Holy Smokes - we are in Hanoi!

Since our arrival this morning in Hanoi we have repeatedly kept say "Wow!". This is everything and, at the same time, nothing like we expected. We knew that it was an old city (1000 years or more) and we also knew that the North was distinctively different from the South due to Vietnam's tumultuous history. What we were not prepared for was how sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing this city would be. It has a real old world charm with a very romantic feeling, much like one would think of old Shanghai. The city is crammed with old French colonial buildings, the streets are narrow and filled with tons of interesting activities, and most of the traffic is two-wheeled. The people seem very different from Thai people - but it is hard to pin down what it is. For one thing, they seem more curious about Westerners, and yet at the same time, they are very sophisticated in trying to get one to buy their wares. They are not so much aggressive as they are very crafty in starting up a chat and then it leading to the inevitable sales pitch - seeming unwilling to take "No" for an answer.

People here are very friendly - which I was not expecting since the Northerners have a reputation for being more guarded and closed (as opposed to the Southerners who are said to be more gregarious, fun-loving and open -- at least this is what the travel guide said.) I know those are stereotypes - but they are rooted in the fact that the North was never truly occupied during the recent Vietnam war and the South was more open to the influences of invading forces. This apparently also extends way back to the North being ravaged repeatedly from the Northern borders from their Chinese neighbours. Even before the Vietnam war, the French were here trying to maintain Vietnam as a French colony, but they left in the mid 1950's having lost 35 000 men in their own war with the Vietnamese. Vietnam has been through a lot. All said and done, all those wars and the strife has apparently left some animosity between the people living in the North and those in the South. The North has also had a longer history under Communist rule - going back to the post second world war era - where as the South only entered that era once the Americans left.

Moving away from my simplistic history lesson - this has been a very refreshing and exciting day for us. We really feel like this is a totally different country (and of course it is!) and are looking forward to the three weeks ahead. Hanoi itself clearly deserves some time. We have barely scratched the surface with some walks around the old quarter and there is clearly so much more to take in around this romantic old capital.

Something else that really struck us all (since we are in that comparison stage with Thailand) is that Vietnam seems highly organized and there is less visible trash everywhere, which is a nice change. The organization is an interesting thing because it is reflected in the housing and the way peoples' living space is organized. We think that it speaks to the fact that the prosperity is a relatively recent thing here in Vietnam and many of the guides speak of 1996 being the change-year when market reforms made big changes to peoples day to day lives. A lot of the less appealing parts of Thailand are a result of the "growth at at any cost or speed" policies that have had them become one of the Asian economic "Tigers." Apparently most of that crazy economic growth has for the most part so far focused on Southern Vietnam around Saigon - or Ho Chi Min city. It still, somehow, feels like a city from some time ago. The fringes of Hanoi city are speckled with rice paddies and small village outcrops as opposed to the big industry and the cement jungles one experiences in Bangkok. We all kept remarking on how pretty it was on our arrival from the airport.

A street scene here in the the Old Quarter - clearly some kind of temple. Notice the lovely big potted plants. They are a regular sight throughout SE Asia.

We have also been repeatedly struck by the degree of attention to detail to the aesthetic layout of shops, restaurants, hotels and some living spaces. We are not sure if this is a lay over from the French era or if it is uniquely Vietnamese. At times, when we walk into some places, we almost think we are in Paris or something - because it is so sophisticated and beautifully laid out with attention to detail. Both Skye and I are feeling under-dressed in our traveling clothes, especially considering how formally most locals seem to be dressed most of the time. In case you read this Emilie - we keep saying how much we think you would like it here. All the beautiful craftsmanship - the beautiful antiques, the silk products, the carvings, etc. It seems that old-style craftsmanship is still very much valued here. It is really fun to wander around in it and explore all the stuff. Kai has been really into it as well - looking at all the carved wood, jade and the trinkets, etc. Not to mention the crazy food items: like the snake and scorpion drinks being sold everywhere as health drinks. I think the Vietnamese have had a heavy influence that has come from 1000 years of Chinese occupation which is reflected in their medicines, their superstitions and the aesthetics. Somehow it really feels at times like old China. Although, I imagine that this strong Chinese flavour is much more a thing of the North given the proximity to China - I don't think the Vietnamese would appreciate these comments though, given the fact that China has been a very aggressive invading force for so long and still considers Vietnam to be nothing more than a "renegade province."

These are the snake and scorpion tinctures being sold all over the place. I suspect it has something to do with virility but maybe it is more about general vitality. Either ways it is fun to look at. I shudder to think about where the snakes are coming from. The wild? Hopefully bred in captivity, but I won't hold my breath.

Beautiful wooden stamps and other larger block prints are sold in little boutiques around the old quarter.

Here is an example of a store selling stunning silk wares from Vietnam. The stuff is not always cheap, but the craftsmanship is amazing. There are tons of hand embroidered pieces that show incredible attention to detail. A nice change from the "made in China" crap that dominates so many of the markets in Thailand. We spent lots of time admiring and oohing and aahing...

Stunning silk lanterns that can be found all around the old quarter - beautifully made and lovely to look at.

Of course the food is going to be another whole new adventure for us here in Vietnam. It is clear that there will be lots of scrumptious things to eat. The Vietnamese have their own culinary style and it will be good to take it in after having experienced Thai food (which was incredible.) This is a dish that is eaten everywhere in Hanoi (and apparently throughout Vietnam). I believe it is called Pho (don't quote me on this) and it comes with a soup vegetable broth, noodles, meat of various kinds and then one is provided with a huge plate of excellent greens, many of which are herbs, that one mixes in with the soup as one eats. One could spend time worrying about how the greens are washed in local water - but we won't go there. The best food seems to come from all the local street stalls and we would hate to miss out.


This is another local eatery we went to just up the alley from where we are staying. It is usually crammed with students (so it seems) and it looks incredibly grimy. The food was very good.

There is a lot beautiful iron work on door ways over here, so I took a picture of one with Pippin and Kai modelling the hardware. Sometimes the doorways are made from carved wood which can also be stunning. Gosh, so much to talk about. We had better sign off soon so we can share more in our next blog.


One final thing I wanted to mention was the differences between the old and the younger generation. For one thing, apparently more than 65% of the population is under the age of 30. For many of those young people the strife of the past has not been a part of their lives like it was for their parents and grandparents. According to our guidebook, this can cause some strife since the prosperity is bringing new values to Vietnam and at times the older generation worries that the younger people are getting too soft. One can see around the city that many older people have visible injuries and we assume that it is from war injuries during the Vietnam war era. What a crazy thing these people must have gone through for all those years. It makes one sad to think that such a vibrant nation had to go through such terrible hardships.

As a parting gift we will leave you with a picture from an antique shop showing the beautiful old wares from times gone by. They are great places for spending time poking around.


Well enough from us for now. You will no doubt hear more from us again very soon.

Ronato, Skye, Kai & Pippin