Eating out for the win...

The Vietnamese love to eat.  And their food reflects it – simple, fresh and absolutely delicious – almost always enjoyed in big groups while sitting on plastic stools on whatever part of the sidewalk is not already taken up by motorscooters. 

We did a lot of eating on our trip and were lucky to have found so much vegetarian food, with restaurants embracing enthusiastically vegetarian/vegan adaptations of their traditional foods.  Oddly though, the higher end the restaurant the less enjoyable it was.  Without doubt, our best meals were those at the dodgiest looking places with kitchens that restaurants elsewhere would never have allowed in public view. 

Perhaps our favourite restaurant was Vegan Banh Mi – whose location was “partway down alley 66b”.  

Having walked back and forth a few times without any restaurant in sight, we almost pulled up some stools to eat from the local lady carrying her mobile restaurant around on her shoulders. 

In the nick of time, however, a man approached us slyly, asking if we were looking for Vegetarian Bahn Mi.  We nodded discreetly and, like we were up to a dodgy secret deal, we scuttled down the alleyway with him to find a tucked away little room with three tiny tables set up.  The cooking happened in the nearby alley.

The restaurant had only 4 menu options –two vegetarian bahn mi – the local sandwich that used a French Roll (a silver lining of the French occupation) and a variety of fillings and sauces – a spring roll and some Vietnamese samosas.  Unable to choose, we decided to try all of them.  A seitan bahn mi and some vegetarian samosa “pillows”, were the stand out but each of the items were delicious nonetheless.  Having done the “full tasting menu”, complete with two big beers, our tab came to all of $8 US.

Portable Restaurants

And snacks at every turn...

Another highlight was our Vespa Food Tour. 

This “lady-biker” Vespa tour specialized in vegetarian fare and whipped us around the city to eat at some spots where only the locals go.  

We did manage to get lost a few times, which conveniently allowed us to see some prime tourist spots.

Sitting at the tiny stools set up for patrons – strategically smaller to cram as many people as possible in at one time -   our two guides loudly jostled with the restaurant owners to bring over some local specialties, ensuring they were made vegetarian.  Surprisingly, they earnestly claimed that being vegetarian was more expensive than eating meat because the cost of creating vegetarian alternatives such as “pork paste”.

Eggs for Egg Coffee

Egg Coffee!

Reluctantly putting aside Beth’s concern around improperly washed food, we devoured a range of papaya salad, corn pancake rolls (the steps of rolling which were very important apparently), vegan hotpot and egg coffee (aka. Liquid tiramisu – made from coffee and whipped egg whites, honey and sugar) – which were all incredible - while grilling our two college student guides about life in Hanoi.  Although slight differences, their lives seemed quite similar to college students anywhere, with the same goals and aspirations.  But what reminded us of just how lucky we are was how one guide’s goal was to be able to read Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, and was doing her best to save to be able to afford to buy it in a couple of months.  How Beth wished she had a hard copy of hers she could have passed along…

Other notable food spots:

·       V’s Home – This was our first experience of entering a restaurant down a sketchy back alley – we almost kept walking past. We somehow squeezed onto the tiny 2-person patio, right next to enough power wires to light a small city, and enjoyed food that was creative, pure and remarkably tasty.

·       Angelina and the Pool Bar -  Metropole Hotel – A nod to French Colonialism, these bars and their drinks were exponentially more expensive than most of the restaurants we visited during the trip, but the bars provided a perfect respite from the crazy and buzzy world outside the hotel’s perfectly manicured courtyard. 

·       Minh Chay Vegan Restaurant – In the heart of the Hanoi market, the glass noodles were a surprise hit, compensating easily for the vegetarian pho that lacked taste. 

·       Polite & Co – a nice cocktail bar with many funky looking alcohols, bitters, etc and flowers that they grew in the bar to add to each drink

·       JM Marvel – famed for its rooftop, we reserved a table there for a nice “fancy” dinner out. After visiting another nearby hotel to see its rooftop, we were told that JM’s was much better. Excited, we dressed up in our fanciest clothes. When we arrived we were escorted to their rooftop bar, which was not part of the restaurant. It was a rooftop and so had a view, though we wouldn’t quite call it nice. They brought food up from the restaurant on the floor below, and luckily it was actually quite nice.

·       Pateta Bahn Mi – So known for its craft beers, they only had one still available by the time we arrived.  Luckily, the delicious soya banh mi tasted good with any type of beer.

The local after dinner ritual...

A Country at War...

To accompany Ken Burns’ Vietnam War Documentary that we are watching, we did our best to learn more about the war (called “The American War” in Vietnam) and its impact.  

With the key war museum being located in Saigon (now called “Ho Chi Minh” city), we undertook a three-prong approach to get the most information we could since we were unable to make it south to Saigon.

First, we took a walking tour to learn about Ho Chi Minh who led Vietnam’s independence movements beginning in 1941 and became its Prime Minister when it Vietnam first gained independence from the French in 1945.   

Finding a walking tour was surprisingly more difficult than other cities but we finally found a viable option in Hanoi Free Walking Tours, an organization created by university students to help them develop their English.  In restrospect, Diang was one of the best tour guides we have had in a while -  very open about her life and upbringing, we got a chance to learn more about real life in Vietnam as well as the key landmarks.

Our key stop was to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the resting place of Vietnam’s revolutionary leader.  “Uncle Ho” as he is lovingly referred to by Vietnam’s citizens, was said to be so committed to his country that he never married or had children – and instead of seeing himself as the father of the country he preferred to be seen as a member of the family and thus went by “uncle”.  This attitude was reflected in all his actions such as refusing to move into the Presidential Palace which was too opulent for his tastes and instead living in the electrician’s sidehouse for several years -and driving around in a Peugeot, even though he had been given much grander state cars.

As Ho Chi Minh had died in 1969, with the Vietnam War in full force, a decision was made to embalm him and keep his body hidden until the fighting ended.  When the war finally ended in 1975, a Mausoleum for him was built and his body laid there to rest in a way that all Vietnamese could come to visit him. 

Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum was inspired by the one created for Lenin in Moscow but with a Vietnamese touch, such as the pillars and sloping roof, which are reminiscent of Vietnamese raised homes.  In addition, there are groups of bamboo trees on either side, to reflect the lean but strong frames of the Vietnamese people and the tight knit Vietnamese communities.  Seventy-nine potted trees surround the venue, celebrating his 79 years of life.

A large Vietnamese flag flies in the centre of Ho Chi Minh park.  Its red colour symbolizes the blood shed in bringing about Vietnamese liberation, the yellow star representing the yellow colour of Vietnamese skin.  Each of the star’s points represent the different communities that comprise the country – the intellectuals, the labourers, the military, the farmers and the businessmen. 

Surrounding Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and grounds are government buildings built by the French during their occupation in Vietnam during the late 1800s.  The buildings are in a dark gold colour, to convey to the Vietnamese the power and wealth of the French. 

The French had originally withdrawn Vietnamese occupation at the end of WWII but were unwilling to give up parts of its colony and the benefits of such a well-located regional port and thus re-invaded the country in 1946.  

Although they had superior machinery and very large number of troops, their army proved no match for the Vietnamese.   Instead, the French reached out to the Americans to convince them in joining the fight against “the spread of communism across the entire Asian region” rather than what people understand it ultimately was – the fight for independence.  Though the French eventually withdrew in the 1950s, this lead-up was one of the many culminating events that led to the tragic American War. 

On our own time, we also visited some other key war sites, including the Hoa Lo Prison – (Maison Centrale).  Nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton”, the prison housed Vietnamese political prisoners, as well as French and American prisoners of war, including Senator John McCain. Although much of the original prison was demolished in the 1990s, part of the jail was preserved as a memorial to the revolutionaries who died here in atrocious conditions. It was striking to see the lengths that the French went to dehumanize and break the spirit of the Vietnamese political prisoners and yet how proud the Vietnamese appeared to be of their treatment of the American prisoners that were captured and held at this prison.

Our last stop was to the Vietnam Military Museum, which explored the Vietnamese struggle for independence that spanned almost 30 years of war.  

Although the museum itself was not always the easiest to follow, the incredible number of tanks, planes and other military paraphernalia brilliantly showcased just how many trillions of dollars (in today’s currency) was spent fighting this war that resulted in over 2,000,000 Vietnamese deaths and 60,000 American ones. 

As part of our wider travels in Vietnam, we were lucky to travel on both the Ho Chi Minh trail and the Reunification Express.  The Ho Chi Minh trail had been built in secret through the war, with many of the efforts led by the women of North Vietnam to help the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong bring important supplies into Southern Vietnam through Cambodia and Loas, thereby avoiding the American and South Vietnamese army (ARVN) overhead offensive.  As for the Reunification train, had we not boarded at the last leg of its overnight route, we likely would have been more focused on the historical significance of the experience rather than the chokingly pungent odor.

Triviality aside, the museums, tours and documentaries brought heavily home the tragedy of this war and the reality that a lot of bad small decisions can lead to enormous devastating impacts.

Nein to Ninh Binh

Instead of returning back to Hanoi after our hike, we were dropped off  in Ninh Binh.  With its hundreds of limestone cliffs and accompanying greenery, Ninh Binh is adoringly know as “Ha Long Bay on land”.

Having enjoyed the Vespa tour so much in Hanoi, we signed up for one in Ninh Binh, albeit this time we planned to drive ourselves. 

But this did not unfold quite as we planned.  

Having negotiated to get a driving lesson before taking to the sites, our guide arrived with only one bike.  She eventually shuttled us in turn to a spot where we could pick up additional bikes but her limited English could show us only how to turn the vespa on and then rev the gas making the lesson feeling wholly inadequate.  She eventually just kept repeating “danger, danger” until we phoned the tour guide to negotiate a refund. 

With a now free day and the weather still unseasonably cold, we headed over to the Tam Coc river for a boat ride through the karsts and caves.  Beating the tourists who come in from Hanoi, we enjoyed a peaceful boat ride with a female rower who navigated the paddles ably with her feet, while using  google translate on her phone to help us identify some local flora and fauna before loading up some youtube to keep herself occupied while she paddled the trail for the first of many times that day.

We crouched through the low caves and took in the sites before encountering a boat market strategically located at the turn around point.  With the women ready to pounce, we were not immune to their pitch and ended up buying a couple of beers (11am isn’t too early, right?) to enjoy for the boat ride back.

For the afternoon, we decided to throw off the touring and head instead to the very affordable spa at our hotel, Hidden Charms, and then visit the best-rated restaurant in town, a divey Italian restaurant with its own pizza oven.  Had we seen the rat scurrying around the restaurant before we had started eating, we would have bailed and gone elsewhere. But since we were already done, we simply grabbed our bags of freshly done laundry and hoped that we wouldn’t suffer any lasting consequences from our trip out to Ninh Binh.

Definitely time to head back to Hanoi…

Hiking. Always in the rain...

Determined to get off the tourist trail, we had booked a 5 day guided hike through the North Vietnam mountains in the Pu Luong Nature Reserve. The tour company had not given us much information and so we were somewhat winging it – not really sure if we were joining a group tour or having a private tour, and not really sure where exactly we were going.

Much like our arrival in Hanoi, this too did not get off to the greatest start.  Our tour guide was late, had no idea we were vegetarian (though we had stressed this multiple times when booking) and told us we would have to carry all of our luggage with us (again, something we had confirmed multiple times we wouldn’t have to do) as our stopovers were too remote for cars. 

And then it started pouring, while the thermometer dipped from the week prior’s low-20s to high single-digits.

After a stop for wifi and to have some instant noodles since the breakfast we had been told we would be having on the first morning did not materialize, we drank some tea and girded ourselves for the trip.

We arrived at our starting point in Pu Luong region determined to find the bright side.  A woman in traditional H’mong clothing served us a hearty local lunch which seemed far too large to reconcile with the Vietnamese's slender frames, and made our first introduction to rice wine, which apparently is customary for guests and hosts to drink together.

Afterward, we met our local guide to head off through the village and into the hills. He was a nice-seeming young man wearing a safari hat and a pith helmet, and carrying a very large knife. We hoped it would not be needed.

The clay trail was muddy, wet and very slick. The two guides both wore running shoes and seemed to manage the trail like mountain goats, while our multi-hundred-dollar, high-tech hiking boots offered very little traction. It was only a matter of time before Beth took the first tumble of the trip. Other than a bruise and a small cut on her hand, luckily she was okay.  Tim, our guide, cut a walking stick which made things surprisingly more enjoyable and manageable for the remaining trek.

When we weren’t totally focused on watching our footing, the views were spectacular.  The scenery was lush and untouched and the thatched roof houses, although simple, were perfectly nestled in their green surround.

As we arrived at our surprisingly nice “homestay”, the rain finally stopped.  A rejuvenating dinner of vegetables, rice and salted peanuts, paired with some very strong “bee wine” left us satiated.  And as we retired to our “room” – a floor mattress hidden behind some sheets in the owners’ rice pantry – and snuggled into our recently purchased silk sheets, we drifted off to sleep hopeful of what was to come.

We awoke early the next morning to the sound of a cacophony of roosters crowing and rain pouring.  The roosters crow four times a night – at 1, 3, 4 and 5am – and with the seemingly thousands of them in the village, there was definitely no need for an alarm clock. 

Still dark outside, even the delicious banana pancakes that would become our staple breakfast could not lift our spirits as we thought about the hardest day of our hike being intensified by the miserable weather.  And the forecast now predicted no end in sight.  As we quizzed Tim about our hiking options and learned that our next stop had no way out but hiking as the road had been washed out by the rain, we seriously wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. 

Deciding to push ahead for now, we passed a factory making chopsticks and encountered a bus that had gotten stuck while running over some newly laid road.  Half an hour later, and with the whole village now involved, the bus driver ignored Geoff’s suggestions and eventually managed to get to the other side with the help of the local excavator and a piece of very thin wood.

If the bus could make it out of that messy situation, we thought, we could get through our hike too and so we loaded the unusual packed lunches into our packs, grabbed the trusty walking stick and headed into the hills.

Towards the end of the hike, we were feeling good about our decision.  The weather, although very foggy, did manage to clear offering some jaw-dropping scenic views.  Questionably as exciting, we learned that the Vietnamese use condensed milk as a dipping sauce for bread - this may become Geoff’s new condiment of choice!

Though at late afternoon we did end up taking a slight wrong turn down a particularly muddy road which forced us to begrudgingly hike our way back up the hill, all frustration slid away as we heard the glorious sound of karaoke from a local celebration.  As the out of tune voices grew louder, we knew we had made it to our final village for the night.  

By the end of hike and just one small fall later, we were absolutely caked in mud.  Our fancy hiking shoes were no match for our local guide’s designer “Gucci” sneakers which seemed in almost perfect shape, with only its white soles showing any evidence of the reddish clay.  On the contrary, our soles seemed to suck in the mud, making the whole walk feel like we were at a skating rink. 

Feeling particularly ambitious, we had a quick celebratory beer and then headed to visit a nearby local cave.  This proved a highlight as we got to meet all of the local town animals – cows, water buffalo, roosters, ducks and lots of dogs -  who either tried to accompany us or run quickly away as we headed to the cave. 

The cave itself had been used by local tribes hundreds of years ago as refuge from the elements.  And it currently sat totally untouched by locals or tourists alike.  Pictures don’t do it justice - it was magnificent. 

In retrospect, we may have wanted to sleep in the protected cave as our next accommodation - which was slightly more basic than the first - proved absolutely Arctic.  With three heavy blankets, we almost skipped dinner for fear or getting hypothermia – we could not only see our breath, but it turned into ice pellets before hitting the floor (or so we imagined).  No glass on the windows paired with drafty doors and floor boards make floor mattress sleeping a questionable choice for us desert-living softies.

Awoken again the next morning by the choir of roosters, the rain continued to pour.  Today, though, we had no choice – hiking out was our only option from this remote village.  Instead, we were given the choice to take either the shorter mountain trail or the longer road trail. 

Beth’s spidey senses in full force, we opted for the longer and safer trail, much to our guide’s chagrin.  The hike was long but not unreasonable and with the beautiful views and muddy but manageable trails (just two more small falls for good measure) we all felt that this was the right strategy.  And as we ate our packed lunch at a local dive, seated next to a massive termite mound, even the guide admitted after that the other trail would likely have been quite unsafe. 

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The next evening and day went by in a bit of a blur as we were overwhelmed by hours of lush landscapes and rice fields and found ourselves nearing the finish line.  We couldn’t think of a better way to spend New Year’s Eve than in an actual lodge with a private bed and bathroom and a mattressed bed with duvet.  Heaven.

 In cheeky form, we devised during our multiple homestays a checklist to ask future accommodations:

• ·       Do your rooms have windows with glass in them and a functioning door?
• ·       How many people will we have to share the room with?
• ·       Do you have a shower that runs water overhead or rather from the sink?
• ·       Will you have toilet paper and soap in the washrooms and will we be given a towel?
• ·       Do you have any ways to keep the cats out of our room and bed?
• ·       How many blankets do we get in our living space and how often are they washed?
• ·       How cold does the temperature go at night and is there any chance you have a space heater (we recognize that central heating is unlikely)?

Although we were happy to get back to city life, it was a wonder being out in the mountains.  The simple beauty of the surround and the people who live there made us appreciative of the luxuries we have and the wonderful life we get to live.  It was an incredibly meaningful way to reflect before the start of 2019.