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Published: June 23rd 2012
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After my arrival in Vietnam, I spent the first two days in the capital, Hanoi, the “City within the River’s Bend”, founded by Emperor Ly Thai To in AD 1010. It celebrated its millennium a couple of years ago. My guide’s name is Nguyen Cong Nang (minus the accents) and his English is pretty good. He calls me Lang, I call him Nang. It makes it easier for both of us and we get along great. It’s amazing how much more you talk and meet people when you travel alone. We start with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, a heavy grey structure, built of stone quarried from Marble Mountain near Danang. The building’s exterior is considered by many as both ponderous and unappealing. Inside, the mood is somber and decidedly respectful. Ho Chi Minh, dressed in simple clothing, lies in a chilled, dim room, his crossed hands resting on dark cloth covers. The mausoleum is an important pilgrimage site for many Vietnamese and it shows on this Saturday morning as the lines are quite long. Outside, the temperature already reaches a scorching 35 degrees Celsius at 10:00am with about 98% humidity (that’s close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Sweat is dripping and
the benefits of my morning shower are all gone already. I visit Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house and the Presidential palace. He established residence in the first, believing that the latter was too grand for him. Close by, the botanical gardens boast two lakes and abundant greenery. I enter the One Pillar Pagoda, one of Hanoi’s most prominent icons. This wooden pagoda is built, as its name suggests, on a single stone pillar, standing in an elegant pond. According to legend, the king, who had no son, had a dream in which he was visited by Quan Am, Goddess of Mercy. She was waiting on a lotus flower and presented him with a baby boy. Soon after, Ly Thai Tong married a new queen who bore him a son.
Next on the itinerary is the Temple of Literature, the oldest and possibly the finest architectural complex in Hanoi. Founded by the Chinese philosopher Confucius, it served as a center for higher learning, educating future mandarins for more than seven centuries. The temple was modeled on the original Temple of Confucius in the Chinese city of Qufu, and consists of five courtyards separated by walls and ornamental gateways. I see
the Well of Heavenly Clarity, human chess, an amazing music room, 82 stelae mounted on giant tortoise pedestals, and ultimately the temple and altar of Confucius. Time for lunch and what a feast, but more on that later! I think I’m falling in love with Vietnamese food.
In the early afternoon, I rent a bike on my own to see more sites like Hoan Kiem Lake, situated in the heart of Hanoi, a delightful body of water that lies close to the hearts of the Vietnamese people for many reasons I don’t have the time to go over, St Joseph’s Cathedral, inaugurated in 1886 by the French and that closely resembles Notre Dame in Paris, the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French administration in 1896, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel, Hanoi’s most prestigious hotel, the Opera House, modeled on the Paris Opera designed by Charles Garnier, and The National Museum of Vietnamese History.
The highlight of my visit to Hanoi, however, is the Old Quarter, buzzing with noise and activity. It is the oldest and most lively commercial district in Hanoi. I give up the bike and decide to explore on foot, believing this is a
far safer option at first until I realize that I come close to dying a half dozen times. There are over 3 million motorbikes driving every day in the narrow streets of the Old Quarter. Intersections have no lights and traffic comes from all directions and in no specific order. If you wait for somebody to let you cross the street, you will die of old age. I’m told you should simply go for it very slowly and the traffic will continue around you. So that's what I do in this "cacophonie" as we say in French, and I survive. The noise and smell are intoxicating. I walk for hours on the streets, each of them specializing in a particular product. Over the years, 36 distinct craft guilds came into existence, and the area earned its nickname of 36 streets. Today, with narrow alleys packed with hundreds of small shops, restaurants, and ancient tube houses, the Old Quarter retains a historic charm. Locals are trying to sell me everything from lanterns to fake paper money, monkfish to saffron, and household items to clothes, shoes, and food.
I go catch a water puppet show before dinner. Nang had arranged for
an early evening performance. Originating in the Red River Delta and believed to date back almost a thousand years, roi nuoc or water puppetry is one of the most authentic expressions of Vietnamese culture. Hiding behind the stage in a large water-filled tank, the puppeteers stand waist deep in water and maneuver their wooden charges to the music of a traditional orchestra. Special effects, fire-breathing dragons, smoke, and fireworks add excitement to a fantastic performance.
I go back to my hotel to refresh a bit. It is conveniently located in the middle of the Old Quarter and very nice I should add. I decide to ask the non-English speaking staff at the reception for dinner recommendations. I want something local, maybe even street food. After a brief, but heated argument, they give me directions to an establishment very close by with no menu. It is set they tell me, you just sit down and get served. So I go through a fresh noodles broth with chicken, pork sausage, meat balls, eggs, and mushrooms, followed by tempura vegetables, tempura prawns, steamed rice, stir-fried pork loin with cashew nuts, bell peppers and baby corn, deep-fried fish with a yummy sauce, simmered
beef with ginger and cinnamon, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables with garlic. They even bring me a sort of crème caramel for dessert. Everything is very tasty and the whole thing cost me 30,000 dongs, approximately one and a half dollars. For a “foody” like me, this is simply heaven. I then needed to walk off all this food and wandered the labyrinth of streets again to discover that they close off some sections to traffic for a huge Saturday night market. I feel like a local already and let myself be guided by the crowd, the noise, the lights, and the smells that are so intoxicating. I think I’m falling a little deeper in love with Vietnam.
I am off to Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam tomorrow, but will be back in Hanoi for a night and can't wait. I’m exhausted, but so happy. Ready for bed, I know I will be dreaming of the Old Quarter and the amazing food in the meantime. Until next time…
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Jenny
non-member comment
thanks for sharing
Hi Yves, enjoying your blog. Great pictures too. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip when you get back.