Scenes from Hanoi, Vietnam

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This week I've been back in Hanoi for meetings. Thought I'd just post some random shots from this charming capital city of Vietnam. The photos have been taken over the space of many trips.

Mind you, June and July aren't the best months to visit Hanoi. The temperature can go up to 45 degrees C. Fortunately I have been going between one air-con building and another, so I haven't had to bear the full brunt of the heat.

On 10th Oct 2010, the city (Thang Long-Hanoi) will be celebrating its 1000th year history as the key capital. It was founded in 1010 as a city called Thang Long (Flying Dragon).  In fact, throughout its dramatic history, Hanoi has borne many names: Giao Chi (Remote Land), Tong Binh (Proper Home), An Nam (Pacified South), Dai La (Great Belt, as in the dyke surrounding the city), Dong Do and Dong Quan (both meaning Capital), Dong Kinh (Eastern Capital) - which the French priests later interpreted as Tongkin. The name Hanoi, or more strictly Ha Noi, only appeared after the Nguyen Dynasty attained power in 1802, shifted the capital to Hue and renamed the city in 1831. Ha Noi literally translates to City in the River, City Surrounded by Rivers, City in the Bend of the River, or more romantically City in the Embrace of the Rivers. Despite the name change, even well into the 20th century, people still like to call the city Thang Long.

Sunset scene on Hoan Kiem lake in the centre of Hanoi

The Opera House, Hanoi
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Art in the streets of Hanoi

Want a "Mona Lisa" or "Sunflowers" painting in your living room? Want yourself standing next to the Mona Lisa? All can be done through the talents of these copy artists in the streets of Hanoi.

A candid shot into an alley way

Outside a souvenir shop near the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Evening in the Old Quarters of Hanoi

The above photo by Jemima Yong (jemimayong@hotmail.com) really captures the community feeling among the residents of the Old Quarters. I'd encourage you to click to enlarge the picture and try to tell the story yourself. I am firmly of the opinion that in transitioning to "modern" city living, we have lost much of this community feeling.

A roadside fruit seller arranges her ware

The unique art form of Water Puppetry in Hanoi

Ok, more on Hanoi later. I now have a plane to catch ...
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Vietnam: Colour, Culture & Community (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my Vietnam entry on 25 July 2008. As I write this, I'm back in Hanoi for two days. It's been pretty warm here, with the temperature display showing 31 degrees C in the afternoons.

The Vietnamese Identity

During my flight from Singapore to Hanoi, I sat next to a young Vietnamese man with a very cute little girl. We got to chatting and I found out that they had come from Auckland, New Zealand where most of his family had migrated to. The young man introduced himself as Mark Le, and he had been in NZ for seven years, and was working as a painter in the construction industry. The little girl was his six-year old niece Wen, who had been born in NZ and he was taking her for a two month vacation to Vietnam, so she could meet her grandmother who lived in Haiphong. Mark said he tried to go back to Vietnam once every few years - "whenever I have enough money" - but this was little Wen's first trip to Vietnam. She held a NZ passport, and Mark was telling me how he would have to pay US$25 to get her a visitor's visa when they arrived at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi.

This was not the first time it has struck me how attached Vietnamese are to their homeland. Even though the individual might have migrated, or in some cases escaped the country (as in the "boat people" episode, if you recall their history), many Vietnamese (at least all the ones I've met) still maintain a strong bond with it. If possible, they want to visit frequently, even if they might not go back to stay for good. Wherever they bring their children up, they will try to instill a strong sense of identity in them - through speaking Vietnamese to them (Mark Le told me that little Wen could speak both English and Vietnamese, "but her Vietnamese very bad" he said, sounding a little disappointed) and teaching them about the customs and traditions from their country of origin.

"Viet khieu" is the term for the overseas Vietnamese. There are more than five million of them around the globe. They remit huge sums of money to their relatives or business partners back in Vietnam. In recent years, the Vietnamese government is trying to encourage them to return to their homeland. The government wishes to leverage on their wealth of knowledge, experience and financial resources, and also hope that returnees will choose to stay longer and participate in nation-building.

Crossing the Road in Vietnam - An Experience

Anyone who has been to a major city in Vietnam would have tales to tell about crossing the streets. If you observe how the traffic flows within the city area, it can be pretty alarming. The majority of vehicles are still motorcycles, but the number of cars and vans is growing quickly. The very first time I came to Hanoi, some five years ago, I stood at the curb for fifteen minutes, not daring to cross. Let's put it this way - traffic lights, zebra crossings and one-way street signs are mere suggestions rather than official rules. And at their cross junctions, where two more more streets intersect, many do not have any traffic lights at all - now that's scary!

I've included some recent photos taken in the streets of Hanoi. Some good advice from my Vietnamese friends on how to get to the other side without any mishap: (1) Don't wait for a break in the traffic. Just go. (2) Walk slowly and steadily. (3) Look to the side of oncoming traffic (but also glance at the opposite side - you never know who might be driving the wrong direction). Of course in two-way streets, look carefully to both sides (4) Adjust your walking pace according to the oncoming vehicles (5) Don't run, go backwards or make any jerky movements.

Well, I've followed these instructions and am still alive after many trips to Vietnam. Basically, if your movement is predictable, the oncoming vehicles will either slow down or weave around you. A Singaporean colleague of mine who lives in Vietnam used to say that in his analysis, the only implicit traffic rule that everyone tries to follow is: "don't kill anybody". Beside that, anything goes.

I've often thought that the Vietnamese way of street-crossing reflects something fundamental about the Vietnamese psyche or way of thinking. Firstly, there is a high level of tolerance for each other. It's a kind of "live and let live" attitude for fellow travelers in life. Secondly, people don't pay too much heed to rules in general. They simply do what they think works. Thirdly, there is no grand plan (or if there is, it's not obvious) - they know where they want to go, head in that direction & when they meet obstacles, simply adjust as they go along

Hmmm, this entry is getting longer than I thought. Looks like my comments on HCMC and Danang will have to wait till Part 3 on another day.

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)