Hello from Tokyo!
Charlotte and I have just arrived after spending a little over a week in Vietnam. As we weren’t really in places with great internet access during our stay, we’re now going to try to fill you all in on what we’ve been up to.
Hanoi
After a long flight on a very, very old Vietnam Airlines plane we were quite happy to get into Hanoi. Of course, the over-population of the Old Quarter of the city, as well as the incessant buzz of motorbike traffic made it a little difficult to immediately relax as Char and I needed some time to readjust to our new surroundings (and time zone). One of the first challenges we were faced with was learning to cope with the road traffic. Traffic in Hanoi is pretty bad, and driving rules as we understand them in the west are conceived of in a different way in Vietnam. For instance, right of way is determined entirely by the size of the vehicles concerned. So, trucks and buses lord it around the streets, often occupying two lanes as they drive, pushing motorbikes onto sidewalks as they move along. Horns are used liberally, but not in an aggressive way. Due to the sheer number of vehicles on the road (especially motorbikes), the horn is almost an essential tool to let other drivers know of your location so you may not be run into. As pedestrians, we were initially quite cautious, and tried to cross busy streets as few times of possible. But soon we learned that despite the noise and traffic, drivers in Hanoi are actually quite defensive. So, one just needs to be brave when crossing the street, and motorbikes and bicycles will ease out of your way.
As many of you know, Charlotte spent a summer in Vietnam four years ago, so she was very keen to supply some local knowledge. But so much of the city has changed in these few subsequent years (in preparation for Hanoi’s 1000th birthday next year!) that we spent our first day merely walking around and acquainting ourselves with the Old Quarter (and enjoying the food). October is marked by unpredictable weather in the north of the country, as typhoon season in the Phillipines threatens the occasional storm. Luckily, the only day Charlotte and I had to deal with rain was our first full day in Hanoi. Thus, to escape from the downpour we spent a lot of time in the Ethnographical Museum and acquainted ourselves with the more than 50 ethnic groups in Vietnam, as well as the museum’s comfy, rain-protected central atrium! While Viets compose over 85% of Vietnam’s population, the country prides itself on its relaxed, inclusive nature. Thus, the museum serves not only as a forum to demonstrate the alternative cultures in Vietnam, but also a place to showcase that Vietnam is a place where all peoples are treated equally and fairly. While some of the Hmong people Charlotte and I met in Sapa may disagree with that statement, the museum presents a pretty sunny and colorful narrative on life for minorities in Vietnam that was worth seeing.
Sapa
Having seen a snapshot of Hmong life in Hanoi, we decided to get out to the countryside and see it for ourselves. The northern mountain town of Sapa is a hub for Hmong trade, which has a famous weekend market. Of course, its now become pretty popular with tourists and Charlotte and I were able to book a night train up there with little fuss, as well as find a local guide, Moa, to trek us around the surrounding rice paddies and countryside for a few days. Sapa is located in an irresistibly beautiful location high in the mountains that separate Vietnam from Laos and China. The views are stunning as bright bamboo and coniferous forests cling to clay hillsides that have been dramatically shaped by rain. As you ride the 50kms from the train stop to the town proper, you steadily climb hill after hill, and it really does seem that every new bend in the road lends an even better vista than the previous one. Unfortunately, the town itself is garish and quite unattractive, so we tried to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Moa, our tiny (it seems as if all Hmong are very small in stature) local guide took us on a 15 kilometre walk through the paddies towards her village down the valley. She was very nice indeed, and seemed to represent how well some of the Hmong people have been able to acclimatise to the influx of tourism to their region in the last decade. For instance, despite having never gone to school, being completely illiterate, and unable to speak Vietnamese, she spoke excellent english, which she explained she had picked up in the craft market as a child. Many Hmong women in the area make a living by producing crafts such as handbags and blankets that they sell to the Vietnamese and western tourists that visit the area, and an entrepeneurial spirit definitely seems to reign. So while most Hmong men still tend to the duties of running subsistence farms, many Hmong women are the main bread winners in their families from the cash they receive from selling goods to tourists. And they certainly do know how to sell our wares. One old woman of perhaps 60 in traditional hmong dress with a large backpack full of things tailed Moa, Charlotte and I on our walk out of town and accompanied us on our long, hilly walk. She was a very nice, and made toy horses out of long grass (a really cool little trick!) for us as gifts as we hiked. Of course, as soon as we stopped for breaks, she spread out an array of things for sale. Of course in the end we bought two scarves from her, and everyone was happy. Later that day we ran across a group of Australian guys who were being hounded by a gang of young girls to buy purses and woven belts – perhaps their tattoos belied their true identities as lovers of crafts?
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Hoan Kiem Lake at the centre of Hanoi (also where John McCain famously landed in Hanoi during the war)
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One Pillar Pagoda
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A typical Hanoi street
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Nice little view from a cafe
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A view from Sapa
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On our walk through the rice paddies
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Our friend (we tend to attract old people)
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Our other friend at lunch
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The homestay village where we stayed
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With our (little!) guide Moa
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The Aussies under attack by Hmong sellers
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Silver To waterfalls
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