HANOI – winter 2015

The first morning the sun was lighting up my window. But when I looked outside something was clearly different from similar mornings three months ago. The girls sitting straight backed on their mopeds do not wear the usual T-shirt and wee little shorts, but padded coats and long trousers, and gloves—not to prevent darkening of their porcelain skin, but to keep warm.

To fully understand this we need to blank out the traditional belief that Vietnam is scorching heat with tropical downpours—images that linger from the 60s when the nightly news was saturated with GIs facing exactly those conditions. But that was of course in the country that was called South Vietnam, and the GIs never made it to the north.

Quite obviously, the north is different: four distinct seasons is one major difference. June, July, August and the first part of September are hot, with an average temperature of 32⁰C and heavy rains; December, January and February are cold, temperatures averaging 17⁰C; and the in-between months of spring and autumn are, temperature-wise, exactly that—in-between. The Hanoi tourist office suggests that autumn is the most beautiful and romantic time to visit Hanoi (September up to mid-November) with temperatures averaging 25⁰C due to warm sunlight and a cooling breeze.

Apparently that advice has not been heard far and wide. Now, December and almost Christmas, the old town is flooded with tourists. While the local inhabitants wear winter clothes, the tourists, and in particular the westerners, are dressed for summer. As the Hanoi winter temperatures are similar to cool summer days in western Europe and America, that is unsurprising. 

Looking at my recently downloaded tourist map to get an idea where to go next, it suddenly struck me that the Red River, on the southern shore of which Hanoi is located, is hardly ever incorporated in the tourist routes and objects. So I set out to explore the Red River to find out why.

What I hadn't realised is that this section of Hanoi bordering the river, that is the area between the two bridges, had streets outlined but without names, obviously the map is only meant for tourists visiting Hanoi's old town. And thus, I soon found out, tourists are a rarity in that section. I was looked over, and a few schoolkids even tried out their English on me… hello, how are you…! something that simply does not happen in the old town.

The area was difficult to access. An elevated road (built on a dike that protects the old town from the flash floods for which the Red River is famous) separates the two parts of town. On the old town side, the dike is adorned with the mosaic-murals that I have written about in a previous post.

After having traversed the dike I found myself at the entrance of the immense distributors' wet-market. It is not marked on the map, not for tourists, as it is muddy and smelly. And at the other end only a few alleyways (but indicated on the map as roads of the same width as those in the old town…) leading, I assumed, in the general direction of the river. After a few wrong turns and dead-ends I spotted a sign for the Riverview Hotel which led me to the river floodplain, an area that is heavily cultivated: I spotted wild growth and horticultural plots. The river was apparently a few hundred metres farther, but as far as I could see, beyond my reach. 

HANOI – little things that strike me…

I came across this hydrant, judging by its paint a fairly old one, and was amazed that it still had its cap (or maybe it's a spigot). Jakarta hydrants do not have them anymore. Removed and taken to a scrap-metal dealer. Even the nuts, used to bolt the struts together of the Java-Madura bridge that were easily accessible from its roadway, were removed within a few weeks after the bridge was officially opened.

It also struck me that the covers of the below-street-level sewers or ducts, are made of concrete with a proper water to cement to aggregates ratio, while the ones made of cast iron have not found their way to a scrap metal dealer.

And such a delight to be able to walk on well paved wide pavements, though parked cars and motorcycles often frustrate one's passage.

Especially now during the cool autumn month of October, walking the Hanoi roads is a real joy. 

One of the most amazing things in Hanoi is the way cables (electricity, telephone) are strung overhead. How can anybody know what is connected to what. But it looks that on some main roads the old system is being replaced by something neater; at least that's what I think the cables being cut down means.

In respect of scrap metal dealers, I suddenly remember the story of the railway tracks. It happened some 50 years ago in Holland. In a pub that I frequented as a student, I had made the acquaintance of a scrap metal dealer. He often stood me a beer and I listened to his stories. One day he almost shouted: WTF is happening to the world, I can't even trust my fellow dealers anymore… To me that sounded overly naïve, or was it stupidity, that made him expect fair, gentlemanly commercial practices where in fact there were none.

But anyway, this is what happened. He had been told of surplus rail the national railway company had sold. And as the original buyer suddenly needed quick money and was prepared to sell some of the rail at a considerably reduced price, they were bought by my acquaintance.

While loading the rail at the site—along the Rotterdam-Schiedam railway line—he was approached by a railway inspector who inquired in a heated way what the fuck he thought he was doing. He couldn't even complete his explanation before he was told that he had to immediately unload again, as these rail were to be used for the construction of an additional rail track. And whatever papers and contracts my man tried to show, he was to unload double quick, or the police would be called.

My acquaintance had lost a considerable sum of money, and the seller had left for an unknown destination shortly after receiving the money. urprisingly, I was treated to a night-long drinking spree plus a meal of fried chicken and chips.

HANOI – shopping malls

… but first an addition to the previous post, Autumn in Hanoi. What a pleasant surprise, last night, a lady was selling roasted chestnuts in front of the hotel. She used one of these clever burners where a thick-walled stone vessel shaped like a flower pot, is heated from below with gas fire and filled with charcoal. When hot, the chestnuts are roasted in a wok on top of the burner.

These chestnuts are either from the south of China (the world's largest producer), or just across the border in Vietnam, as the fruit (it's a fruit, not a nut) needs temperate climates.

In the past days I did one mall each morning. And it led me to compare these shopping centres with the ones in Jakarta. The general conclusion is that the (top) malls in Jakarta are of a much higher standard, more luxurious and offering a wider variety of goods, and moreover seem to be frequented by larger numbers of customers. My experience is, of course, restricted to weekdays. During the weekend, many families and couples will likely hang out there. The ones included in my survey are: Vincom Towers, Royal City, Lotte Tower, Trang Tien Plaza and Parkson.

Vincom Towers, the oldest one, is fairly small and conventionally arranged around a central core, which allows an easy overview of shops. The range of goods for sale is standard, apart from the very big Lock&Lock offering a mouth-watering selection of household items and kitchenware.

Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, the newest addition to the Hanoi malls, is a huge two-storeyed, underground mall. If nothing else, its size is an experience. Its layout, however, is a handicap to easy shopping. The long main corridors with branches at 90 degrees do not aid in the search for a specific product or shop, while the maps and information boards are unclear and even incorrect. Vietnamese, a tonal language, is not spoken by many foreign visitors, and English is still in short supply among the Vietnamese population. The other day I ordered ba:n mi:, thinking I would get bánh mì, but got a questioning look instead, and that in a shop selling nothing but the baguette type sandwich.

The information centres of the Mega Mall, where no one speaks English, do not really help foreigners to find their way around.

Restaurants and other food outlets are scattered with no real logic to it, rather than being concentrated in a food court or restaurant alley. Apparently, some visitors picnic in the wide corridors on weekends.

The mall made a rather sterile impression, and for shopping I found it unattractive. 

The large number of shops selling furniture did astound me, as except for high-income earners, in the majority of homes furniture is restricted to a low table and beds.

But the water park, bowling alley and ice rink are exceptionally attractive and worth a visit.

The listed prices at the rink are for season-tickets (45, 90 and 180 days) for either weekdays and week-ends, with the latter more expensive, but single-day tickets can probably be arranged. It doesn't appear to be intended for hockey, as its shape is square, not rectangular; it looked long enough to accommodate a hockey rink (61 m) and maybe the boards could be placed, but I did not see any of the lines needed for a game.

The water park is probably as much fun for adults as for children. I didn't get a chance to observe it from the inside, but the posters looked exciting.

Lotte Towers is the mall to spend hours upon hours shopping and relaxing behind a coffee, or having a meal. Nicely laid out, clean and light, clear information boards at the base of the escalators, and a good assortment of shops and food outlets. The large Lotte supermarket is also worth a visit. 

 

Trang Tien Plaza offers a collection of high-end boutiques selling international luxury brands. Perfumes, jewellery, shoes, clothes, and on the top floors a number of restaurants. It is the place to go when looking for top brands.

And finally Parkson, a smallish but pleasantly laid out mall. Good selection of shops and articles. Definitely worth a visit.

Having done my blogging duty, I'm off to enjoy a bánh mì from the outlet next door. Easy, no confusion, they already know me there, and to order I only have to point at the pictures of the menu on the wall. 

HANOI – autumn 2015

Autumn in Hanoi… an extremely pleasant place to spend a few weeks this October. Cool days, overcast but light skies with regular morning rain, and evening and nights definitely chilly. I switched the air-conditioning off as my feet—in hotel slippers—and nose were uncomfortably cold. I never imagined that Vietnam, which I consider a tropical country, would have four seasons. Well, of course that is in the northern part of the country only. The mountains north-west of Hanoi are colder still. In the resort town of Sapa, during the winter months of mid-December to mid-January, the room air-conditioning will be set to blowing warm air, and a fireside will be burning in the hotel lobby.

The south follows the pattern of equatorial south-east Asia's wet tropics. I don't know where the dividing line between north and south is located. It surely will not be a single east-west line, more like a transition zone, some tens of km deep, located in the central region. The country's total length (on a north-south axis) is after all 1600 km. Before being colonised by France and brought under a single governor-generalship in 1887, the country consisted of three regions: Cochin-China in the south, Annam in the central region, and Tonkin in the north. The transition zone would cover part of the central region.

On my first morning, the hotel breakfast room, on the tenth floor, had opened its windows and the fresh air enriched the great taste of my morning coffee. 

Vietnamese coffee is of incomparable quality. The country is the second largest coffee producer in the world, but the largest producer of Robusta beans; its Arabica production stands at a mere 4.5% of the total.

After my first breakfast, I went to the centre of town, of the old town that is and the best place for an easy stroll, Hoan Kiem lake. The footpaths around the lake are well paved, benches everywhere to relax, and kiosks for snacks, ice creams and souvenirs strategically located for easy access. And to my surprise, one can stroll past the public toilets without smelling them.

I had my favourite café filtre at the Trung Nguyen coffee centre on the edge of the old town. Together with the baguettes, the filtered coffee is a left over from the French, and as both do provide for a most pleasant intake, they were not turned out with the French. 

 Vietnam, one of south-east Asia's fastest-growing economies, has set its sights on becoming a developed nation by 2020. That does not seem impossible to achieve. When comparing the current state of Hanoi with my observations of eight years ago when I first visited the town, I can only conclude that, if the country had not lost some 30 years fighting, first the French, then the Americans, and finally the Chinese because of a border dispute, it would have been one of the most advanced economies in the region already. And what I see here in Hanoi, is but the smaller part of the overall economy: Ho Chi Minh City in the south, being the more vigorous entrepreneurial, industrial and commercial centre.

Eight years ago I came across two shopping centres—I call them shopping centres rather than malls, as they were rather small and not very fancy. Nowadays there are, however, many real malls, foreign and locally owned. The largest being the Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, an underground retail and entertainment complex of 230,000 sqm, advertised as Asia's biggest. The mall does not only contain shops and restaurants, but also movie theatres, gaming centres, and an ice skating rink of 3,000 sqm. It is owned by Vincom Retail, Vingroup's retail property arm. One of the shopping centres I visited eight years ago, located in the Vin Tower, is also owned by the group. And the second one, Trang Tien Plaza, has become a centre for high-end fashion: Cartier, Dior, Louis Vuitton and the like have boutiques there. 

The property sector appears to be in full swing with building cranes everywhere, while the infrastructure is actively being improved and extended. I have no way to check whether this is bubble-development (with a likely bursting at the end). The activity and spending level inside the shopping malls might, however, provide some indication of the general welfare of the population. I will therefore during the coming days spend a lot of time visiting malls. In first instance I'll go back to the Vin Com Tower, and subsequently to the Royal City Mega Mall, where I was told hockey is on the menu. 

THIS IS GOOOD... Guacamole slightly different

Ingredients

avocado               1 large
tomato                 1 large
garlic                    to taste, I used about 6 cloves
habaneros             to taste, I used 3, if not available jalapenos is fine, or dried chili flakes
salt                        to taste
yoghurt                250 gr, I used firm Greek style yoghurt
tortilla chips        as many as you wish

Preparation

Mix the cut up avocado, the chopped tomato the finely chopped garlic, and the very finely chopped habaneros and stir well, add salt.

Taste.

Add the yoghurt stirring well.

Spoon it out with the chips.

NOW, if you have some leftovers! I had, and I ate it with Arab flat bread.

Cut the bread open, spread the guacamole on one side and add slices of ham. I used York ham
and some soft Italian cheese. I used Bocconcini because I had nothing else. But I think Buffalo Mozzarella will be nice too.

Close the bread and enjoy.

BIASA TOCH… (as usual)

When my friend's four-year old daughter had to be hospitalised and he was only able to look at her through a glass partition because the room had to be kept germ-free, he was very upset when he observed a stray cat cleaning itself in that "antiseptic" ward.

The nurse did not understand his point and why he was upset. Ok, it was a provincial hospital, and happened some years ago, but still. Biasa toch…

And when I was admitted with dengue to a Jakarta hospital, I asked why the intravenous needle the nurse was replacing, sticky with blood, was thrown into the waste basket where I had put empty Aqua bottles and used tissue paper, the answer was that the trash would be sorted downstairs. Biasa toch…

Luckily for the cleaning staff assigned to sort the medical from the non-medical trash, and who might by accident prick themselves on the bloody needle, I am not an AIDS sufferer, but I do not envy him his job.

Next time you ask for a daily necessity in your favourite supermarket or corner toko and the answer is kosong, sorry, we're out of stock, think biasa toch…

The sorry policeman, who maintains a steady flow of traffic on his intersection by directing those who want to turn right to drive straight on, does not understand that to clear his node results in more blockage somewhere else, because he cannot see that his part of the road is but a small cog in the metropolitan traffic system. Moreover, his experience is of a continuing, and worsening, traffic congestion, so why even think of possible improvements. Biasa toch…

All these instances are the result of forced rote learning, not so much because it's the system, but more because the teacher would not know how to answer questions about alternatives.

Huddled masses, shake off your tinted glasses and punch a hole in your box, let in the light of an alternative view and nurture the spark of creativity that is also inside YOU.

Make imaginative thinking and constructive criticism your own BIASA (usual way)…! 

HANOI – sights and more

Such an amazing city, especially in comparison to Jakarta, my residence. The total population of Greater Hanoi, that is the administrative region, was 7.1m in 2014, or 2.9m for the urban part and the remainder spread out over "rural" Hanoi. Nearly three million people, a great many cars and even more motorcycles and scooters in the city proper, and yet no traffic jams. And development appears to take place at an astonishing speed—the new Noi Bai airport and a new six-lane highway connecting it to Hanoi; new roads inside the town and flyovers being constructed; new high-rise offices, shopping centres, hotels, apartments. Exactly four years ago I was here on a project-assignment, the hotel I stayed (in the old town) was at six floors the largest building in the narrow street, now it is dwarfed by a fancy recent addition to the Hanoi hotel-world. And in contrast to Jakarta, the developmental activities appear to work as intended and are completed on time—the new highway, for example, is of superb quality and includes a magnificent bridge across the Red River.

Located on the right bank of the Red River, Hanoi marked its one-thousand years as a city in October 2010. It had been inhabited long before, since somewhere around 3000 BC in fact, but it was Emperor Ly Thai To who in 1010 moved his capital there. He renamed it Thang Long (Soaring Dragon) as he claimed to have seen a dragon rising from the Red River. In 1802 the capital was moved to Hué by Emperor Gia Long, founder of the Nguyen dynasty. In 1831 Thang Long was named Hanoi, and from 1902 to 1953 it served as the capital of French Indochina. And finally, after 30 years of war, Hanoi became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.

Sights worth a visit.

The nearly four kilometres long Ceramic Road, based on the idea of journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy to transform the dyke system around Hanoi into a ceramic mosaic in celebration of 1000-years-Hanoi, was officially entered into the Guinness Book of World Records on 5 October 2010 as the largest mosaic in the world. It could even be called an international cooperative effort as foreign contributions can also be identified—see for instance the Spanish mosaic with its bottle of Rioja 2010 and the text Vamos a la Playa; and a bit further down Dutch windmills and tulips can also be identified. Definitely worth a visit.

In my previous blog I already mentioned that a stroll through the Old Town is highly enjoyable. Its 36 streets, some wide and others very narrow, are full of life. In the past these streets were arranged by trade—textiles, silverwork, shoes and sandals, and the like. Nowadays less so, but the exiting and intoxicating atmosphere and beautifully organised chaos is still strikingly evident.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum, as the name implies, is dedicated to a single person: Ho Chi Minh. Born Nguyen That Thanh, he adopted the name Ho Chi Minh, meaning the Bringer of Light, when he founded the Viet Minh, a communist-dominated independence movement, to fight the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement and the President of North Vietnam from 1954 till his death in 1969.

The museum is dedicated to his many contributions in the fields of culture, education and the arts, and his devotion to the national liberation of the Vietnamese people, and contributing to the common struggle of peoples for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.[1]

The interesting aspect of the museum is that a wider and more multivariegated view than the politically correct version of UNESCO, is presented.

A bewildering assemblage of objects and images is shown. What to make, for instance, of these photos (shown below) reproduced on glass and accessible from both sides.

  

The interpretation of the ones below seems clear: …common struggle of peoples for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.

Definitely worth a visit, and if the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is open, I do recommend you join the silent queue of people filing past his tomb.

I also recommend a visit to the Temple of Literature. Within the temple the first university of Vietnam, the Imperial Academy, was established to educate the nobles, royalty, bureaucrats and other members of the elite. Founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, the temple, one of Hanoi's finest historical and cultural sites, is dedicated to Confucius.

Main entrance

 

 Serene tranquility inside the compound

 

Confucius

Hoa Lo Prison main gate

For those of us who remember Jane Fonda as an anti-war protester, a visit to the Hoa Lo Prison, or the Hanoi Hilton as it was called by the American prisoners of war, a visit would be interesting.

It is a bit simple in its portrayal of "how well we treated the American POWs" compared to "how badly the French treated our independence fighters", but worth a visit anyway.

---

[1] UNESCO, Records of the General Conference, 24^th Session, Paris 1987

Welcome to HANOI and its delicious food

Em ỏi… very likely the first words in Vietnamese one hears upon landing. The curl on top of the "o" makes the sound veer towards "eu", but not too much. When I first heard it and had understood that it was to call someone's attention, I thought it was an informal way of doing so. Something like Hey you! But it is not, not informal, that is. It is the proper way to address a man or woman younger than oneself. An older woman is addressed as Chi ỏi and an older man as Anh ỏi. At my age I don't have to memorise those two as age-wise I'm in the top five percent of the population.

Hoan Kiem lake area at night

Old town 1 and 2

I've been in Hanoi now for slightly more than a week and enjoy every minute of it. For logistical reasons I'm staying in a hotel in Dong Da district bordering Hoan Kiem district on the west, which to me is the main tourist centre of Hanoi, as Hoan Kiem Lake and the old town are located within it. The lake, during the day, is a most enjoyable place to stroll and relax on one of the many benches nicely shaded by the trees. And evenings it is teeming with life, young couples and families unwinding after a day at work, while groups of elderly are doing calisthenics. The old town is a beautifully chaotic treasure of old houses and gnarled trees, shops and eateries spilling out on the sidewalks, motorcycles, scooters, cars, blaring horns and people, especially people. Fairly small, the old town consists of some 36 streets only. Originally, specialised merchants and trades were concentrated in a particular street. To some extent that can still be observed although in a watered down form.

From the number of eateries and the number of customers one could easily conclude that one half of the population is serving food to the other half. And what lovely food it is.

My favourites follow below:

Phở, the ubiquitous noodle soup with a rich, clear broth made from a long boiling of different meats.

Bún chả is a dish of grilled pork and noodle, which is thought to have originated from Hanoi. Bun cha is served with grilled fatty pork over a plate of white rice noodle and lots of green herbs with a side dish of dipping sauce.

Bánh cuốn is made from a thin, wide sheet of steamed fermented rice batter filled with seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushrooms. The dipping sauce is called nurac cham.

The rice sheet of bánh cuốn is extremely thin and delicate. It is made by steaming a slightly fermented rice batter on a cloth which is stretched over a pot of boiling water.

Bánh cuốn

Making of bánh cuốn sheet

Bánh my, a term for a type of bread that is derived from the French baguette. Typical fillings are roast pork belly, pork sausage, pork liver pâté, fried egg, to which is added fresh cucumber slices, cilantro, sliced chilies, spicy chili sauce and mayonnaise.

Papaya salad, made from shredded young papaya, herbs, various meats, such as slices of pork, pork liver or jerky, herbs, and with a vinegar based dressing.

Banh xeo, a flat pancake made of rice flour with turmeric and filled with shrimp, fatty pork, sliced onions, and button mushrooms. It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs and dipped in nurac cham. Rice papers can be used as wrappers for the banh xeo and the accompanying vegetables. 

Nem cuon, fresh spring rolls, and nem ran, crispy deep fried spring rolls.

Lẩu is a Vietnamese rendition of steam boat with assorted vegetables, meats, seafood, and spicy herbs.

In my personal opinion, the best place to enjoy the full variety of Vietnamese cuisine is Quan An Ngon. In its four restaurants in Hanoi more than 300 local and street food dishes will give you an unforgettable experience.

Quan An Ngon, addresses in Hanoi:

1.       18 Phan Boi Chau

2.       34 Phan Ding Phung

3.       R4-B2 Vincom Royal City

4.       25T2 Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh