The streets here are rivers of motorbikes beeping and burping, flowing around everything in their path. Lucky for us we are in a van with a driver named “Van”.
These motorbikes have two cycle engines that spew dirty exhaust into the air. With probably more than 6 million motorbikes bombing around the narrow roads, that’s a lot of pollution; dust, dirt, greasy-grimey, not to mention the noise. The roar is unbearable.
Today we have a tour guide named “Sinh” ( “sing” ). It is great to have a local person share his country with us.
We start out making a trip to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. The big flat grey concrete square reminds us of Tienneman Square in Beijing. Guards in uniforms are all around make sure no one walks on the grass.
Near the mausoleum is the Vietnam president’s house, which is the “yellow house” like our white house! We learn that this French mansion had been Ho Chi Minh’s house after the French were forced out of Vietnam in 1954. He lived there until he made it clear that he wanted a simpler house. We saw the farmer’s house on stilts, which he had built nearby. Uncle Ho lived simply in this structure near the underground bunker that he used when Hanoi was being attacked.
Close to what is now the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the One Pillar (or One Tree) Pagoda overlooks a small pond. At the ‘single pedestal pagoda’ we learn about the Vietnamese belief in a “mother goddess who has 1000 eyes”. She is always watching over them. Seeing the good and the bad they do just like Santa Claus in our culture. It was built by Emperor Li Ty Trong after a dream in which the Goddess of Mercy handed him a male child on a lotus flower. He created the small wooden pagoda to resemble a lotus blossom to commemorate the birth of his long-awaited heir.
Unfortunately, the original was destroyed during the war with the French. The present building is a replica erected the year after the colonists were finally expelled in 1954.
People cook and eat on the sidewalks beside the torrents of vehicles rushing by at all times of the day and night. They live in their stores, above their stores, or in long dark alleyways beside their stores. We realize the 8 million people in Hanoi are “city dwellers” this is what they know.
A beautiful Buddhist eleven stupa pagoda graces the West Lake, the lake John McCain crashed into! In the garden, there is a Pipal Tree (ficus religiosa, but known throughout history as the Bodhi tree) reputedly grown from a cutting of the original tree where Buddha sat and gained enlightenment. We learn about the “three mothers; mother of forest, mother of sun, mother of Water” that the Vietnam people honor. We see many people making offerings and praying. Our guide, Sinh, tells us that most Vietnamese are not really Buddhist, they are “pretending to be Buddhist” because of the traditions. He describes how each family honors their ancestors and pays tribute to them for 3 generations.
Next temple we visit is the Temple of Literature. This is such an amazing place to visit in Hanoi. This is not a temple but a huge compound with beautiful gates, lakes, courtyard, and a museum. It was the first Vietnam University back in 1070 built by King Ling Ly Nha Tong dedicated to Confucius, Sages, and Scholars. It had been reconstructed by several dynasties due to war and other disasters. Until now, it is still one of the most important venues for people of Vietnam to host cultural and educational events. We learn about the Crane & the Turtle symbolism. We rub the belly of the crane for virtue and the head of the turtle for knowledge and doing well on tests, having good intelligence. The crane and turtle work together when the turtle cannot find water or food the crane can take him where he needs to go and when the crane needs a place to rest, he can rest on the turtle’s back. Cooperation!
Lunch is delicious at the True Viet restaurant: tofu with seasonal vegetables, wine from Dalat, and Vietnamese coffee give us a two hour respite and energy for more touring.
After lunch we visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Jim likes the reconstructed thatched roof hut (hooch). A funereal effigy depicting life, death, and the grief of death fascinates us. The weaving exhibits dazzle us with color, style and design. A few ceremonial poles with dangling ropes and ribbons remind us of May poles. A display of how they make the triangle hats is enlightening. A bike carrying 600 fish basket traps reminds us of the whaler loaded down with lobster traps. This museum is a valuable center for the exhibition and the preservation of cultural heritages of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. More importantly, the displays show us what is essential in all cultures across the globe.
Did you ever wonder how lacquer ware is made? Well, it is a long process. Our van dropped us curbside and we entered a studio with a long family tradition of creating lacquer ware. Jim says; “ Right at the door, you are greeted by a cute girl speaking English reciting all she knows about the USA to tempt you to purchase! It is amazing, though, how they create each piece. It takes 3 months to make one piece. Typical Vietnamese, each person does one specialty in the process. Specialized labor is the Communist way.”
During the day we talk with Sinh trying to understand how he feels about his city and his country. When we inquire how the people like the current president, he says; “We don’t care. We just accept.” Of course they know all about our presidents and how we all feel about them and John McCain. They like to say they saved his life.
At the “Hanoi Hilton”, the Hoa Lon Prison, we learn a little too much about torture. You learn more about what happened before the war, what the French did to the Vietnamese to subjugate them. It represents sad chapters in Vietnam. Jim says; “The way Vietnam was colonialized was unfair. I understand why these people fought the French and then the Americans. They wanted their own country. It was a Communistic movement supported by Nationalists that ousted colonial rule. We played into a failed colonial rule.” Lea says; “I understand the hope for a democracy for these creative and hard working people. I can imagine what this place would look like. I am glad we tried to help them be a free country, because I like living in a democratic country. Many people here still want that.”
What a day! Exhausted by all we saw, we want to relax. Lea hopes to hang at the hotel being blah and boring, but the J people are ready to venture out into more organized chaos! Lucky for Lea, we find the lovely restaurant Madame Hien.
Situated in an old colonial style house in a back street this smart and clean restaurant has both outside and inside seating. It specializes in local Vietnamese cuisine. We choose inside, upstairs which is quiet and calm.
The owner writes a nice statement on the menu:
“This restaurant is dedicated to my wife’s grandmother and to all Vietnamese women of the past and present. It is also a tribute to their cooking and ancestral culture, and the artisanal and regional knowledge of over 1000 years. The rich diversity of Vietnam, two deltas, 54 minorities, 3000 kilometers of coastline and many nature resources; rivers, forests, mountains, and oceans.”
What a fine meal to end our Hanoi City tour. Back at the hotel, Jim and I listen to two beautiful women, one playing an ancient piano keyboard and the other a 36 string harp creating soothing traditional music of this lovely country. Of course, Lea took photos and recorded a short video to be shared later.
Chao from Hanoi!
