Hanoi, Cuc Phuong, and Hue

 Mother and baby langurs sleeping at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center (EPRC) inside Cuc Phuong Nat'l Park. One of my favorite photos captured on this trip. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

Phu Quoc island was the perfect way to start the trip and had exactly what we were looking for: tranquil beaches; a slow paced, small, and quiet village town; and an entire island to explore on motorbike. It was a great way to ease into a foreign country and prepare Jeff and I for the upcoming travels through Vietnam. That said, nothing could have prepared us for Hanoi, the country's capital.

I had my guard up from the moment I stepped off the plane. I've lived and traveled to some major cities in the United States (Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York), but Hanoi is starkly different. With a population of roughly 6.5 million, it is very crowded and chaotic. Structurally, it's a unique marriage of old and run down mixed with new and modern. You see a lot of the remnants from the Chinese domination and influence in the older buildings throughout the city.

Jeff on the streets of Hanoi (photo courtesy of street peddler). Street peddlers walk up, put these baskets on you (without your permission), ask to take a photo, then demand money afterwards. One of our very first experiences in the city. You learn to stop making eye contact or conversation with these people fairly quickly.

The Old Quarter (where we stayed for a night) is very charming – think San Francisco's China town: tiny alleyways; tall and narrow buildings; and people everywhere.  Overall, the city is pretty dirty and extremely noisy. Motorbikes dominate the streets, and as I've mentioned before, traffic is unruly. The motto is "just go" and you better not second guess your choice or you'll get hit. You see some crazy shit in traffic: full families on one motorbike; babies and toddlers without helmets hanging off the sides; people talking on the phone and texting while driving their motorbikes; and people driving against traffic. Traffic in Los Angeles is tame in comparison. Oh ya, and the honking. The sound of incessant honking pervades the entire city. "Organized chaos" is the best way I've heard it described.

While Phu Quoc was a breath of fresh air, our very first taste of Hanoi was a bitter one. It felt like everyone was trying to sell us something or rip us off; from the taxi driver, to street peddlers, even our hotel receptionist. I was definitely out of my comfort zone.

Another major hurdle for me was the change in dialect. Vietnamese is a tonal language, where different tones or notes dictate meaning of specific words - a word's meaning can be different, depending on how a syllable is stressed or accented. There are 4 major dialects across Vietnam: North, North Central, Central, and South. My parents are from the South (Saigon). As such, that is the dialect I speak and and familiar with. For me, the northern Vietnamese accent is very difficult to understand. At times, it sounds like a completely different language. While I did a decent job of muddling my way through conversations in Phu Quoc (Southwest Vietnam), many Hanoians gave me a blank stare when I asked even the simplest of questions.

English is my second language learned and I'm truly grateful I was raised in a predominantly Vietnamese speaking environment. Communication via the Vietnamese language has been a powerful tool and has made brief encounters much more colorful and memorable. Many of the Vietnamese I've encountered have been inquisitive and are curious to find out what I'm doing here and where I come from. This has really inspired me to learn and become fluent in my native language. I would love to strengthen my ability to communicate with my family, something that has been a life long struggle.

While traveling through Vietnam, I am reminded daily of how lucky I am. I have not only the ability and choice, but the freedom and resources to do what I want to do. Not everyone on this planet does. While this trip is certainly about having a lot of fun, it's also a major learning experience. I'm learning quite a bit about myself, and in general, life. We don't need much to be happy. It's the simple things: family, friends, love, food, and a comfortable place to sleep. For me, music and yoga as well. That's all I really need, everything else is noise.

After a quick stroll through the hustle and bustle of the Old Quarter, we retreated to the quiet of our hotel room. All I could think of was being back on Phu Quoc. Jeff pointed out that we were both probably experiencing a bit of culture shock. I think he was right. Later that eve we met Jeff's cousin, Natalie, for some drinks and a late dinner, and both called it a night.

The next morning, I got up early and went to Hoan Kiem Lake to practice yoga. Hundreds of people, mostly older women, congregate around the lake in the early morning (they start at 6am) to practice calisthenics, tai chi, and other forms of exercise. This is a remnant of the Ho Chi Minh era, when daily exercise was mandatory. A great site to see, it brought me back to my early days when I would watch my grandfather do the same calisthenics routine daily.

My second morning in Hanoi was much better (yoga and meditation had a lot to do with that) and I started to see the city's unique charm. Instead of trying to classify everything as good or bad, I just observed, and started to take it in. That said, Jeff and I both decided that we'd seen enough of the city and keeping to our motto of experiencing the road less traveled, we hopped on an early morning bus to Ninh Binh, rented motorbikes, and made our way to Cuc Phoung National Park for two nights and three days in the jungle.

Ho Mac (Mac Lake) at Cuc Phuong National Park. We stayed in the bungalows (pictured on the right) our first night in the park.

Yesterday, we made it to the beautiful city of Hue. In my opinion, this is and should be Vietnam's capital (it was at one point). I'm going stay here until at least Saturday. Traveling has been tiring and I'm going to take it easy for the next few days, take in the more subtle parts of the city, read, write, and practice yoga.

Jeff left for Saigon this morning and flies back to the states tomorrow morning. It's been a true pleasure to experience Vietnam with one of my oldest and dearest friends. We grew up together and he is like a brother to me. So grateful for this lifelong friendship, he has taught me so much.

More pics below...

-Hoang

Alleyway just outside our hotel room in Hanoi.

Motor bikes abound in Hanoi.

Each street in Hanoi's Old Quarter offers a specific type of good. Shoes were this street's speciality.

Pho Tai, Hanoi style. Softer noodles and a much subtler broth (it was not sweet at all). I haven't tried pho in Hue yet but I've heard it's a nice balance between the flavors of the Northern and Southern (sweeter broth) versions of this ubiquitous Vietnamese dish.

Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho, pictured on the 100,000 dong bill. This equates to $5 USD and can buy you about 3-4 meals. Unlike the US bills, which are all green, the dong comes in various sizes and colors. 

 Langur at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center. The primates are rescued from poachers and the illegal animal trade, rehabilitated, and released back into the wild. It is a remarkable program. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

 Turtle swimming at the Turtle Conservation Center. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

White Wagtail spotted at one of the lakes in Cuc Phuong. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

 I'm not sure what this is. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

One of the many species of butterfly. These were all over the park and came in so many different sizes, shapes, and colors. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

View to the outside from the entrance of "cave of the prehistoric man".

Cuc Phuong is a jungle and is abundant with wildlife. Life truly thrives in this environment. Jeff pictured here with a giant grasshopper. Jeff is a bird biologist with Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and all around nature guy. You learn quite a bit about nature hanging with this guy.

Rice farmer working one of the many rice patties in Vietnam. (photo courtesy of Jeff Birek)

Main entrance into Hue's citadel, a massive fortified city within a city. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, and you can see why when you enter. I can't imagine the resource and time it took to build, impeccable to the smallest of details. 

Chay (vegetarian) lunch that we had inside the Citadel. Balanced, subtle deliciousness. I could eat this every day.

Reflections. The tranquil park inside the Citadel.

More photos inside the Citadel below...