Thinking back

In the preceding posts and pictures I tried to capture the feeling of Hanoi from our perspective. The overall effect is somewhat incomplete without the smells and and the feeling of the air, though. One of the things we noticed immediately, coming back to Asia, both in Hong Kong and Hanoi was the smell of coal in the air. It is the smell I associate with China, when I lived in Harbin and Beijing 12 years ago. Smells like winter.



I mentioned earlier (I think) the difference in personal space one notices as a westerner in Asia. It's funny, in the Hanoi guide it said not to be surprised if the Vietnamese were to ask personal questions or make remarks that would be considered rude in US culture. Examples they gave were something like, "You're really very fat," and "Isn't your husband ugly?" Fortunately I didn't experience the latter, but I did see a real-life example of the former. A European backpacker was stopped by an older Vietnamese man at Hoan Kiem. I couldn't hear the conversation, but it ended with the older man poking at the westerner's stomach and laughing.

A couple more amusing experiences come to mind. At Gammebeer, as we were in conversation, Lissa got a funny expression on her face and her father began laughing. I looked up and saw that the waitress had noticed Lissa's colored hair braids, and like a cat, was playing with them contentedly.

Previously, at the Temple of Literature, I had been pre-occupied taking photos, and hadn't noticed a young Vietnamese woman (I think a student) approach me. When I stopped taking pictures, she looked me in the eye and said clearly, "You can kiss me." I politely declined.
(I am fairly certain that she was actually trying to convey another meaning, but this makes a better story.)

Oranges everywhere -- must be Tet!





One last image, back in Hong Kong on the way home, I was pleased to see the iconic Star Ferry still shuttling passengers back and forth to Kowloon. I think it closed for a time, but if so, someone bought it and kept the same ships and low fare service (HK$2.2). No trip to Hong
Kong is complete without a trip on that ferry.

Pub Crawl, last night in Hanoi

After bun cha (rice noodles, barbecue pork, greens) with my father-in-law's family, he, my wife and I headed out for the pubs. Our original plan was to drive to Red Beer microbrewery first, but a night market got in our way, so instead we hit Finegan's at 16a Duong Thanh for draft Halida. Nice spot in the old quarter, pool tables in back. Apparently the women are the pool sharks in Vietnam. Some will bet their clothing against your money. They generally keep their clothing. We didn't test the theory....

On to Gambrinus (now Gammebeer) at 198 Tran Quang Khai, for microbrew golden ales and stouts. Not bad, but a bit sweet. The beer hall is enormous by Hanoi standards. Easily seats 200-250 people or so.

Last was Bobby Chinn's on the west side of Hoan Kiem lake. We met Bobby. He is half-Chinese, half-Egyptian, so no surprise he has become a restauranteur in Hanoi. Good guy, nice place. This spot has become THE expats bar over the past several years, and I can see why. It could be in NYC or L.A. if you changed the window scenery. Prices are western. Wish we had had appetite to try the food, but there is always next time.

This was a great trip. Off to the airport!

Four Temples and Two Dresses

Today was a day of pagoda visits and one Ao Dai errand.

First was the Ambassadors' Pagoda. This is actually a real, operating Buddhist Temple and a home for the Buddhism Research Institute. The name comes from its original purpose, which was to house ambassadors from other Buddhist countries. It was refreshing to see a working temple, with offices and meeting rooms ringing the courtyard, with the shrine in the middle.



Then on we went to the Tran Quoc Pagoda ("National Defense"), said to be the oldest pagoda in Vietnam, built in the 6th century. It has a very pleasant view of the Ho Tay (West) Lake. The front portion of the site has many new structures (among them a large stone memorial and a traditional tall pagoda), and in the back, the old pagoda itself is actually only one story tall and is very understated. A group of visitors donned white headbands and placed rugs on the stone floor to hold a funeral, so we did not stay long.



Quan Thanh Temple was not on the list, but we happened to be passing so we stopped in. Just south of the Truc Bach (White Silk) Lake, this temple dates back to the 11th century. The grounds are very relaxing and are lined with flame trees. A group of art students sat painting the landscape. The lake has an interesting history as well. Its name come from the palace built on the site which later became a "reformatory for deviant royal concubines," whose punishment was to weave a very fine white silk.





Next on the list was the One-Pillar Pagoda (Chua Mot Cot), which we missed last time we walked past Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The story goes that Emperor Ly Thai Tong (reigned 1028 to 1054 AD) had a dream that he met the goddess of Mercy, Quan The Am Bo Tat, who handed him a male child. Ly Thai Tong then married a peasant girl who bore him a son (and heir to the throne). He built the pagoda to thank the goddess. The French destroyed the original in 1954, and the government promptly rebuilt it.



After lunch at Paris Deli (tasty coffee and pastries), we picked up my wife's bridemaid's dress and Ao Dai (amazingly completed in two days!! The shop is To Thanh Nga, at 54 Hang Gai, and I highly recommend them!

Coffee beans, Flower markets, and Indian food

The day began with clouds and drizzle, but that's not too surprising since we haven't seen the sun once in our time here. I'm told that the best time to visit is October/November, so we'll aim for that next time. We had two goals for the day: to purchase coffee beans, and to eat good Indian food.

Coffee, we figured we would buy from the market across the street, but Mr. T (very helpful member of house staff -- not the actor from "The A Team") soon set us on a better path. He made a phone call or two, and located for us a tiny specialty coffee roaster in the old quarter whose coffee he said would be superior. He even went so far as to negotiate the price of the coffee (bargaining down 25%) and to give the owners my description so that they would recognize us when we arrived. More Mr. T intelligence: as the Tet holiday is coming up, there was to be a flower market right in that area at the intersection of Hang Ma and Hang Be. This sounded much more interesting than the FiviMart across the street, so off we went.

Hang Giay Street is small enough that it is often left off tourist maps, but with Mr T's directions we found it easily. Hue Cafe (Motto: "Good Strong Coffee") is a hole in the wall, located at 26 Hang Giay Street, a small street between Luong Ngoc Quyen and Hang Buom, a five minute walk north of Hoan Kiem Lake. The proprietors recognized me immediately (1.85m tall white guy in black leather jacket and chinos), and invited us to sit down and try the coffee. So we folded up our enormous legs and sat down on plastic stools about 20cm off the ground. They brought us espresso-sized porcelain cups of extremely strong coffee and a can of condensed milk. The "Special Highland" variety was as tasty as its reputation, and I may need another suitcase to transport our purchases.



Around the corner we visited the flower market. What I didn't expect was that the market was not just for live flowers, but silk ones as well. Mixed in with the tangerine trees (very popular at Tet), and budding rose bushes were a silk lilies, marigolds, roses, carnations, and many other colorful representations of real flowers and others were the artist clearly felt he could improve a bit upon nature. Vendors around the flower market sold paper cuttings in red and gold, good luck colors traditional for special events all over Asia.

Food moments this day: bun cha and beer at Le Pub, Mango yoghurt smoothy (the menu's spelling) at La Place looking out over the St. Joseph Cathedral plaza, pate banh mi from a street vendor, and finally a lovely Indian dinner at Khazaana, at 1C Tong Dan, not far at all from where we are staying. I recommend the last particularly highly. We try to have South Asian food in our travels wherever it has good reputation. Indian food in the US and UK, for example, are very different, whether it is the Indian population and cuisine represented or the local interpretation of dishes, there is always something new to experience. At Khazaana we had spicy mutton with mushrooms, a spinach and peas dish flavored with fenugreek, and a black lentil curry. For dessert: almond caramel ice cream (imagine halvah as an ice cream), and gulab jamun, a golfball-sized pastry that tasted cornbread with butter in honey. Yum!

Art Galleries and Dictionaries

While my wife is teaching a dance workshop, I took a walk around the Opera House neighborhood. Trang Tien Street is filled with bookstores (with some foreign language titles) and art galleries. I particularly enjoyed Green Palm at 15 Trang Tien, and Thanh Binh (Thanh Binh also has its own website) at No. 25-27 on the same street.

The art varies widely in terms of subject matter, artistic talent, and choice of medium. I saw oils on canvas, laquer on wood, some watercolors, and some pottery as well. Styles ranged all over from impressionism to realism to surrealism. A few artists clearly were inspired by Klimpt, some by Picasso, others by Monet. Many subjects were repeated across the ten galleries I visited: Buddhist monks (up to five abreast) walking away from the viewer into nothingness on a background of yellow; a pensive young woman alone in traditional dress; and the back streets of Hanoi in the afternoon light. The gallery managers all spoke good English and were very solicitous. I may have to visit the fine arts museum.

As I mentioned, on the same street were a number of bookstores. We are unable to visit a foreign country without purchasing a few language texts and translators dictionaries, and Vietnam is no exception!

Food Recommendations (untried as yet)

In no particular order:

From New York Times Articles

• Paris Deli, 6 Phan Chu Trinh Street, (84-4) 9345269, and 13 Nha Tho Street, (84-4) 9286697. With two locations, these casual French bistros serve good French food, including baguette sandwiches and pastries at affordable prices. Lunch for two, plus wine, $35
• Club Opera, 59 Ly Thai To Street, (84-4) 8246950. In a villa across the street from the Metropole, this elegant restaurant serves superbly prepared Thai and Vietnamese food, like shrimp in coconut sauce and fried fillet of sea bass with mango. Dinner for two, with wine, $70.
• Wild Rice (a k a. La Lua): 6 Ngo Thi Nham Street; (84-4) 943-8896; wildrice@fpt.vn.
• Wild Lotus: 55A Nguyen Du Street; (84-4) 943-9342; wildlotus@fpt.vn.
• Spices Garden: Metropole Hotel, 15 Ngo Quyen Street; (84-4) 826-6919.
• Green Tangerine: 48 Hang Be Street; (84-4) 825-1286.
• Moon River: Bac Cau, Ngoc Thuy Village, Gia Lam District, Hanoi; (84-4) 871-1658

From the Vietnam Economic Times "The Guide" award-winners:

• Cyc lo Bar (French) - 38 Duong Thanh, tel: 828-6844
• Khazaana (Indian) - 1C Tong Dan, tel: 934-5657
• Quan An Ngon (Vietnamese), 18 Phan Boi Chau, Tel: 942-8162

From various foodie websites (may be low on atmosphere, because backpacking authors don't usually care):

• "Bun Cha" on Hang Manh Street
• Cha Ca La Vong at 14 Pho Cha Ca, Hoan Kiem District for fish
• 17 ly quoc su street for chao vit (duck)

Bellydance in Vietnam

Not what expect in Vietnam, and yet, my wife found it. In fact, she found the only troupe, Bastet Douat (Worshippers of Bastet), begun by Ara Huang, a Korean-born dancer, who single-handedly brought the art-form to Vietnam. Ara is very enthusiastic, and excited to learn new material, as are her students. Twelve showed up for my wife's impromptu workshop in the afternoon.

In fact, Bastet Douat (and my wife) performed that evening at 1001 Nights at 28 Dao Duy Tu. The restaurant looks like a small coffee shop, but has a surprise second floor performance venue decorated in the Casbah style, with thick rugs, cushions, low tables, fabric draped from the ceiling, and large water pipes (hooka, shisha) to complete the picture. I'll post photos on our return (missing the necessary cord), but the dancers were quite good, dancing choreographies in the Egyptian style, and everyone had a great time.

There is a curfew for businesses of midnight, and this was my first time out past midnight in Hanoi. So it is appropriate that it was also our first time trying street food. Wonton soup, no ill effects. The funny thing is that the business did in fact stay open past 12 a.m. However, they closed up the front to be less apparent to patrols. Out of sight, out of mind. As long as businesses "respect" the curfews, i.e. do not openly flout the rules, they can stay open as late as they want. This has led to a tradition of lock-ins at popular bars. The proprietor closes doors at midnight, but the party goes on.

One of the fun parts of the evening was spending time in the company of so many polyglots. I speak Chinese passably and my French is rusty but serviceable (though my German while never good, has shriveled up and died), but many folks at the table spoke at least two languages with conversational fluency or better. One spoke four tongues with ease (English, Greek, French, and Vietnamese). Amazing ability, due of a combination of circumstances of birth, necessity in life and work, and a desire to communicate at at high level. I think this last is what makes the difference as an adult (children pick up languages without thinking). Many people spend years working in foreign lands without ever learning how to speak to people who live there.

Continuing my tradition of misreading maps ("Surely we're going south. I'm certain of it."), we got as far north as Dong Xuan market before finding our bearings, and turned around. It is amazing how fast you can cover distance without people in the way. Saturday night in Hanoi doesn't spill out into the streets late (unlike New York). Just a few families and friends sharing a drink or a cigarette on the stoop, garbage collectors, and folks going home. Made it back in record time.

French pastries and coffee

This morning we had a bit of a late start and shopped for bread and pastries at the Sofitel Metropole's Le Gourmand pastry shop. The French were kind enough to leave behind architecture and food, and you can guess my preference.

Today's fare: baguette, pain au chocolat, tartine, and of course, le cafe. The baguette are just the right mix of crispy crust and airy inside (but not insubstantial). The baguette's smaller 20-cm Vietnamese cousins, the banh mi, are sold all day everyday from street vendors and are tasty too.

The traditional coffee here, cafe sua, is served in either a cup or glass with an metal container set atop with an individual portion of grounds. Boiling water is poured into the top, coffee drips out the bottom into the waiting cup. That cup should contain a healthy portion of sweetened condensed milk to mix in. Lovely stuff.

Foreigner Bars

A brief digression on foreigner bars. Before spending time in China in the mid-1990s, I couldn't have explained the phenomenon, but here in Hanoi, sitting in a bar like Le Pub ("Every Day is a Happy Day") after a second day's unsuccessful trip to the women's tailor for an Ao Dai ("Mrs. XX is out at an appointment -- can you try again tomorrow?"), all the memories come back. Of course, the beer helps.



It is all about the jarring change of context that is visiting/living in the Far East as a westerner. Personal space, gaining/losing face, bargaining, propriety, business practices, friendship -- all concepts are just a bit different over here (read any travel guide for eastern country of interest). Sometimes you need a break.



A good foreigner bar is just that kind of place. It may be run by expats (usually) or locals, but the basic elements are the same. A quiet place where folks leave you alone unless you are looking for a beer (foreign or domestic), a burger, or conversation. Le Pub had the right vibe. We were there for an hour or so, and saw Americans, Germans, Australians, and French, and some Vietnamese as well. Locals (often with better than average language skills) who want to make contacts with foreigners in a relaxed setting (NOT selling fruit, lighters, books, CDs or DVDs, tours, personal services, etc.) are welcome as anyone else would be around the counter at a good pub.

This particular spot had a good selection of beers: Tiger on draft, Hanoi, Halida, Guinness, Newcastle, John Smith's, Strongbow, Chimay red, Leffe Blonde and Brun, Kwak, Duvel, Anchor, Heineken, Hoegaarden, Beamish among others (hey, I brew beer, so I notice beer), loads of cocktails as well as plenty of good looking food, fresh juices (marvelous thing in Hanoi), and desserts.

The main thing is the relaxing atmosphere though. The rest is window dressing.

No Suits, but perhaps an Ao Dai

From what I hear about Tet (February 7th this year I think), everything shuts down. And I mean everything -- markets, stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. So Tet takes a lot of preparation, and so many businesses are extra busy in the weeks leading up to it. Such was the case at the men's tailor recommended to us. No suits can be made until after Tet. I may try again with another shop. It may be possible to get a silk Ao Dai made for my wife however (takes 2-3 days). Stay tuned...

We have distilled the technique for crossing busy streets to a single rule: "Don't die."

The dish of the day was ban xeo, a crepe made with rice flour and coconut milk. The crepe was filled with cooked onions and served on a bed of cilantro with a sweet, clear thin dipping sauce.

Water Puppets

The big event of January 23 was going to see the water puppets show at the Than Long Theatre (check link for pictures). Water Puppetry portrays traditional stories to orchestral music (link is YouTube video). The puppets dance on a pool in front of screens that shield their handlers from view. I was impressed by the range of expression and physical humor that the players/puppets were able to convey to us, since we didn't have the benefit of understanding the narrative. For example, at one point there were to people shepherding a small flock of ducks swimming in neat lines and a cat swam in, captured a duck and ran up a tree on the side of the stage. At other points, dragons circled, spitting sparks; and lions played catch, batting a ball between them with hind paws, until the ball acquired a life of its own and chased the lions.

Food. Earlier in the day, we went to Legends Beer to taste the local microbrew.



Legend offers lager, dunkel, or weizen, and the location, just under Highlands Coffee at the north of Hoan Kiem Lake offers a view of lake and Hanoi rushing by below.





Later in the day we went to Brothers Cafe for the buffet. Brothers has a large open-air courtyard and we were among the few tables there not part of a major celebration. Bouquets were everywhere, and liquor flowed freely. The buffet included tables where they made noodle soups to order (beef, chicken, crab), and fresh rice crepes rolled with pork. Barbequed meat and salads too. Amusingly, I dropped close to 1,000,000 on this meal -- how often can you say that? (it's equivalent to about $60)

The Museum of Ethnology

Before getting to the main subject of the post, I should mention one of the best things about our stay in Hanoi. My in-laws have hired a small local staff, a couple of whom cook for the family. The food is as good or better than much of what we eat out. We had pho ga for dinner at night and it was excellent. Best of all the staff share with us the origins of dishes, and how they are prepared. For example, fresh yogurt made in a rice cooker, hot sauce fermented at home, and sticky rice prepared by soaking the rice for twelve hours and then pressing into a mold with inch-long large-seeded deep-red fruits. The dye from the fruit seeps into the rice making the entire dish red. You eat it for good luck around the Tet holiday. The fruit is called "zoy" I believe (ignore spelling and lack of tones), and has loads of vitamin E apparently.

Yesterday (January 22) was entirely devoted to a trip to the Museum of Ethnology (I may have to add to this Wikipedia listing). It's an amazing place. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Vietnam's minorities are very much still around and living according to traditional practices. I started to lose track of all the many, many individual groups. Viet (or Kinh) make up 87% of the population of the country. All told there are 54 recognized minorities in five ethno-linguistic families. The exhibits included weaving, basketry, pottery, and description of rituals (funerals, sacrifices, weddings). In fact it is common for wedding couples of minority background to get their pictures taken at the museum.



There is an excellent temporary exhibit by a French ethnologist (Georges Condominas, about his experience living in Sar Luk called "Nous avons mange la foret," until mid-March. Note: Don't eat at the cafe at that museum (enough said).

Most impressive were the outdoor exhibits, which included full-size communal dwellings (one 19 meters tall!) made of wood and thatch.



Should we ever come back, we'll have to try to time it for a water puppetry performance. The theatre looks like it would be fun.

Temple of Literature and KOTO

(January 21)

The day began with a trip to the Temple of Literature.




The temple of literature (Văn Mieu) was built in the mid-to-late 11th century AD to honor Confucius, and housed Vietnam's National University. Students learned great philosophical works such as the four books (the Great Learning,the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects of Confucius, and the Mencius). In order pass the imperial exam, each student would be examined by the emperor himself. Graduates were honored by carving their names on tall tablets set atop stone turtles.






After Văn Mieu, we ate at KOTO, a rather unique restaurant we discovered in our guide. "Know One, Teach One" or KOTO was set up as part of a project to give street kids homes and education. The students learn English and get work skills, in this case, running a restaurant,coffee house, pub, and events hall (it has five floors). The food was very good, and the service solicitous. And our waitress's English cursive is far better than mine! My wife discovered ginger and lemongrass tea, something we will have to try at home.

One of our good friends, on one trip to Asia,visited the embalmed remains of both Mao and Ho Chi Minh (I think she missed Lenin), and dubbed it the "pickled dictators tour." Most museums here are closed on Monday, so we had an excuse, but to be honest, having seen Mao many years back, I have had my fill of preserved leaders.

We did, however, have a lovely long walk up to the mausoleum grounds,in search of the one-pillar pagoda,which we didn't quite find (until later), perhaps because some of the grounds were closed. It was a lovely walk though. We made it up to Ho Tay, the West Lake, which is far larger than Hoan Kiem. It is considered very desirable lake-front property, and we watched a couple dozen kayakers practicing. The air was much better today, thanks to rain and a bit of a breeze, so we enjoyed the view until it became too chilly and then headed back to where we are staying via cab.

And stopped at Diva Cafe. Diva is an art cafe with high ceilings, andthe walls had watercolor paintings and pottery (glazed wine vessels),and some hanging vegetables. We had some Bia Hanoi (beer), and I had Pho Ga (the chicken version of rice noodle soup), while my wife had pork Bun Cha. Bun Cha meat is served like Chinese tie-ban, or like fajitas, on a sizzling iron plate, so that the sauce (a little like hoisin) caramelizes on the pork. It is served with rice and wheat noodles, basil, lettuce, shredded carrots, and a sweet chili thin dipping sauce. Bun Cha, like Pho, is a traditional dish that everybody eats, and everyone cooks with a slightly different approach, so we will have to try it often!

We keep noticing the differences between our experience in China and our experience here. Probably the biggest difference is the way people treat us. In China, I felt often like I was a zoo animal on display. Everywhere we went, people stared. Here, we may still stand out, but people don't make a big deal out of it. Sure, vendors want to sell their wares, cyclos and taxis want passengers, and so on,but for the most part people let us be. People seem generally happy,and we we go to a nicer restaurant, there are usually local Vietnamese patrons sitting alongside tourists, so it seems like many folks have money to spend.

And there is definitely something to be said for all the patisseries and good coffee!

After all the walking it was time to relax for a bit. We hung out at the house with my wife's family. And later that evening had a most un-Vietnamese meal of pirogi and potatoes.

Mass and Spring Rolls

(January 20)

The day began with a trip to the US embassy gym. Unlike the US embassies in Japan or China, there isn't a central compound in Hanoi just yet. Four buildings 20 minutes out from central Hanoi house a staff of 300 or more (and growing). It's funny to be visiting a country where our first ambassador started in 1995. It all feels like a work in progress.

Quiet day. Had a bit of brunch and then took a walk south of Hoan Kiem lake. This area is less frenetic than the old quarter north of the lake, and is filled with upscale restaurants and boutiques. I had been thinking that it was Sunday, and we hadn't seen much evidence of churches when we turned a corner and happened upon St. Joseph's Catholic Church.




We stopped at MoCa cafe for a snack and emerged to find evening mass in progress.The service spilled out of the doorways and into the square, and a huge video screen had been erected on the front of the building to broadcast the service. Choral music wafted through the air as cyclos slowly drifted among the rushing motorcycles.



I should mention that one of our food quests in Hanoi is to find the perfect nam ren (spring rolls). So far, La Place and Hanoi Garden vie for first place. Extremely thin rice paper wrapper, fried crispy,with tasty pork and veggies filling (varies with restaurant), with a dipping sauce of vinegar and sweet chili. Excellent accompaniment to cold beer.

Bit of rain today, so we may visit museums. The museum of ethnology is reputed to have great exhibits on the Vietnamese minority populations. From what I understand, while many similar museums in other countries recount historical accounts of minority cultures, this is more of a window into the present situation. More on that later.

On the Pho search

(January 19)

Being Saturday meant that my wife's sister had some free time to spend with us, so we began our first serious quest of the trip: the search for the perfect bowl of Pho. Pho, pronounced roughly like "fuh" (or like the French, "feu", Pho with the long "o" would mean "road"), is a rich bouillon broth with rice noodles, scallions and sometimes other green veggies, cilantro and your choice of meat. Pho bo has beef, Pho ga has chicken. We visited a place called Pho Vuong. The soup was served with a wedge of lime and sliced hot peppers (similar to habanero), while on the side we had a choice of sauces -- vinegary orange hot sauce, and the extremely pungent and flavorful fish sauce. VERY yummy Pho.

Fish sauce is a matter of national pride in Vietnam, and Westerners are divided as to whether it is a lovely condiment or far too strong a substance to be allowed near the nose, let alone the stomach. I like it, but it is quite strong (it does not spoil) and there is no analog in any Western cuisine I have eaten. It is made by curing fish over along period of time, and its intense flavor is valued for how long it lasts. The novel I read recently, "Catfish and Mandala", tells of a boy in a Vietnamese village whose mother made a rice casserole with fish sauce for her son, and told him to make rice every day in the same casserole pot, and she would be back by the time the fish flavor had left the pot. She returned in two weeks, and there was still flavor left.

At the moment one US dollar is equivalent to about 16,000 Vietnamese Dong.





I am reminded of the old Italian Lira. Many restaurants, and all taxis ignore the last three digits. Meals are inexpensive, and tipping is not expected. We three each had a bowl of pho and a fresh squeezed juice each for a total of about $4.25. The places more foreigners frequent charge more, of course. We paid about $13 for our lovely meal at Hanoi Garden yesterday. Four pints of beer and spring rolls at a small pub (Sago) overlooking the old quarter from a second-floor balcony ran us $5.

A word about pollution -- yuck. When we disembarked at Hong Kong a couple days ago we caught that omnipresent Asian mix of petrochemicals wafting through the air, but it was only a hint of what was to come in Hanoi. Similar to Beijing, there's not much here in the way of pollution controls. Our guidebook puts the population of Vietnam at about 85 million with 10 million motorcycles, both mostly concentrated in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. That guide's information is about two years old. The population growth of Vietnam was just over 1% in 2007, but apparently automobiles have increased 3x from1990, and motorcycles closer to 10x. Breathing in rush-hour is quite the experience.

Sunday today, and the plan is to relax a bit, head to the gym, and plan the week ahead. There are a few good day trips and some a bit longer about the north. Ha Long Bay is a short trip, and Sapa a longer one. We'll see. Raining today. I think we'll have to find some bun cha (bbq pork and soup).

Web sites on Vietnam:

New Hanoian
Sticky Rice (mainly food!)

Hanoi Day One

(January 18)

We walked all about Hanoi on our first day. My father-in-law's abode is very centrally located, and central Hanoi and the old quarter are small, so we began our day after a pleasant breakfast of fresh fruit, bread and tea, with a walk...

...and became promptly lost, the best way to learn any city well.

The house is located to the just east of Hoan Kiem lake, not far from a statue commemorating the reign of Vietnam's first emperor, Lý Thái To .



So rather than head west to the lake, we walked further east (oops), toward the Red River, and wandered alleys for a while. Like China's cities, Hanoi has a bustling life hidden away in alleys off the main roads. In a passage where two people have to squeeze past one another, motorcycles rush to and fro, mingling with entire businesses run atop bicycles (clothing, toys, food). Kids are the same everywhere, though, running about, playing hide and seek, and hoping you will play too.

When we hit the river, we reversed course and wandered back toward Hoan Kiem (thank goodness for the tall Vietcom bank tower landmark!). One of the fascinating things about Hanoi is that the French colonial buildings are still very much present. Tall, narrow, four or five story townhouses with balconies and verandas. Big window boxes with tropical plants. Lest I paint too idealized a picture, keep in mind that this is a city in transition. The architecture IS lovely, but many neighborhood homes have businesses running on their first floors at least, but often higher up. It seems like everyone runs at least one business in the old quarter. And all businesses and homes need power,so there are forests of power lines jury-rigged or together spreading in all directions seemingly sprouting more as you watch. Interestingly, with rare exceptions, the streets are pretty clean, people don't spit, and you don't see a lot of piles of rubbish (Big difference from China).



Crossing busy streets in Hanoi is an art. The trick is to pick your moment and start walking slowly forward into traffic. It is fine to slow down, but never to back up. The motorcycles and cars will part to rush in front of you or behind you, and as long as your movement is predictable, they can accommodate. As a motorist, it seems that slowing down or swerving is okay, but stopping is unacceptable. Very similar to NYC, but with more horns blaring.



Back at Hoan Kiem lake, things are a bit more upscale, and foreigners are more common. While walking elsewhere, we would occasionally run into people hoping to part us from our money (in exchange for books, DVDs, fruit, clothing), but here they became a little more aggressive. Cyclos (pedicabs) want passengers, and apparently many motorcycle drivers will happily shuttle you for a fee. We stayed on foot. The closer to the foreigner bars you get, the more the harassment. But they still give up pretty easily.

We circled the lake, noting how many options we had for food. Steaming bowls of Pho (beef noodle soup), Bia Hoi (draft beer and snacks), more upmarket restaurants with many varieties of food. We ended up at Hanoi Garden, a restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet, and ate spring rolls (FANTASTIC!), green papaya salad with beef, and pork and green veggies in sweet chili sauce. All good. Stopped off at Highlands Coffee. Lovely coffee. Huge contrast between these two food venues: Hanoi Garden was primarily populated by Vietnamese plus a few foreigners, and the coffee shop had the opposite proportions.