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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Chris Humphrey in Hanoi

‘I get yelled at a lot’: can TikTok help wheelchair users reclaim the streets of Hanoi?

TikTok Hanoi Vietnam Disability
Hieu Thi Luu is surrounded by a throng of motorbikes, busses and cars as she makes her way home from work.
Hieu Thi Luu on the perilous roads of Hanoi; she cannot use the pavements as they are impassable. Photograph: Chris Humphrey

When Luu Thi Hieu, who has cerebal palsy, drives her wheelchair along a main road in Hanoi, having been unable to access the pavement, it is not unusual for a passing motorcyclist to shout something along the lines of, ‘‘If you need a wheelchair, you should stay home.”

For Hieu, 32, it’s more grist to her growing social-media mill: she has amassed millions of views on TikTok for her activism.

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