Beware the Ides of March

Today is 15th March. Do you know the significance of this day? Have you heard the phrase "The Ides of March"? If not, let me tell you the story ...

The Ides of March (Latin: Idus Martias) is the name given to March 15 in the Roman calendar. The term "ides" was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October. The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held.

However in modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B.C. According to philosopher and writer Plutarch, Caesar was warned by a soothsayer to be on his guard against a great peril on the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey (where he would be assassinated at a meeting of the Senate), Caesar saw the soothsayer and joked "Well, the Ides of March have come," to which the seer replied "Aye, they have come, but they are not gone."

This meeting of Caesar and the soothsayer is famously dramatized in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned to "Beware the Ides of March."  The relevant passage goes as follows:

Caesar:
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer:
Beware the ides of March.

Caesar:
What man is that?

Brutus:
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15–19


It is clear that prior to Caesar's assasination, the Ides of March was just another day ...  but after the event, it took on a special significance. In the letters of Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero from the months after the Ides of March., he even writes, 'The Ides changed everything." The phrase "Ides of March" came to represent a specific day of abrupt change that set off a ripple of repercussions throughout Roman society and beyond.

So why was Caesar killed? There were a number of reasons, but the main one was that some members of the Senate feared that he was going to revive the monarchy. The Romans had no love for kings. While Caesar had made clear public statements of turning down offers of kingship, he showed no reluctance to accept the office of "dictator for life" in February 44 B.C. (It is interesting to note that at the time the term "dictator" didn't have the negative connotation that it has today.) Indeed Caesar had been pushing his influence (and luck!) quite a bit. It has been noted by historians that Caesar was the first living Roman ever to appear on the coinage, an honour previously reserved for the gods. The plot's conspirators regarded themselves as "liberators".

So nowadays, those who know (or care to remember) regard the Ides of March as a day of infamy, somewhat like the better-known Friday the 13th.

Looking at the influence of Caesar and his demise on modern culture, I note that there have been many movies and TV series depicting the rise and fall of Julius Caesar. For me, one of the best is still a 1953 screen adaptation of Shakespeare's work, whch starred luminaries like Marlon Brando, John Gielgud and James Mason. There was also an interesting mini-series from 2004 starring Jeremy Sisto (as Caesar) and Richard Harris (in his final performance).

I am told that the Ides of March is celebrated every year by the Rome Hash House Harriers with a toga run in the streets of Rome, in the same place where Julius Caesar was killed.

There is one US-originated music group who call themselves "The Ides of March" and at least two other groups who have released tracks on their albums with the name "The Ides of March", though I'm not sure they even mention Caesar as I haven't listened to any of those albums yet.

Anyway my friends, I hope you've enjoyed this little detour into a bit of history, culture and tradition ... Just to be on the safe side, grab your lucky rabbit's foot, coin or charm ...

and

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH   ;-)

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival  ( zhōng qiū jié in Mandarin ) is also known as the Moon Festival. It is a popular East Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, we also refer to it as the Lantern Festival or "Mooncake Festival."


The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually late-September or early October), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. This year it falls on 3rd October 2009. This is apparently the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are several varieties.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Lunar New Year). Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-Autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. Other interesting customs include: carrying brightly lit lanterns, putting pomelo rinds on one's head, burning incense in reverence to deities, planting Mid-Autumn trees,and collecting dandelion leaves for distribution among family.

Children often hear the tale of the moon fairy living in a crystal palace, who comes out to dance on the moon's shadowed surface. This legend of the "lady living in the moon" goes back to ancient times, to a day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The Emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. Once the task was accomplished, the Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded the archer with a pill that would make him immortal. However, his wife found the pill, took it, and was duly banished to the moon. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon festival.

The other famous legend surrounding the Moon festival is linked into Chinese history. During the Yuan dynasty (AD 1280-1368), China was ruled by the Mongols.  The leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (AD 960-1280) were unhappy at being subject to foreign rule, and began to furtively organise a rebellion. The rebel leaders, knowing that the Moon festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Baked into each moon cake was a message outlining attack plans. The mooncakes - which the Mongols did not eat - were the perfect vehicle for hiding and passing along these plans. Families were instructed not to eat the mooncakes until the day of the festival, which was when the rebellion took place, and the government was overthrown. This led to the establishment of the Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644).

Great stories, huh? Would make great swordfighting movies ala Shaw Brothers or John "Red Cliff" Woo. Anyway, always good to know the legends, customs and traditions behind any festival. Now who says this blog is not educational? LOL.

For those who celebrate it, do share how you spent your Mid-Autumn Festival ...

Singapore A to Z

On the occasion of Singapore's 43rd birthday, here's my salute to this island-nation that I've called home for more than two decades. This is my own - sometimes serious, sometimes quirky, sometimes tongue-in-cheek - "A to Z" style review of the Lion City. Hope you find it interesting ...

A is for Air-Conditioning. The air-conditioner has been used as a metaphor for the workings of Singapore (for more, read Cherian George's "Singapore: The Air-conditioned Nation"). Former Prime Minister & current Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, when asked what was the most important invention of the 20th century also cited the air-con, because that's what enabled developing countries like Singapore to progress economically. The hot humid conditions were impediments to work, and by controlling the environment, we were able to work much more efficiently and comfortably. I believe one day, Singapore will go further and control its environment even more completely by building a "dome" that covers the entire island, and is able to tweak even the weather conditions its inhabitants' experience!

A is for Ah Meng, a Sumatran orang utan and for many years the most-loved icon of the Singapore Zoo. "Breakfast with Ah Meng" was a major tourist draw, with many dignitaries and celebrities dropping by - some notable ones include Prince Philip and Michael Jackson. Ah Meng passed away of old age in early 2008 aged about 48. Some 4,000 people attended the memorial service. Perhaps one could say that Ah Meng was one of the early foreign talents in Singapore!

B is for the Botanical Garden, one of the world’s finest in terms of landscaping and quality of its botanical collection. The garden has more than 3,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants and a herbarium of about 500,000 specimens. Much of the 31-hectare Garden, which was started by the British in the mid-19th century, was carved directly out of virgin forests. In its early years the garden served as an experimental station for plants with potential commercial value. Under the direction of Henry Ridley, superintendent in 1888, the garden became a centre for research on Hevea brasiliensis, the Brazilian rubber tree. Ridley even developed an improved method of rubber-tapping trees that resulted in a better yield of latex.

C is for the five C's that many Singaporeans aspire to acquire, namely Car, Condo, Cash, Credit card and Country club membership. In some ways, this reflects the unstated Singaporean cultural ethos of materialistic obsession and aspiration to achieve these things. Might this be the Singapore Dream?

C is for Caning. We're not talking about parents or teachers using the rod on naughty little kids, but caning as a judicial corporal punishment. Remember the international fuss that was made when that American kid, Michael Fay received four strokes for theft and vandalism? It's quite ironical how the West often criticises Singapore's practice of caning, deeming it inhumane treatment of prisoners, when history tells us that judicial caning was introduced to Singapore by the British during colonial days.

C is also for Chicken Rice, which many will agree is the unofficial national dish of Singapore, whether you go for the $25 version atop the Meritus Mandarin hotel or the much lower priced (but often equally good) hawker fare. Chicken rice is just one of a huge variety of sumptious, multi-ethnic food that Singapore is known for.

D is for Democracy. The government system in Singapore is a democracy with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government representing different constituencies. Most of the executive powers rests with the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The office of the President, historically a ceremonial one, was granted some veto powers as of 1991 for a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of judiciary positions.

E is for ERP or Electronic Road Pricing, which Singapore successfully pioneered as one of the ways to curb traffic congestion. Gantries have been erected around various roads of Singapore, and electronic cashcard bearing units are installed in all vehicles. This enables automatic deduction of the relevant amount from the cashcard whenever the vehicle passes under an ERP gantry which is in operation. Some cynics say that at the rate the number of gantries are going up, ERP may soon mean "Every Road Pay".

E is for the "Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay", an impressive performing arts venue for both local and international performances, which opened in 2002. The Esplanade is located on prime waterfront land on the Marina Bay and has a 1,600 seat concert hall and a 2,000 seat theatre. The complex also includes retail space, food outlets and an arts library. I predict that in 20 years time, people will refer to 3 global centres for performing arts - Broadway in New York, the West End in London and the Esplanade in Singapore.

E is for Education, highly valued by Singapore society and also getting much attention from the Singapore government. By global standards, Singapore's education system is deemed highly effective, with Singapore students consistently scoring among the world's highest in mathematics and science. Psst, wanna know the secrets behind this success? Five main factors seem to have contributed: (i) the dedication and work of Singapore's education ministry- especially in developing the education framework and syllabi, (ii) the environment in Singapore where most parents strive to give their children the best in their education, including buying lots of assessment books and getting them private tuition, (iii) the competitive environment in most schools, and (iv) regular assessments of students' performances via homework, projects, tests and exams.

F is for Fines. The cynics like to say that "Singapore is a Fine City"- you can even buy souvenir T-shirts saying the same! There are fines imposed for quite a number of transgressions, such as littering, spitting, speeding, drink-driving, illegal parking, jaywalking, not flushing public toilets, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera ...

F is for Formula One races, part of the Singapore Grand Prix event which will have its inaugural night races on 28 September 2008. The races will be staged in the Marina Bay area. Vroom, vroom ... I wonder if these racing cars will have to pay ERP charges too?

G is for Goh Chok Tong, who succeeded Lee Kuan Yew as the second Prime Minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004. Although his style seemed more gentle and accommodating than his predecessor, he was equally firm when situations warranted. He was responsible for seeing through much national progress, including weathering through the Asian financial crisis. He currently serves as Senior Minister.

G is for Girl, the Singapore Girl that is. No one who has flown on Singapore Airlines can forget the elegant, demure, sarong kebaya clad air stewardesses who are the unmistakable global face of SQ. The original concept was created by Ian Batey, while Pierre Balmain, a French haute couture designer, was engaged to construct and update the Malay sarong kebaya costume. Ahhh ... what can I say - sex sells!

H is for Hub, a word one reads about a lot in the local newspapers. Singapore has aspirations to be a hub in many areas - healthcare, communications, logistics, technology, education, biomedical, sports, entertainment, even luxury watches !

H is for HDB or Housing Development Board. Public housing in Singapore is managed by the HDB. These HDB flats are made affordable for the masses, who can also draw on their CPF to help pay for it. About 85% of Singaporeans live in HDB flats.

I is for Integrated Resort (IR), one is being developed on Marina Bay and the other on Sentosa island. (The photo shows the Marina IR currently under construction). As everybod knows, IR is just a euphemism for "Casino". According to the government's master schedule, both IR's are planned to be operating by 2011. I'm sure many are willing to bet on that.

J is for the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a militant Islamic organisation bent on setting up an Islamic State in South-East Asia. JI is known to have been responsible for the Bali bombing of 2002. JI also had a plot to set off bombs in Singapore, but this was foiled by the local authorities. Although security on this island-nation is very good on the whole, there was one incident in early 2008, when one of the JI operatives, Mas Selamat, escaped from a Singapore detention centre in early 2008 and is still at large.

K is for Kiasuism. "Kiasu" is a Hokkien word meaning "afraid to lose" Some people say that the term entered Singapore's popular lexicon via the Mr Kiasu cartoon character, whose philosophies include: Always must win; Everything also must grab; Jump queue; Keep coming back for more; Look for discounts; Never mind what they think; Rushing and pushing wins the race; and Winner takes it all! all! all! Are Singaporeans kiasu? At the risk of generalising, it's true that they are competitive and a true Singaporean will never pass by a bargain. Retailers know this very well and are constantly offering FOC (free of charge) gifts, "limited edition" goods or good discounts to attract shoppers. In fact, it is easy to spot where bargains are being offered. Just watch out for queues at retail outlets (learn more about this under Q)

L is for Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding father. As Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, he is credited for shepherding the underdeveloped port into one of Asia's wealthiest nations within one generation. He currently holds the position of Minister Mentor.

L is also for Lee Hsien Loong, the current Prime Minister of Singapore, who took over the job from Goh Chok Tong in 2004. A graduate of Cambridge and Harvard, prior to entering politics, he was in the Singapore Armed Forces and quickly rose through the ranks to become the youngest Brigadier-General in Singapore's history. He is the son of Lee Kuan Yew.

L is for Lion. According to the legend of how Singapura was "founded", a Sumatran prince named Sang Nila Utama wanted to find a suitable place for a new city. He decided to visit the islands off the coast of Sumatra. From there, he spotted a distant island, and had to brave a great storm before reaching it. When he went inland to hunt, he suddenly saw a strange animal with a red body, black head and a white breast . It moved very quickly and disappeared into the jungle. His chief minister informed him that it probably was a lion. However, recent studies of Singapore indicate that lions have never lived there, and the beast seen by Sang Nila Utama was most likely a Malayan tiger. Anyway, Sang Nila Utama believed the sighting to be a good omen and so he decided to build his new city in Temasek, which he named "Singapura" - "singa" means lion and "pura" means city. According to the Malay Annals, Sang Nila Utama ruled the island from 1299 to 1347.

M is for the Merlion, the "creature" thought up by the Singapore Tourism Board as an emblem for Singapore. It has a lion head and fish body, resting on a crest of waves. I'm sure there's some clever symbolism for each feature, but I haven't found the STB write-up yet.

M is for "Majulah Singapura", the national anthem. It means "Forward Singapore" and was composed by Zubir Said in 1958, originally as a theme song for Singapore City Council functions, but when Singapore gained independence in 1965, it was officially adopted as the national anthem. Alas after 43 years, many school kids when asked to name their national anthem still respond with "Mari kita" ...

M is for Mustafa, the ever-popular department store located at Serangoon Plaza, on Serangoon Road in the area called "Little India". A couple of floors selling everything from foodstuff to jewellery to electronic goods. Prices at Mustafa are supposedly lower than in other department stores on Orchard Road. Mustafa also stays open 24x7.

N is for Newton Hawker Centre, a popular eating spot for locals and tourists alike. Here one can find many food stalls selling everything from chicken rice to laksa, hokkien noodles to chilli stingray, kangkong belacan to laksa (with cockles, of course) .... yummy!

N is for "NEWater" the name given to potable, recycled water produced by Singapore's Public Utilities Board. The purification method uses dual-membrane (via microfiltration and reverse osmosis) and ultraviolet technologies, in addition to conventional water treatment processes.

O is for the Opposition politicians. Not much to write here, as there are not many in the Opposition. Currently there are three in Parliament - MP Chiam See Tong (of the Singapore Deomocratic Party) , MP Low Thia Khiang and NMP Sylvia Lim (both from Workers' Party).

O is for Orchard Road, the main retail and entertainment area in Singapore. Lots of hotels, lots of malls, lots of shoppers ... 'nuff said.

P is for PAP (People's Action Party) , Singapore's ruling political ruling party since 1959. From the 1963 general elections, the PAP has dominated Singapore's parliamentary democracy and has been central to the city-state's political, social, and economic development.

P is for Population. Singapore has a population of about 4.2 million, a multi-racial (Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians) and multi-religious (Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindu, etc) mix, which has managed to live harmoniously together for the past four decades. Unfortunately Singapore also has a fast aging populations. It has been projected that by 2020, more than a quarter of the population will be above 65 years of age. Various measures are being implemented to stop or slow down this trend.

Q is for Queues. Everywhere in Singapore, you find queues. From queues at hawker stalls to bus stops to ticketing booths to ATM machines (especially on pay day) to ..... you name it! But above all, queues form most quickly in retail areas when there are discounted items or better still freebies to be gotten ...

R is for Raffles. Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) is honoured as being the founder of modern Singapore in 1819. In December 1818, Raffles left Calcutta in search of a new British settlement to replace Malacca. Malacca was one of the many British territories given back to the Dutch as part of a war treaty. Raffles had foreseen that without a strategic British trading post located within the Straits Settlement, the Dutch could gain control of the Straits Settlement trade. He found this in Singapore. Raffles arrived in Singapore in January 1819 and together with William Farquhar, he met the Temenggong Abdul Rahman to negotiate for a British factory to be established on the island. On 6 February 1819, he signed an official treaty with the Sultan and Temenggong, and subsequently the Union Jack Flag was raised officially.

R is for "Red Dot". This came from a disparaging reference to Singapore by former Indonesian President Habibie in 1998. The Indonesian leader had remarked that he did not have the feeling that Singapore was a friend, and had pointed to a map saying "All the green [area] is Indonesia. And that red dot is Singapore." The term has come to be used by both Singapore leaders and citizens with pride and a sense of the nation's success despite its physical limitations.

S is for Sentosa island, a small island located just off the southern edge of Singapore. A bridge links it to the mainland. One can also get to Sentosa by cablecar. The name "Sentosa" means "peace and tranquility" in Malay, which is so much better than its previous name, which was an ominous-sounding "Pulau Belakang Mati", which literally means "Island of Death from Behind". Sentosa is one of the popular tourist spots in Singapore, with sites such as Fort Siloso, Underwater World, Dolphin Lagoon, Butterfly Park, "Song of the Sea" Show, etc. There are also a number of hotels there. By 2010, it will also be the site of one of Singapore's two Integrated Resorts.

S is also for the Singapore Flyer, a huge "ferris wheel" like structure and one of Singapore's latest tourist attractions. You can read about my experience on the Singapore Flyer in one of my previous blog entries.

T is for Temasek, the old name for Singapore. According to legend, it was the Sumatran prince Sang Nila Utama (see under L for Lion) who gave the name Temasek to the island, where he spotted an animal which he thought was a lion, and therefore called the place Singapura.

U is for "Uniquely Singapore", the tagline that the Tourism Board is pushing in a whole series of media campaigns.

V is for Vivocity, one of the recently opened shopping malls on Pasir Panjang. Warning to husbands and boyfriends: if you go there with your other half, be prepared for lots & lots of walking !

W is for world-class companies - such as Singapore Airlines, Changi International Airport, Port of Singapore, and many more.

X is for eXcellence. This tiny nation-state continues to strive for excellence in so many different areas.

Y is for Yusof bin Ishak, who first served as the Yang Di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State) from 1959 to 1965, and then Singapore's first President from 1965 until his death in 1970. He was loved and respected by all communities. Today his picture appears on certain Singapore currency notes introduced in 1999.

Z is for Zoo. The Singapore Zoo at Mandai is one of the best zoological parks in the world. They also have an attraction called the "Night Safari", which was a world's first. The Singapore Zoo was also home to Ah Meng, the orang utan.

Well, to all my Singaporean friends and colleagues, have a great National Day!

Remembering Borobodur

Pop Quiz: What is the connection between Borobodur and Singapore? (Read on for answer)

I have a little souvenir "stupa" on my desk at home. It's a pretty heavy bell-shaped object made from some form of rock, so it does well as a paper weight. I got it during my visit to the ancient Borobodur temple on the island of Java, in Indonesia about two years ago. A "stupa" is a symbol of enlightenment and an ancient icon of Buddhist art. Stupas are also very prevalent forms of Buddhist architecture, and are designed with deep symbolism and geometry. They are often filled with Buddhist relics and other sacred objects.

Borobodur is located 40km north-west of Yogyakarta and is a popular tourist destination. The Borobodur Temple complex, recognised as one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world, is believed to have been built between the end of the 7th and beginning of the 8th century A.D. For about a century and half, it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java, and then suddenly it was lost, overgrown by the jungle until its rediscovery in the 19th century.

The structure comprises about 60,000 square metres of lava rock, the whole complex sited on a hill. It is shaped like a stepped-pyramid with six rectangular levels, three circular terraces and a huge central stupa at the top. There are many stupas located all around, with a statue of the Buddha within each, except for the main stupa itself which is empty, which as I was told, symbolizes complete perfection of enlightenment. There are thousands of bas relief carvings of scenes derived from Buddhist text depicting the life of the Buddha, including portrayals of hellish torture mixed with sweet pleasures.

Back to my pop quiz question. What links Singapore and Borobodur is Stamford Raffles. Most people know that Raffles is credited with the founding of the city of Singapore. But less known is the fact that during his time as Governor of Java, Raffles was also responsible for the rediscovery of the ancient Borobodur site. While Raffles was on an inspection expedition to the north coast of Java in 1814, he learnt of a large monument deep in a jungle near the village of Bumisegoro. As he was not able to the site himself, he instructed a Dutch engineer named H.C. Cornelius to go and investigate. In two months, Cornelius and his men felled trees, burnt vegetation and excavated the earth to reveal the monument. Due to the danger of collapse, he could not unearth all galleries. He reported his findings to Raffles including various drawings. Thus Raffles has been credited with the monument's recovery, as one who had brought it to the world's attention.

Over the years, the Borobodur complex suffered much damage - both natural and man-made (including looting of various artefacts). From 1968-1973, UNESCO led a "Save Borobodur" restoration campaign. Today Borobudur is once again used as a place of worship and pilgrimage.

Reflection
As I get older, I find myself being increasingly interested in history. Perhaps it's because I see myself gradually becoming a historical relic too ;-) In reading about events in the past, I notice an unsettling pattern of repeated mistakes that mankind seems to have made. We certainly don't seem to learn our lessons well. Empires rise and fall in very similar ways. Wars are fought for equally dubious reasons (eg. the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq wars are uncanny).

I'm especially drawn to "lost world" scenarios. How could once prosperous cities and societies over time have declined so significantly to the point of near disappearing? I'm intrigued by the writing of such scholars like Jared Diamond, whose book "Collapse" covers this topic, on the disappearance of the Mayans, Greenland's Norse, inhabitants of Easter Island, etc. Why and how did it happen? Will there one day be a "Lost City of Singapore"? Or an "Ancient Ruins of Kuala Lumpur"? Or "Buried Bangkok"? A preposterous notion? Maybe. Then again, if we recall that Borobodur thrived for 150 years, maybe not ...

Vietnam: Colour, Culture & Community (Part 1)

My very first visit to Vietnam was in 2003 when I was invited to speak at eGovernment seminars in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). I didn't know it then, but this visit kickstarted a series of workshops and conferences I would find myself participating in over the next five years. In my current job*, I support various ASEAN countries, and as such I make fairly regular trips to Vietnam - mostly to Hanoi, occasionally to HCMC, and a couple of times to Danang.

It is probably true to say that Vietnam has become one of my firm favourite countries. I feel strangely comfortable there. The people are friendly, the local food agrees with me (it is usually vegetable or seafood based, which makes it healthy and tasty), there are many historical or culturally significant sites, and the place is relatively safe.

Despite its rapid economic growth over the past 7-8 years, Vietnam is still a developing country. I have lived most of they past 30 years in concrete jungles we call modern cities, mostly in supposedly developed economies, so I tend to find the pace of life in Vietnam a couple of notches lower than what I'm used to - which is absolutely great because it allows me more time for three important R's: reflection, relationship-building and relaxation.

I would like to share what I like about the three cities of Hanoi, HCMC and Danang. I will only cover Hanoi in today's blog, and continue with the other two cities in Part 2 another day.

The national capital HANOI, located in the north, tends to be more conservative, more official-like, with more protocol. It also feels more cultural (I might be wrong here, but to a visitor like me, there seems to be more cultural or historical sites to visit in Hanoi than in HCMC). Here's the Opera House, which is very close to the hotel I normally stay at.

To illustrate the pervasiveness of the local culture, consider for instance the Hoan Kiem Lake. The lake is located right in the centre of the city, and there's a fascinating legend associated with it. According to a tale that dates back to the 15th century, King Le Loi, also known as Le Thai To, the founder of the Le Dynasty, found a holy turtle during a cruise on the then Luc Thuy, or green lake. The turtle told the King to return the sacred sword that had helped him defeat the northern Ming aggressors now that peace had been restored to the land. Le Thai To unsheathed his sword and threw it to the turtle, which caught the sword in its mouth and dived into the depths of the lake. The King later renamed the lake "Hoan Kiem" which means "Lake of Returned Sword". This is a story passed from generation to generation.

The Old Quarter in Hanoi is another fascinating place, that I love to wander around when the weather is cool. I am told that the Old Quarter retains a bit of the ambience of ancient Hanoi. The Old Quarter consists of a network of 36 streets, which bear the names of the goods that were originally manufactured by the craftsmen living on that street in days gone by, eg. Silk Street, Paper Street, Bamboo Street, etc. The Old Quarter is a great place to buy souvenirs or gifts. I also like to hang around the cafes of the Old Quarter just to watch the community that lives, works and plays there (ahem, this sounds like a company slogan I'm rather familiar with!).

A unique & very colourful cultural experience in Vietnam is watching water puppetry. One can do this at the Thang Long theatre, at the edge of Hoan Kiem Lake. Backed by musical instruments such bamboo flutes, bronze drums, gongs, xylophones and other instruments I can't even name. The program includes ducks, snakes, dragons, buffalos and little people dancing and diving above and under the water surface. The themes played out reflect daily life of villagers such as farming, children playing, romance , as well as depictions of ancient legends.

Other places in Hanoi worth visiting are the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, Museum of Fine Art, and the West lake area.

Well, that's it for today's posting. As mentioned earlier, I'll continue to share my thoughts on Vietnam in subsequent blogs. Do give me any feedback you have or share your own experience travelling in Vietnam.


* Some of you may know that I'm with the Asia Public Sector team at Cisco Systems, the global communications & collaboration company.

Note: All the photographs included in this blog were taken by Jemima Yong (jemimayong@hotmail.com)