Hanoi IV

Thankfully, the karaoke outside stopped past midnight but I still woke up around 5 AM due to the time disrepancy with Tokyo. I started chatting with Huong and our meeting time got moved by another half hour and then another 20 minutes. I guess it really was Vietnamese time.

She was coming with her now husband, Tuan. Once I got to see her, I was super happy, it was like nothing had changed even after 4 years had passed. The first order of business was breakfast and they took me to an amazing noodle place that had just the best soup and noodles I've ever tasted. What a way to start the trip and Vietnam was already setting itself up as a powerhouse when it comes to food in my eyes.

I wanted to visit Hoan Kiem Lake and the nearby Ngoc Son temple that floated on its gentle waters. Oddly enough the two didn't know how to navigate the streets that well so I just ended up becoming the Google Maps guy for these two locals. We crossed the bridge together and noticed just how great the weather was today, with the sun shining and the wind blowing. Not too hot and not too cold too. The island the temple on was very pretty too with a lot of flowers and old trees entangled with the temple's main building. It seemed to be a Taoist temple mixed with some elements of Confucianism. I talked with Huong a lot while Tuan was on his phone for work. I prayed and expressed gratitude for a beautiful day and for being in Hanoi.

We actually weren't exploring Hanoi today but rather going to see some Ethnic minorities over at the National Village where apparently, a lot of them were. It was a project by the government where people from various tribes would stay there and they would get paid to do so. The taxi ride was long but Huong and I were able to talk and catch up for a long time.

When we got to the National Village's main gate, it turned out to be quite a huge place. Bigger than the Folk Village we've been to in Saga. For this one, we had to use actual buggies to get around the place which they had a pretty good system of. They had 10 stops so my plan to just ride the buggy towards the end and make our way back was not possible since we could only go forward so we had to start from 1 again. Well since we were here already, we decided to check it out. The first spot was dedicated to the Khmer and it had a beautiful golden temple akin to the ones I saw in Thailand, Theravada Buddhist style. What was unique about here was not the golden Buddha but the giant Bodhi tree behind him inside the temple which I thought was pretty cool. From there, we walked over to 9 and didn't see much so we started to head back towards the start again. On the way, it appeared that Tuan was busy looking for where to eat and we had to order in advance. The driver recommended we try the grilled chicken over at number 2 so we went there to place our order while we walked around. We chose to get some duck instead which will later prove to be an amazing idea for my part at least. We walked around the place and saw a lot of houses but not much people, where was everyone I wondered.

At the Nung village, we finally got to see some actual minorities, they were doing normal tasks like sewing, and it's from the Nung people that we learned that they can actually earn around 3 million dong per month just by living here. We also visited the Tay people, in the main hut there was a woman in green with one of their folk instruments. It seemed like they were about to partake in a banquet so we went out. Tuan got me to try some mountain rice which was really good, we were also getting hungry so we went back to the grilling place where we were served duck, spinach, and some rice. The duck was just too good, it reminded me of the lechon from Cebu. The herbs made it taste amazing. For Huong, she said it was pretty mid but it tasted amazing for me, another awesome meal just after a delicious breakfast. Huong and Tuan took a classic Vietnamese siesta and while they slept I tried to finish what food was left.

Soon it was time and we were off again, visiting the Thai village this time where there was supposedly going to be a show but it wasn't time yet so we moved to the next one. We arrived at the Bana village and it was here that I was fully satisfied, it made me feel like coming to the National Village was worth it. I was pretty happy seeing them sewing and enjoyed watching Huong and Tuan converse with them albeit there weren't any subtitles. I was wondering why they started to set out the gongs and drums and was surprised that they started to play the most amazing melody, akin to the Gamelan in Bali. I was mesmerized and had to take photos and videos. I was so busy admiring the drumming that I didn't even realize there was also a dance going on which was pointed out by Huong. I sat down with them and watched 3 ladies go around the main effigy-tree like thing. Huong asked me if I was satisfied and I told her yes, now I'm happy.

We then went to the next village where something seemed to be happening, the Xo Dang. Here we got to experience different instruments, the most interesting one was the bamboos where you would clap to make the sound, with four people around the bamboos, they created an amazing symphony that sounded too dope. There was also the bamboo xylophone as well.

After the Xo Dang we somehow found ourselves back over at 9, we went into one of the long houses and decided to go back to the Thai village where the main show was taking place. It seems like people from different tribes came here to show their dances and it was really fun seeing the various dance styles. The last one of the Lao people had all the other tribes join them for their dance and even the audience. Huong and I joined and danced with them.

I guess now it was time to head back to Hanoi, we got some ice cream while waiting for a cab and once we got on Huong realized that she had lost her camera. It could have been everywhere from the Thai village and we frantically hurried back together with Tuan waiting in the car. I started to pray some Ho'oponopono and luckily the buggy driver we used to get to the entrance from the Thai village was the first person we asked and he had not only the camera but Huong's bucket hat as well! Thankfully things were resolved quickly and we were off once again back to Hanoi.

Tuan fell asleep so Huong and I were able to talk a bit more throughout the whole ride. We were also caught in the rush hour and arrived a bit too late for the Temple of Literature. It was already closed but I was satisfied with just seeing it from afar. Huong had planned to take me to try some shellfish today and we took another cab to have dinner. I was still pretty full from the duck but once again, the food was just too scrumptious. I don't know what's up with Vietnamese food but it's just too good, the spices, the sauce, they taste so zesty and fresh. We had around 5 types of dishes from oysters, to different kind of clams but each one was just absolutely divine. They asked me out of all the countries which one had the best food and it's got to be Vietnam. I was completely floored with every meal.

We went our separate ways here, they recommended I do the walking road around the lake which would be very lively at night. I followed their advice and walked around seeing various performances and group dances. The lighting at night was also really nice. I had some main problems here and thought to ask the Universe to show me some signs, more than the usual angel numbers, something more meaningful and unique, to surprise me. The loop around the lake ended near the road towards my hotel so it was a perfect way to end the night.Read more