Vietnamese Food

We were recommended by a friend to try out the grilled fish at Cha Ca La Vong at 14 Cha Ca. Hang Dao, Hanoi. 

When we arrived to Hang Dao Road and started looking for Cha Ca La Vong, we were instantly pulled in by enthusiastic restaurant staff to a restaurant called 14 Cha Ca. Just when we were about to order after being given the manual, my quick thinking wife immediately sensed something amiss after browsing the manual. Their manual contained a multitude of dishes. We were told specifically that Cha Ca La Vong serves only one dish and that is the grilled fish. We politely returned the manual and left the restaurant. We soon discovered that there are many imitators of Cha Ca La Vong in Hang Dao!

The real Cha Ca La Vong was finally located just a few stores away. The frontage of this 2-storey outlet looked old and unattractive and it appeared more liked a residential shop-lot rather than a restaurant! There is no manual and the staff would not even bother to ask for order except for the drink. Whoever comes in is assumed to eat their one and only Grilled Fish. The charge is standard at 170,000 VND (RM34) per person.

The fish meat is already grilled in hot pan by the time it is delivered to the customers. Customers are then given the liberty to add in dill and spring onions and fry and then served with rice noodles and a scattering of peanuts.

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While we were contemplating whether to try the hot pot in this food outlet named Lihn Kitchen for one of our dinners, we chatted with two young ladies who had just finished patronizing this food outlet. They were not super satisfied but nevertheless encouraged us to have a go for it if we had not tried out the local hot pot.

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Dinner at the cruise ship at Ha Long Bay was quite a unique culinary experience!

Typical cruise ship

One of the lunches we had in the cruise ship.

Typical of most gourmet experience in the cruise, all participants would be asked to learn making Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls.

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Back home after the cruise, my wife took the trouble and went through making the Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls again.

Uncle Ho Legacy

Our tour guide casually pointed to the statue of Lenin as our tour bus passed by one of the streets in Hanoi. Vietnam is probably one of the rare countries still reveres Lenin. With the collapse of communism throughout the world, it is but name only that communist rule is still being kept in this socialist state. The sign of the rich getting richer and the poor becoming poorer in this bustling city testifies that it is capitalism that is driving the economy.

Vietnamese are resilient people. For a country that had been dominated for decades by so many foreign powers, it is quite remarkable that the Vietnamese are steadfast in keeping their identity and character. The northern part of this country was under Chinese rule for over a thousand years in the first AD millennium. Then from the late 1800's to mid-1900's, it became a French colony. And finally, the Americans came and rendered havoc from 1965 to 1975. Miraculously, the nation has been able to resist all these foreign powers and literally kicked out all of them.

Still, the Chineseness of this nation is conspicuously obvious especially in architecture and Chinese calligraphy inscribed in many old buildings.

Our tour guide revealed that a staggering 80% of foreign tourists are from China. One could sense a love-hate relationship between Vietnam and China. The hidden tension is further exacerbated by the overlapping claim of  a few islands in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese may resent the huge influx of Chinese but are somehow helpless to resist the dollars they bring in.

One Pillar Pagoda, a Buddhist Temple in Hanoi.

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The Vietnamese affectionately referred to their nation's founding father, Ho Chi Minh as Uncle Ho. The Vietnamese had consistently obeyed every order of Ho Chi Minh when he was President of this nation. They however refused to obey only one – They kept his body on display in Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum against the will of Ho who wanted his remains cremated.

We decided against spending one and half hours just to queue up to see the remains of Uncle Ho. It was more appropriate that this privilege be left to the many many pre-kindy children of the local kindergartens who came from all parts of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Presidential Palace which was offered to President Ho Chi Ming

as his official residence which he never took up.

Pre-kindy Vietnamese children queuing up to see the remains of

their nation's founding father.

Hoa Lu Tam Coc

When the Hotel E-Commerce Manager proposed in the itinerary to spend a day in Hoa Lu Tam Coc, I had no idea what this place had to offer. But the many photos I googled were indeed impressive and picturesque. I was looking forward to the experience in Tam Coc.

Picturesque Tam Coc as shown in many photos I googled.

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Tam Coc in the District of Ninh Binh is a mere 100 Km south of Hanoi. Still, it took the coach two and half hours to reach the destination. The one-day tour to Hoa Lu Tam Coc began with a visit to the first university of Vietnam in Hoa Lu. Hoa Lu used to be the ancient capital of old Vietnam under the Dinh and Le Dynasty. The education system and governing civil system adopted then to screen and select intellectuals and bureaucrats was very similar to the system started by Confucius. The architecture of the campus buildings reminded us of the once close historical link between China and Vietnam.

Hoa Lu.

One of the university buildings in the campus.

This Temple of Literature is used on the reverse of the VND 100,000 bill.

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The excursion to Tam Coc commenced with a 45-minute cycling tour around padi fields through village track and pathway. We put into good use our recently re-learnt skill in cycling.

Much to my disappointment, the panoramic view and grandeur of the so-called Inland Ha Long Bay of Vietnam could not be fully experienced when we were only rowing the boat at ground zero level. The uniqueness of this landscape would have been better appreciated if a strategic high point can be provided to facilitate a panoramic view of this unique landscape.

We were warned in advance of the nuisance of persistent pestering by "cameramen". They do unsolicited photo shoot and later pester the tourists to buy their photos. The boatmen hired to ferry the tourists too demand for tips and cola money from the visitors. Notwithstanding our preparedness, their persistence was still a pain in the ass of an otherwise enjoyable trip!

Photo bought from persistent camera lady.

Padi field viewed at ground zero level.

Farmers at work.

Some similarities to Kuilin, China.

Entrance to one of the three caves. 

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Any first timer to Hanoi would most likely choose to make a trip to Ha Long Bay. It can be a day trip, a 2D1N or even a 3D2N tour. We opted for a 2D1N cruise experience.

Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is famous for its almost 2,000 limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes dotting across the bay covering more than 300 Km2. Spending a night in the cruise allows one to experience its surrounding and ambiance at different times of a day.

Lighted cruise ships at night.

Misty Morning.

To have a panoramic view of the bay, it is best to climb the 427 steps to reach the peak of the 100m high Ti Top Island. Ti Top Island is named by President Ho Chi Minh, after the first visit of the Russian astronaut, German Titop to Ha Long Bay in 1962.

Ti Top Island in Misty Morning.

Limestone karsts and isles viewed from the top of Ti Top Island. 

Panoramic View of Cruise ships anchored near Ti Top Island.

 

Ti Top Island is also recognized to contain the best beach
among all island in Ha Long Bay.

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A tour of Thien Cung Cave (Translated as Heavenly Palace Cave in Chinese) is part of the itinerary of a 2D1N cruise. This cave which is 10,000m2 in size is nothing in comparison with the Muru Cave System near Miri Sarawak we visited in February early this year. Still, every cave is unique and different. With technology and creativity, the uniqueness and characteristics of a cave is enhanced with colorful lighting effects and illumination. This is no exception with Thien Cung Cave.

Panoramic view of the jetty from cave entrance.

Unusual Building Code

Anyone who is familiar with building design would very quickly notice the uniqueness of Hanoi buildings. Each unit is super narrow in the front but is usually long lengthwise. Structural engineers would find it very challenging to design tall thin and slender buildings that cater for seismic forces. Moreover, area in the mid section of such long and narrow building without side windows is expected to pose ventilation and lighting problems.

As I discovered later, such practice dates back many years ago. Taxes were calculated based on the width of the building. In areas ruled by the French then, taxes were also calculated based on the window area. This explains why there are so few front windows and practically no side windows. This is indeed a very unusual building code!

Day 1 in Hanoi

Earlier in March, we contacted by email a hotel in the city centre of Hanoi to request for a proposed itinerary for a 5D4N stay in Hanoi. We made it clear that it must include a 2D1N cruise in Halong Bay.

By the time we checked into the hotel after we landed at Hanoi Airport, it was early afternoon and we had the rest of the day for ourselves. We started by exploring this "chaotic" city. The word “chaotic” is most apt to describe the traffic system of this city. For somebody who comes from a place with proper traffic system, Hanoi's traffic system is almost insane! While there is some minimum traffic system in place, it is never followed either by drivers or the pedestrians. If one wants to cross the road either via the Zebra Crossing or to wait for the traffic light to turn green for the pedestrian crossing, one would never ever be able to cross to the other side.  The fact is that drivers will never ever stop for you! You just simply have to walk right through the road confronting directly the speeding cars and motorbikes. The amazing thing is that these incoming vehicles and endless waves of motorbikes somehow know how to slow or stop at the nick of time just inches away from you to allow you to pass through without a scratch. In spite of the apparent chaotic system, it has in fact a "system". I am very certain if some traffic wise guys want to introduce a regulated traffic system, the city traffic will most likely descend into a paralysis. We were green horns in crossing the road when we first arrived to Hanoi. But by the end of the holiday, we have become confident seasoned pedestrians just like the locals!

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In the late afternoon, we spent 45 minutes watching the Water Puppet Show at the Thong Long Puppet Theatre which is just 5-minute walk from our hotel. The show is so popular that it runs at every 70 minutes interval from morning till night!

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Hoan Kiem Lake which is a mere 3 minutes walk from our hotel is also a popular site for both locals and tourists. During the day time, the lake looks rather unpleasant with murky water and floating rubbish. But at night, it is deceptively beautiful when the surrounding trail, buildings and pedestrian bridge are lighted up!.