So much to tell. So little time to tell it.
We have visited the Ha Noi home of Mr. Liem and learned the ancient Viet art of water puppetry, and visited the Tho Ha home of Mr. Viet, and learned the art of making rice paper, in which we were trained by Mr. Viet's wife. Not that anyone is about to hire me on as a skilled worker. Lucky Mary was pronounced "qualified" by a market woman who taught her the proper way to peel a potato. Better yet, she got to play music with Mr. Viet, who has quite a collection of traditional Vietnamese instruments.
We learned the rice paper trade in Tho Ha Village, reached by a very short ferry ride, where most homes are also rice paper workshops. This is relatively new craft for the village, which until some decades ago was in the clay coffin business. Fifty years ago, Tho Ha ran out of clay, and the government suggested they switch to rice paper. This is the edible rice paper used to wrap those delicious spring rolls.
When a village doesn't have agricultural land, it is apparently common tor it to specialize in some craft. Today we visited Bat Trang Village, whose 240 families have made ceramics from white clay for over a thousand years. Unlike Tho Ha, when Bat Trang ran out of clay, they kept on with the ceramics, and started importing the clay. After learning the ceramic making business, we visited the home of Mr. Duc, and learned about his family's experience during land reform from 1954-57.
In all our home visits, we see large family altars. Although 90% of the people have no religion, from the Vietnamese perspective, ancestor worship is tradition, not religion. Pretty serious stuff, though. In addition to the home altars, each village has a pagoda to honor Buddha, and two temples- one to honor the village ancestor and one to honor Confucius.
Vietnam so far is like one endless farmers market. On every street it seems you can buy fresh produce, eggs of many varieties, and cooked foods to satisfy every hunger. These are prepared on little charcoal cookers. Some are snack foods, like green rice wrapped in a taro leaf or a sweet cake of sweet potato, coconut and sesame. Others, like pho and bia )2% fresh draft beer that costs $0.25 a glass), are served at the ubiquitous low red and blue plastic tables and chairs. With fresh food so easily available, Vietnamese shop every day, and big refrigerators are not important.
Yesterday we visited Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the "Hanoi Hilton," where John McCain spent the better part of six years after being shot down doing a bombing run over Hanoi. Although this era of the prison's history is presented, the major focus is on Hoa Lo Prison's earlier history as a place of incarceration and execution for Viet Minh fighting the French. The men and women were kept under pretty barbarous conditions, with one foot locked in stocks. Execution was by guillotine, with the severed heads displayed in baskets.
Of course we've been eating lots of good food. Tonight was the best. Fried snake-head fish at Cha Ca La Vong, Vietnam's oldest restaurant, serving one dish (and one dish only) since 1871. The fish is fried at the table. You add greens and herbs, peanuts, and fish oil and serve over rice noodles.
Wish I could go back to Cha Ca La Vong tomorrow night. Instead we leave Ha Noi for a night on Ha Long Bay. Sunday evening we fly to Hue.
Until next time.
Love, Toni
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