Visions of Vietnam - vol. 1

Did you know you can make the pictures bigger by clicking on them? Hahaha, anyway, here's a first batch from Vietnam. Lots of pictures from there, and slow going. Hope you enjoy the first 10!

Woman carrying packages, Hanoi

Daydreaming girl, Hanoi

Atmospheric alley, Hanoi

The Painter, Hanoi

The Child, Hanoi

Taking a fishing break, Hai Phong

An alley marketplace, Hai Phong

Grilling breakfast, Hai Phong

Scooter helmet vendor, Da Nang

Roast duck, Da Nang

Capsule Spot: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon, as it was once known) surprised me. It was more vibrant, more dynamic, more enticing than I had expected. The city is in that nice transition phase, where everyday Western luxuries like coffee shops and good pastries are readily available while the city still retains much of its flavor and character. It is also still relatively cheap, so travelers on a budget won’t cringe here, and those with a taste for luxury don’t have to break the bank.

Things to See and Do

Mekong Delta | While still a ways away from HCMC, the Mekong Delta is a convenient one day or overnight excursion, and worth doing. See how people are living in modern times on the most important river in Vietnam, and get a taste of local delicacies and fruits. Traditions may not be as strong as they once were, but a trip to the Mekong is still a good way of getting a taste of how the “real” Vietnam lives. One day trips involve quite a bit of road travel in relation to time spent on the river, so I’d suggest an overnight trip instead. Many companies also offer three day trips, but this seems to be a bit of overkill.

War Remnants Museum | This place used to be known as the Museum of American War Crimes. It has recently changed its name, after relations with the US normalized, but I daresay the contents of the museum have remained largely the same. The exhibits here present an unfortunate and wasteful war in all of its gory detail, and while there is no doubt propaganda here, I would venture to guess that there is more that is true than many Americans would want to believe. Disturbing exhibits aside, the collection of left-over American war machinery outside alone makes this museum worth visiting.

Saigon Saigon Bar @ the Caravelle | One of the most famous landmarks in Saigon, the Saigon Saigon is still worth an evening, if not for the drinks, then for the amazing view of downtown Ho Chi Minh. Located centrally, across from the Opera House, the views from Saigon Saigon are unparalleled. Especially nice on a cool evening, bring your camera and your wallet – drinks are not cheap.

The List

Yearning for a good massage but want to avoid those awkward happy ending offers? Look no further than 118 Foot & Body Massage, a smallish, new, clean, and totally legitimate spa in the heart of downtown Saigon. For a little less than 15 dollars, get access to a hot shower, a sauna, and an 80 minute oil massage complete with hot stones. 118 Pasteur Street, District 1, HCMC. 08-38215313

It’s a bit hidden and off the beaten track, but if you’re looking for a good French patisserie and boulangerie, you may want to drop by La Doree. Owned by a French Vietnamese, this place serves delicious looking pastries and decent food in a comfortable restaurant.

Essentially every tourist will have come to Ngon, but for good reason. Few other places offer the combination of food selection, tourist-friendly menu, cleanliness, and taste that Ngon does. Get pretty authentic specialties from around the country, and – added bonus! – finish off with traditional desserts. Reasonably priced for a tourist trap.

World-wise wisdom

Getting around – taxi’s are easy, but by no means necessary. Don’t be afraid to get on the bus. For 3000 dong, you can get into downtown Saigon from nearly anywhere.

If you’re backpacking and not 21, avoid the Pham Ngu Lau area. There are plenty of affordable (but not super-budget) options in other parts of town. Try the area behind Banh Trinh Market, or just south of the Opera House. You should be able to find a private room from 20USD and up.

Saigon Twins

In front of the famous Opera House, on a rainy and dreary day in Saigon. Traveling by yourself, it's pretty hard to take pictures of yourself (doubly so when you have to run back and forth to the camera with that behemoth on my back!) so I was lucky to manage a great shot like this.

Finding a Comfortable Place

I got out of Hoi An in a hurry. In the end, all of the tourism and the price-gouging just got on my nerves. There’s something about tourism that changes people in a really negative way I think. Not just the obnoxious tourists – of which there are many, but the locals – especially in less-developed countries. I’ve seen it in China, in Myanmar, in Morocco – when rich and clueless tourists collide with poor local people who realize that many of those tourists think “well, it’s just an extra dollar,” you get outright lies, deceit, and otherwise unfortunate behavior which does not reflect the real principles of the locals exacting this tourist toll. At every turn in Hoi An, I felt like a chicken waiting to be skinned and quartered. Lies about transportation schedules, about tourist packages, about distances – I know it’s par for the course when you go somewhere like Hoi An, but I don’t like it and it gets tiring very quickly.

Danang has been a welcome change, and a reinforcement of my initial positive vibes towards Vietnam. Given that there’s basically nothing to see here outside of a single small museum devoted to Cham sculpture (which is worth visiting), there are basically very few tourists. Which means Danang is just a slice of life here in Vietnam – and a pretty nice one I think. The traffic isn’t so bad, the honking is less prevalent, price gouging takes place on a smaller scale, moto-bike driver attacks are less frequent, and people are generally pretty nice. They are naturally curious – the small food stalls I’ve eaten at have all genuinely been interested in my reaction to their food (positive!) and smiles are readily forthcoming. In my search for a cheap hotel, I had multiple reception desk personnel point me in the direction of more affordable options. The only place I felt like a tourist was in the large central market (which does see some tourists) and despite being physically grabbed to look at products, I still didn’t feel uncomfortable. It was a theater that they and I acted out, and their telling grins told me as much.

Indeed, I found myself (in spite of the head cold I’ve had all day) smiling as I walked down the streets of Danang. For perhaps the first time since I’ve gotten to Vietnam (including my time in Hanoi) I have felt really relaxed. I think there’s certainly an aspect of the fact that there’s no pressure to actually SEE anything tourist-sight wise, but there’s also an aspect here of the fact that I travel for different purposes than many others. Being in Danang has sort of clarified my suspicions – I like to travel not for the tourist-sights, but to be able to see how normal, average, people who have concerns like me, live around the world. I realize that *I* am not average (how much more privileged can one be, to travel around the world in pursuit of a self-help personal project?) and that many of the residents of Danang are far from the median in Vietnam. Yet, being able to observe how they live, the interesting habits and unique solutions to everyday problems (low occupancy and limited moto-bike parking? No problem, turn the first floor of your house into a parking lot!), watching parents pick up kids from school – this is what I travel for. I think it feeds into some sort of deeper desire for community and a sense of being settled that lies within me – it’s something more profound that I’ve not yet worked out, but that I hope will become more clear as this trip proceeds. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my time in Danang. I like it here.

The Perfume Pagoda

I can admit my mistakes and learn from them. Thus, I decided to take a tour today to a place my friend Sian highly recommended to me – Perfume Pagoda. To be fair, it was also clear that public transportation here really wasn’t an option, but I’m not too proud to admit that once bitten twice shy, I wasn’t about to try it again myself. Plus the cost was reasonable, and I wanted to complete the roundtrip in time to catch an overnight bus southward to Hue. With the next major leg of my trip solidifying, I really wanted to move on out of Hanoi and get to the rest of Vietnam before I head to Manila.

One of the benefits to going on a tour group is the possibility of meeting interesting folk that are also adventurous travelers. Some groups have very little chemistry or people have little interest in talking. Today though, I managed to meet a group of people that I really enjoyed chatting with on the bus and on the hour long hike up to the Pagoda. There was Janice and Steven, two travelers from Nova Scotia; Ronit and Thomas from New York; Joseph from Singapore; and Lisa, an author and adventurer who has her own blog on her ten day biking trip from Vietnam to Laos. I really enjoyed myself as we talked about a wildly-wide range of topics, from comparing travel war stories, to the wonders of an anti-e-coli drug called Dukoral, to my Solio, to general wonderment at the success of the ShamWow and the Snuggie.

In particular, it was a treat to meet Lisa and compare notes on our respective projects. Just like my trip to Morocco last year, where I met MJ, a Korean traveling around the world and writing a book on it, talking to Lisa provided me with both inspiration and hope that “if I write it, they will read” (or something like that!) She actually has a commission lined up for an article based on her travels in a big and well-respected magazine. After talking to her and comparing notes on life and direction (we’re the same age) I came away convinced that this project does make sense, even for someone who has grown up half a world away. There’s something to be said for meeting people who don’t look at you crazy when you say you’re going to four weddings around the world or that you’re going to bike 1000km. Or maybe its just that crazy folk need crazy folk. Whatever it is, it’s good. If you want to read about Lisa's adventures, check her out here.

The Halong Adventure

It was a debacle. I figured – I made it through Myanmar, I’ve gone through Europe, I survived Turkey, I conquered Morocco. How hard could the infamous uber-touristy Halong Bay be? There was no way I would need to pay 50 dollars or more on a stupid tour. As a self-proclaimed “seasoned traveler,” I thought I could skip the trap and the tour groups and see more while paying less. A day and a half later, I saw less than most, spent more than I hoped, and found myself smack-dab in the middle of the most touristy of touristy bay cruises.

One might wonder how a seasoned traveler managed to do so poorly. To be honest, I just wasn’t prepared very well. I didn’t know the names of bus stops and ferry ports, I didn’t study any Vietnamese before heading out, and I was a bit ambitious with what I wanted to do. At the same time, there was a plethora of conflicting information, from tour operators, expats, and locals – the most damaging of which was misinformation regarding departure times. I actually made it to all the right places, but ended up just missing the next leg of my journey in each of those places by a mere couple of hours or so.

It was humbling; the gestures that I felt I had perfected via field testing throughout my travels may not actually be as effective as I imagined. Instead, I once again felt the stinging frustration of not being able to communicate with anyone while stuck on the side of the road with no inkling of directions. Yet perhaps this comes at a good moment, at the beginning of my journey, at a place where death by beating or eating isn’t really a threat. After all, all I lost was a little time, money, and pride, right?

Wedding Pictures!

Finally got a few free minutes to clean-up the pictures from the wedding and wanted to take a minute to post them up on the blog. Son and Trang have been gracious enough to let me use their images, and I'm incredibly thankful for all of their support on my project (as I am with all of my other friends who have kindly agreed to let me turn their weddings into my personal project!) Three of the pictures here are from the đón dâu event at Trang's house, where Son and his family came over to ask Trang's family for permission to take her home. The last picture is from the wedding itself, and as you can see, it's one big huge banquet! Not everyone was seated yet, as guests were still coming in with Son, Trang, and their parents greeting everyone as they entered.

Stuck in Hanoi!

A combination of bad weather, early transportation connections to get anywhere, general laziness, and an easy-to-like Hanoi has been the cause of my inability to get out of the city. Instead, I seem rather content to visit one Hanoi-sight a day and then sit in a cafe and watch the world pass me by.

Of course one of the benefits of this sloth is that I've had enough open time-slots in Hanoi to manage to hook up with my favorite newly-weds for a late night tea again. Since they got married, they've been doing non-stop family visits. Anyone who has lived abroad before knows that the short visits we get at home are invariably filled partially with obligatory visits (not saying that you don't enjoy them, but just that you have to do them either way.) Even I can attest to the fact that on short visits, balancing these obligations with the time you want to spend with family and trying to catch up with friends is no small task. Of course, for them, there is even more to do as they get home maybe once every year and a half.

If that's not enough, this trip back has been for the wedding and of course it entails all of the after-wedding thank you trips that are required in addition to the fact that all of a sudden, there are DOUBLE the obligations - two families becoming one and all that jazz. I'd never really thought of this idea actually - I mean, I knew of how difficult it could be to juggle the holidays for a couple, but I'd just never put two and two together to realize that rare trips back home would be doubly busy!

In any case, super happy they have made the time out to see me yet again. I'll try to be better and get out of Hanoi, so they have one less (lazy foreign wedding guest) obligation to think about! :)

Wedding Day

It was a long day for me, so no doubt it was much longer for the bride, groom, and both families. As mentioned in my previous post, there were three parts to the festivities: an asking for the bride session, photo taking, and then a reception. The asking for the bride session took place at the bride's house, with her family and friends gathered and waiting for him, his family, and his friends to arrive. After they did, there were some brief speeches before he went upstairs to ask her parents for their permission to take her home with him, and then some more thank you speeches. The bride lives in an older village section of Hanoi, where the streets are so narrow and windy that cars can't even pass. Thus, after the session, we all walked out of the village - which lent the session a much more traditional feel.

I can't say quite the same for the reception though! I found myself in what we essentially know as an "asian banquet" style reception. The food came out in waves, banquet style, with a selection of appetizers and main dishes. What perhaps was most striking about the wedding was how loud it was. There was music, song, or performances through basically the entire reception, and we're not talking mood music or ambiance performances. I was also struck by how quickly the thing wrapped up. Whole tables got up and left after the bridal party had visited their table and they had finished eating. I would say that within 10 minutes, 70% of the guests had left. The remaining stragglers stuck around for a bit longer, but the party wrapped up well within 2 hours.

Afterward, I was sad to learn that the more traditional things happened a week ago at the engagement party. Traditional dress for all the men and women, rented cyclos around town, and lots of traditional presents. If only I could have made it to Hanoi a week earlier!

Hanoi Happy!

Got to Hanoi tonight, around 8pm, so I haven't gotten a chance to see much. I did however manage to get in touch with and then hang out with Trang and Son for a bit as they wrapped up some last minute planning. I rode along with them as they checked-in with their MC and ironed out the details for what he was going to do tomorrow. I didn't understand a word he said, but I could understand that he's done a ton of weddings before and has this stuff down pat. It's actually sort of amazing how similar sounding this pre-wedding planning ceremony sounded in comparison to the few that I've heard in the US. Perhaps wedding MCs and wedding singers know no cultural and geographical boundaries?

Along with meeting the MC, I also got some of the low-down for the activities tomorrow from Trang. Like most brides, the day will start for Trang with makeup. However, by noon, people will start arriving at the brides house for a traditional "đón dâu" session - the asking for the bride tradition, where the groom must come and ask the bride's parents to be able to take the bride home with him. Then, there will be a big car caravan through central Hanoi, with I'm sure, lots of horn-honking and joyous yelling. Finally, around 5pm, the official ceremony/reception will begin. I'm not sure how long it will last, but Trang did say it will involve 550 people, so I'm guessing that since it would take 550 people over an hour to enter or exit any venue, we're looking at... at least two hours. :)

It's all so exciting!