo. Boy in red shirt is walking toward camera. There is a man squating down to left of man on right with yellow shirt.](https://docs.gato.txst.edu/692185/w/2000/DKFwNWSio8E7/pipe-1324.jpg)
Here is what thuốc lào looks like. The security guard at my apartment let me take a picture of the tobacco.
![picture of tobbacco in a small transparent plastic bag (left) and some tobbacco out of bag on right.](https://docs.gato.txst.edu/692184/w/2000/y7cffHoQc7Tj/pipe3-0263.jpg)
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