Wonderful! I did learn about Hung Vuong when I was young but have forgotten many details. It's time to do my homework again I guess. Another place for me to visit when I go to Hanoi. Thanks.
Hanoi is quite beautiful and full of history. We were planning to go to Hanoi/ Ha Long Bay for 2 days but decided against that because we figured that it'd a week to see all ( most) of Hanoi/ Ha long. Well, Ha noi will have to wait until the next trip...
Wonderful memory I had about Tet in VN , I really miss it. We used to cook banh chung in a big aluminum vat which took about 10-12 hours ( in the US, we used a pressure cooker which cooks in about 2-3 hours, just not the same!). The atmosphere was just magical, esp. during the days before Tet. I will have to make a trip 1 year back to VN just for this. Thanks for the blog.
Thanks for your wonderful blogs and pictures. I am travelling to VN this summer ( first trip back in 25 years). I am trying to catch up on information re. VN since my memory/knowledge of VN is way out of date. Looks like you have an interesting job esp. the travelling part. Also interesting to see the workers exercising in the morning( or is it more stretching/warming up?) since I assume that their works are likely a good exercise by themselves.
April 1st 2008 powerful memorial That's a very powerful memorial on Huu Tiep pond. You can go there on the way back from the ethnographic museum on the no 14 bus. You get off the bus, walk down a little lane and it's there, surrounded by people's houses and a school! It's one of the few things in Hanoi that reminds you of that time.
Live traditional music in Hanoi I suggest you to visit Cheo Hanoi Theatre (Nha hat Cheo Hanoi)
at No. 15, Nguyen Dinh Chieu st., Hanoi, Tel: 84-4-9437361. There are some shows every week, starting from 8pm. Cheo is a special art form of northern Vietnam. The word "Cheo" means “lyrics of folk ballads, proverbs”. The music is similar to the one you heard at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater.
WATER PUPPETS I've been to Hanoi seven times, but only got round to seeing the water puppets for the first time in March. It was fantastic! Can't think why i did'nt go before. The skill of the puppetters is amazing. It was so funny! I also love the traditional Vietnamese music. Do you know of any places in Hanoi where there is live traditional music apart from the expensive tourist restaurants and hotels?
Another B52 wreckage in Hanoi Jerry, there is one more place in Hanoi (other than the Army Museum) where you can see a B52 wreckage. It's on Huu Tiep pond in Ngoc Ha village, Ba Dinh district. The B52 bomber was shot down over Hanoi in December 1972 and some parts of the bomber fell into the pond and still there up to now. How horrible were the Christmas 1972 bombings? My mother was pregnant and she had to hide in the tunnel for 12 nights, but at least she was still alive after the war. Every year, at Christmas time, the gate into the war memorial on Kham Thien street is open, so that relatives of the victims who died in December 1972 because of American air raids, can burn an incense stick in front of the mother-and-dead-child statue.
Thanks, Red River Thanks, Red River. The American press did not cover this very well at the time and I had forgotten all about it. Thanks for publishing the text of Clinton’s speech. It was a very good speech. He, like myself, was very fortunate in not having to fight in Vietnam. So Clinton went to Vn Mi¿u. I did not know that.
Wow, as always, you look so stunning in those pictures at the War Museum. Having once lived near the corner of Tran Phu and Dien Bien Phu, you bring back my many memories of bicycling by the Army Museum and the Flag Tower. You certainly dress up the place with your beauty and your beautiful Áo Dài. Stunning is all I can say. Thanks for including these pictures in your blog.
I have never seen (or at least I don’t remember seeing) the statue of the mother carrying her dead child. Thanks for showing that picture. How horrible those Christmas 1972 bombings must have been.
Thanks again so much. Keep up the good work. You are starting to inspire me to come see some of these sites (which I missed) later this year.
March 12 Interesting blog. Hue is also my favourite city in Vietnam. I think it's the most beautiful. I love the photos, both you and Hue look beautiful.
bia hoi food Apart from the beer being much cheaper than bottled beer, many bia hoi spots serve great food as well, from tasty snacks to full meals. Anyone new to Vietnam should give them a try!
hue travel i visited hue in december 2007. the most beautiful city i have ever visited. so many sights to see and the people are so friendly.
i hope i can go back there in the near future.
Anh Sunrise, this Tet was too cold in Hanoi, so "Ong do gia" (as you called "old caligraphy artists") couldn't wear an Ao Dai and sit by some street. Last month, when we had a photo exhibition "Hanoi in the old days and today", I saw some "Ong do gia". We always show our respect to them.
Thanks for all the photos of Tet in the North, especially the hoa ào...
M×i nm hoa ào nß
L¡i th¥y ông Ó già
Bày mñc tàu gi¥y Ï
Bên phÑ ông ng°Ýi qua...
I was wondering if this kind of "caligraphy artists" still exist in Ha Noi during Tet?
Tet and Chinese New Year Thanks Jan for an interesting question. As the Chinese ruled Vietnam for 1,000 years, our culture in many aspects was influenced by the Chinese. Both Vietnamese and Chinese celebrated the lunar new year. However, our Tet is still based on our own lunar calendar. Most of the years, our Tet and Chinese new year are celebrated at the same time, but last year 2007, our Tet was one day earlier than the Chinese new year. As I am responding to you, Vietnam Television is announcing about some traditional customs and festivals in Hanoi and other provinces. There are many festivals in January and February (I mean the Lunar Calendar).
I am a Hanoi_girl who loves to travel. When working for a Japanese construction company in Hanoi, I had the chance to travel to 28 countries and to all the 63 provinces in Vietnam, including 25 trips to Huế city. Egypt, Mongolia and Italy are my love, and other favorite countries are Australia, France, New Zealand, Nepal, Fiji, Japan, India, Indonesia, Belgium, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China (8 trips, 15 cities), South Korea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Cambodia (3 trips), Brunei Darussalam, the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Laos (3 trips), Malaysia (4 trips), Singap... full info
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Wonderful! I did learn about Hung Vuong when I was young but have forgotten many details. It's time to do my homework again I guess. Another place for me to visit when I go to Hanoi. Thanks.