Vietnam – Hanoi

Although its overall feel is casual, Hanoi has an measure of upscale in its mix.  It is a fun place for shopping, and while you could browse designer stores such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Salvatore Ferragamo, the real action is at the local boutiques selling knock-offs with tacky labels that might as well say “not Dolce & Gabana”.  There are also bakeries and hundreds of cafes throughout the city, selling mainly hot espresso drinks (as opposed to the sweet iced coffee popular in the south).  All in all, French colonization has its benefits.

The Vietnamese have a unique take on the “sidewalk cafe”–scores of micro-kitchens set up on busy pedestrian streets (presumably rent-free), usually with no more equipment than could be carried away on the back of its proprietor (or, more likely, balanced precariously on the back of a motorbike).  The meats at these places require curiously little refrigeration.  For a communist nation the restaurant permitting process seems distinctly non-bureaucratic.

Feeling I could afford to gamble my digestive health, I sat down for lunch at a tiny soup stand in an Old Town back alley.  The menu, written with red marker on the adjacent white building said “bun mqo”.  I knew “bun” was noodles and that “mqo” was not chicken, beef, or pork.  The old lady brought me a bowl of soup and after a few bites I determined that “mqo” was in fact an acronym: meat of questionable origin.  What did I have here–pig ear? tripe? catfish head?  Setting the question aside while I ate, it tasted good–so I finished up, paid, and walked away without asking any questions.

Bun Bo

Bun “MQO”

Delicacy-slash-public-enemy, the foul-smelling durian is banned from airplanes, hotels, and public transportation, making it the most heavily restricted fruit of the post-Eden era.  I found it for sale at a fruit stand, pointed to the spiky green whole fruits, and said doubtfully, “I want to eat that…”  The lady pointed back at a stack of plastic packages containing some shapeless, yellow, moldy pulp.  “That’s what’s inside?” I exclaimed, horrified, but pressed ahead.  As I sat down to “enjoy” my purchase, the lady handed me–not a fork or a spoon–but a plastic glove.  Delightful.  The smell was non-frightening but the texture was considerably worse; it quickly began to squish and smear over the glove.  I cradled it in my palm and took a bite–it had the consistency of boiled banana and tasted alternately like a mild mango and pot roast gravy.  After a few more bites I asked myself “why are you still eating this?” and gave up.

Does this look or taste like food?  No.

At Halong Bay I went kayaking among the karsts, shopping at the floating markets, and exploring through the enormous extra-terrestrial caves.  Sun sets early in the winter, and it is peaceful on the bay at night (except for karaoke machines blasting from our boat and others).

Kayaking at Halong Bay

Halong Bay

Halong Bay’s limestone cave

Live Seafood Market, Halong Bay

Snack Barge

On the way to the Perfume Pagoda near Hanoi we took one of the row boats powered by local women.  Having been exhausted from paddling just myself in a kayak for 45 minutes, I was impressed when she pulled six of us across the water for an hour.  After docking, it was a mere two thousand stair steps to the pagoda, which is in fact a temple within another mysterious limestone cave.  The site is considered the holiest for Vietnamese Buddhists, and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make a visit shortly after each lunar new year.

Huong Tich Cave, Perfume Pagoda

Sectional Sofa, Hanoi Style

Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Hanoi

Responsible for tax loopholes, insider trading, and bribes: National Financial Supervisory Omission

Mobile Fruit Vendor, Hanoi

Tree at Ho Chi Minh’s House

Boat Ride to Perfume Pagoda