Going Home for the Holidays

Friends, I am flying to Singapore today, then flying from Singapore to Los Angeles on Tuesday, December 14. From LA, it's a short 1-hour flight to Phoenix. The flight from Singapore to LA takes a total of about 18 hours, including an hour stopover in Tokyo.
I look forward to seeing friends and family again but the most important part of this trip is attending my daughter, Cynthia's graduation.
I will be back in Hanoi at the end of the year.
I will take a break from updating this blog so I am leaving you with some random pictures that I took while walking around Hanoi.


A proud Socialist Republic of Vietnam flag flying at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum








Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, about a 15-minute walk from my apartment. I often run here in the morning.
On the weekends, you may have to wait as long as 4 hours in line to get into the Mausoleum.





A popular past time around the lake - men playing Chinese chess









A vendor selling sugar cane juice. She passes the sugar cane between two rollers, which squeeze out the juice. Costs about 40 cents a glass. Tastes great in the summer.







Mother and daughter selling dessert (called che) on the street in the Old Quarters. The desserts are made from green beans, red beans, lotus seed, rice, coconut milk, etc. She will add combination of the ingredients depending on what you like.






Inside a big shopping center selling clothes, toiletries, souvenirs, electronics, etc. It sells mostly low-quality goods.








A typical shop selling household goods.








I was surprised to come across a mosque in the Old Quarters.










Inside a temple, which are very similar to Chinese temples in other Asian countries.

A Family Gathering

I have been very fortunate in being accepted by my colleagues here in Vietnam. Most of them are young - late 20s' and early 30s'. I am as old as their parents but they treat me like I am the same age as them. I am always included in their coffee breaks, lunches, outings, and in this case, a big family gathering.
My friend, Trong's family had a memorial for his grandfather, who passed away about 2 years ago. Trong is pronounced as "chop" with an almost non-discernible "n" sound. In Vietnamese, "tr" is pronounced "ch"
About a dozen friends from the office were invited. There were many of Trong's family friends and relatives from the village as well. Trong lives in a village about 40 minutes outside of Hanoi.
Below are pictures of the party.


A group picture at the end of the party. All the friends grew up in Hanoi except Alan (2nd from the right) and I. Alan grew up in Australia.










This looks like a jug of ice-tea but it's really moonshine, made from sticky rice. It's about 80 proof or 40% alcohol. They kept pouring and toasting.










Mot-Hai-Ba-Jo! or 1-2-3-Jo (which kind of means Go!). This is the Vietnamese version of bottoms-up.












Trong is second from the left.













Not only was there a lot of alcohol, there was a lot of food too. It's all traditional Vietnamese food.

Tropical Fruits

One of the things I love about living in tropical Asia is the variety of fruits. There is such a variety and because it's warm all year round, you get fruits all the time. Not only that, they are very cheap.
I've been lucky to get the maid who cleans my apartment, to buy and cut up fruits for me everyday. The Vietnamese usually serve fruits as the last course of the meal, whether it's at a restaurant or at home. It's their dessert.



On the left are pomeloes, which is like a bigger version of a grapefruit. Some people call it Chinese grapefruit. You can grow this in Arizona. The pomeloes in Vietnam are much sweeter.







Here is a fruit cart selling mangoes, pineapples, sugar cane, papayas, and water melons







Shelling coconut husks so they will be ready to be sold.
The next picture shows what they look like after they've been shelled.








The vendor cuts the top off and put a straw into the coconut. After you drank the coconut juice, you can cut it open and use a spoon to scrape the coconut flesh. The juice tastes great on a hot day. Costs about $1 a coconut.








I don't know what this fruit is called. I haven't had it for a long time. The inside has white flesh like mangosteen.








Persimmons, which also grows very well in California. I was surprised many Americans have never tasted persimmons. The ripes ones are very sweet. They are usually in season around October-November.







You find durians everywhere. Not all Vietnamese like durians. They don't grow them in northern part of Vietnam.






Guava. They can be white or pink on the inside.









A fruit stand selling all kinds of fruits. In the foreground is mangosteen.

Rambutan. It has hairy skin. You twist open the skin and inside is a fruit that looks a little like a lychee.

Dragon Fruit. It is usually grey inside. Not as sweet as other fruits.

Mangoes. You see mango trees everywhere. There are many varieties in Asia and some are imported into Vietnam. The best mangoes are from India. Next time you go to an Indian restaurant, ask for a mango lassi. It's like a mango smoothie.

Longans. You break the skin and eat the translucent flesh. It has a seed inside.

A woman vendor selling pineapples. The pineapples here are small and very sweet. Unlike pineapples in the supermarket in the US that were picked way before they are ripe and have to ship over long distances, these pineapples are grown locally and are ripe when you buy them.

Melons and green-skin oranges. I don't know what kind of melons these are but they taste like cantaloupes. The oranges are surprisingly quite sweet.

Singaporeans call this fruit chiku. It has brown color flesh and is very sweet.

Life Around the Lake

Whenever I tell someone I live by Truc Bach Lake, they always comment on how nice the area is. I couldn't agree with it more. Some Hanoians still call this area a village. There are residents who have lived here for many, many years. It's also a popular area for foreigners. The apartments here are not cheap; most start at US$2,000.
If you recall in one of my earlier blogs, John McCain fell into this lake when he was shot down in 1967. Below are pictures of some activities around the lake.



Women doing Tai-Chi in the morning








A street vendor selling bananas on her bicycle. There are usually at least half a dozen such vendors in the morning, selling all kinds of tropical fruits: pineapples, dragon fruits, pomeloes, guavas, oranges (with a green skin), jackfruit, etc.







Another group of vendors selling flowers on the sidewalk. Vietnam grows a lot of flowers.








Someone selling porcelain plates, bowls, pots, etc.









Another group of vendors on the sidewalk selling vegetables and fruits. On my side of the road where I took this picture is a market with stalls selling meat and vegetables and other grocery items.








There is even a gym (sort of) by the lake. There are only 2 barbells. One of the bars is actually made of bamboo. I come here to lift weights after my run. It's no 24-Hr Fitness or LA Fitness but hey...it's free. There is a bunch of local guys who just hang out and chat in the morning.





Someone selling food. I think it's porridge.
In the evening, there are outdoor cafes' around the lake selling drinks. There are also many restaurants serving hot-pots in the evening.








Paddle boats shaped like swan. They are popular at night with young couples.








There are many restaurants and bars catering to foreigners around the lake. Here you see a pub







Where there is a lake, there is water. This guy is adding to the water level in the lake. Unfortunately, the locals dump all kinds of stuff into the lake. It's one of the most polluted lakes in Hanoi. In spite of that, there are people fishing in the lake. I hope they don't take it home for dinner or sell it.





To my American friends and family: Happy Thanksgiving!
Some of my friends in Vietnam have heard of Thanksgiving but of course, they don't celebrate it here. Some restaurants offer Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day but I don't think I miss turkey that much. But I miss the candied yam and pecan pie.

Bát Tràng

Bát Tràng (pronounced "Bot Chang") is a small village next to the Red River, about an hour from Hanoi. It has been around for about 700 years and is most famous for its ceramics. Everything in the village revolves around ceramics, whether it's pots, tea sets, or decorative pieces, etc.
On the left you see some big vases displayed at a store.

We understand from our host that robbery was rampant in the early days so the villagers built narrow streets so that it's difficult for the robbers to escape.

Some more beautiful pots being displayed outside another store.

We tried our hands on making pottery. I don't think anyone would buy these. It's a lot more difficult than it looks.
You can also do "paint on pottery" yourself.

There is a market in the village with probably close to 100 stores selling different kinds of ceramic stuff. Here you see some beautiful and colorful vases, pots and other decorative ceramic pieces.

Vientianne, Laos

I had a business trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last week. Since the flight between Phnom Penh and Hanoi stops in Vientianne, Laos, I decided to stop there to see what the place is like. Also, my good friend, Ralph, was also going to stop there for a few days on his travel around SE Asia.
Laos is an interesting country. After years of war, it is finally settling down to focus on development. Like Vietnam and Cambodia, it is now trying to catch up economically with the rest of the world. A lot of aid money from the World Bank, IMF, and other NGOs' is helping in its development.

Vientianne is the capital of Laos. It is a relatively small city, compared to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Phnom Penh. I'd say it's around the size of a Glendale, Arizona, for those of my friends who live in Arizona. It's population is only about 200-300,000. The city lies next to the Mekong River, which is like the Mississipi River, for SE Asia. The people here are quite laid back. The food here is okay, a little like Thai food. Laotians like a lot of sticky (or glutinous) rice.

One thing you notice a lot in Vientianne is the abundance of Buddhist temples or structures. The first picture on the left is that of Pha That Luang, which is the most important national monument in Laos and a symbol of both the Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty.
The next picture on the left is a temple next to Pha That Luang.
The third picture is that of Patuxal, which looks like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. You can climb to the top and have a great view of the city.

If there are a lot of Buddhist temples, there must be a lot of Buddhist monks. I saw three of them walking along the street and grab them to pose with me. These monks are quite young, probably in their early teens. I understand that Laotians join the monastery so that they can have a real education. It's like going to school... they learn all the regular subjects like science, math and English. Unlike the priesthood, you don't sign up for life. Some enter the monastery for 6 months, a year or a few years.


Next on the left, you see a stupa. I don't know what it's called but it's next to the US Embassy. A stupa is a Buddhist religious monument that is supposed to contain Buddhist relics. They are very common in Buddhist countries and can take many slightly different forms. Usually it's a tall pointed structure with some kind of mound at the bottom.





This trip was quiet and relaxing. We walked around the city a lot just watching the people, the temples, and the shops. We also saw many foreigners; some working here and some travelling. You can get a room in a guest house for as little as $5 a night. Many backpackers like to stop here because it's cheap and not as crowded as in places like Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City.
One place I like to visit in the future is Luang Prabang, about a 10-hour bus ride from Vientianne. Luang Prabang is Laos' most popular tourist spot and is on UNESCO's World Heritage list, which means its historical architecture is protected.