Tho Ha village

Today we left Hanoi to visit the village Tho Ha, about an hour’s drive away for what OAT calls “Day in the Life.” It’s intended to give us an idea of everyday life for a Vietnamese family. Our first stop was a local market: our group was divided into teams of 5. Each team had to buy any three items, using Vietnamese to ask what the item is and how much it costs, and then take a selfie with the seller. My team bought oranges, onions and a seasonal vegetable called “milk tomatoes”. We then took a very basic ferry to cross a river to visit Tho La, a village that specializes in making rice paper for spring rolls. There were racks of rice paper everywhere! We watched one family make large rice crackers with sesame seeds, and then another family that made the outer layer of spring rolls. Several of us tried making/cooking the rice paper, and then we all wrapped spring rolls, that the family fried and served as part of our lunch. After returning back to the hotel, Jane and I took a cab to the Temple of Literature, a complex from the year 1070 dedicated to higher learning. The grounds are relatively quiet and it offers sanctuary in the middle of the busy city, For dinner tonight, a few of us joined Henry for snail soup at a nearby street shop. The soup includes rice noodles, thinly cut beef, whole and chopped snails, and seasonings. Another $4 dinner!Read more