At the Le Loi Hotel, forget your English

This hotel was a blessing, and we could have probably walked it from the train station, were it not for the 76 suitcases we were carrying with us. This actually served as a great lesson for the return trip, where I only came with a a small carry on. You simply cannot travel Viet Nam with more than one suitcase, on rollers preferably. At least, not if you are going to travel the way we did, and be in constant motion.

This is the newer wing of the hotel where we were lodged

We only had one night here, since we were leaving the next day for Nah Trang. But as we entered the reception area, it was the first time I would see hotel staff dressed in Ao Dai. It looked smashing. Since our reservations had been made ahead of time by Aurora Travel, the task of checking in was somewhat easier since no one could speak a word of English. By the time we arrived it was almost lunchtime, so here's some good advice if you are going to stay more than 48 hours: arrive in early morning if possible, since most historical tours of the city leave the hotel by 8:00 am.
We were housed in the newer of two wings and went past the courtyard that displayed a very handsome topiary of dragons. Up two flights of stairs with five suitcases wasn’t a piece of cake, but we had the good help of the hotel staff. Our room was replete with imperial style, lacquered furnishings. Panic almost set in when we couldn’t get the A/C to work, but following some fits and starts with one of the chambermaids, a gust of cool air could be felt. The shower was such a respite of pure joy, as we wondered how we would dry again upon return. Two large bath towels are all you get, folks, but toothpaste and toothbrushes accompany soap and shampoo in the small medicine cabinet. 

No one is going to steal those bed covers, rest assured!

The beds were a bit hard, with single pillows and extremely colorful floral blankets that covered both. The bedside table is equipped with remote-control buttons for lighting and a radio. A small TV and refrigerator look anachronistic in this setting of chinoiserie. A large window opened to a very bucolic setting: a small curved balcony held a potted plant, and what I suspect was either an ashtray, or a bird feeder. You look at the picture and try to figure it out. Also, from the window, one could see that slanted roofs of aluminum, stone, and other materials competed for space. Shooting straight up amid the angular planes were some lovely trees intended to provide much-needed shade. A caged bird served as an alarm clock the next morning, though I could hear his occasional ceremonious singing from time to time.

I've already told you that it was our good fortune to be situated right next to the Hue Gastronomic Center, where a free breakfast for hotel guests is served. And what a breakfast it was.

Laundry facilities are available for same day delivery and are slightly more expensive than either Ha Noi or Sai Gon, but still worth it in relative terms. The bill, however, is paid directly to the laundress rather than the hotel itself. She turned out to be located at the bottom of the stairs of our building.

Around the courtyard is a small gift shop where one can get film and other sundries. We were in need of a battery for Chuck’s camera and were told of a nonexistent shopping center down on Le Loi before the Truong Tien Bridge. 

This is as crowded as Le Loi Avenue will get

We started walking in the direction of the bridge as we thought we understood that there was a small shopping center before the crossing. The avenue is wide and shaded with lovely trees, but the heat is murder. Of course, everyone is either riding a bicycle or a motorbike, but not in the frightening masses that threaten to kill you as you cross the street in Ha Noi or Sai Gon. Also, as we approached the bridge crossing, I began to notice some pillars that bore resemblance to Cham architecture. Once you get acquainted with that type of architecture, you can recognize it anywhere. It is also found in Laos and Cambodia, where the Cham Empire ruled at one time.

I recommend that you either hire a taxi or take a cyclo to where you wish to go, as there is not really much to take in on this side of the Perfume River.

Hue and Gastronomy

Prior to our first trip to Viet Nam, I spent about a month and a half doing research in order to have some kind of idea what not to miss where. Of course, Hue is where you can find the glory of past Imperial Viet Nam, to the extent that it is still on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites. But it is also the center of where a lot of the destruction took place during the American War. Additionally, it is known for its amazing cuisine, and has the best University in the entire country. 



Luckily for us we stayed at a hotel that was abutting the Center for Gastronomic Service . It does not look terribly fancy or elegant, but don't let appearances get you down. The food is out of this world. This was the place where we had breakfast the day after we arrived and did most of the sightseeing. It was extremely crowded, and the restaurant is "al fresco" for the most part. While you wait for your food, you will be either charmed or annoyed by vendors, depending on your mood. One other thing that can ruin your meal, if you allow it, is the smell of smoke. Viet Namese are smokers, like most other Asians. And even when you are outdoors, you'll still get several whiffs of it, as the smokers outnumber the non-smokers. 

This is the view from the eating area where we sat, 
which looks quite charming with a lovely fountain in the center, and tropical plants all around.

So if you don't mind sitting on rickety aluminum table and chairs, and spotting a running chicken pecking at the ground, have a seat and enjoy the meal, because you will. This is a good time to explain the coffee filter situation, since I have a photo of it, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, once you have this coffee, it will be difficult to negotiate other ones. It can be served to you hot or cold, and in order to have the hot version, you should ask for 'cà phê sữa nóng', literally hot milk coffee or café filtré. This will be made with sweet condensed milk. For the iced version, ask for cà phê sữa đá, and it is basically the same recipe, with added iced cubes and that you'll stir vigorously with a long teaspoon and enjoy.

If you look closely, you see the glass which has the filter mechanism on top of it also has a thick white lining at the bottom. That is the condensed milk which has not yet been mixed. When enough coffee has made it into your cup, just set aside the filter until you are ready for more. The glass in the forefront shows the coffee has been mixed and some of it already consumed. On the other side is the same operation going on with another glass containing ice cubes. I think you have now been initiated. I remember when they first brought us these utensils to our breakfast table in Sai Gon, we looked at each other like idiots, because we had no clue how these things worked. 

A banana crêpe was beckoning me from the menu and I didn't resist. I had no idea though that what I would later be served and eating was art work. Chuck ordered eggs (at the time of our travel, there was much to do about nothing regarding bird flu, and not eating fowl or eggs). Baguettes are always served at breakfast, and they are crisp and tasty, and have slightly more dough than I am accustomed to. When our food came, my jaw dropped at the sight of the crêpe as I was expecting a pancake stuffed with bananas. I will shamelessly admit that I ate the whole thing. 

With the sunny side eggs came the bread, a few slices of cucumbers and tomato, and the portion was quite generous. This restaurant is a keeper. 

The evening before, after we returned from an exhausting tour of the Forbidden Imperial City, after we crossed the Truong Tien Bridge back to the other side, we got out because we spotted a very large outdoor eatery that served iced cream. It sounded like a wonderful idea, and refreshing, and don't expect vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. These folks learned the art of ice cream from the French, and will have you lick your chops no matter what flavor you choose. Learn that "Kem" is ice cream, and short for "crème" which is the French word for cream. If you want to find it, it is on Le Loi Avenue, right across the street from the Viet Nam Airline ticket office. You have a wonderful view of the Perfume River , and it was almost sunset, which made for a very soothing and romantic mood. 

The Perfume River gets its name from the fragrant flowers that grow alongside its banks.

The menu is in Viet namese, but there do have English translations, and we were happy to get one of those from our waiter. I'm a red bean fan, but I saw "green bean" and was intrigued, and ordered it. Chuck, on the other hand, went American, and selected the banana split with one scoop each of 3 flavors (the ones cited above, of course), which was served with a fluted cookie and walnuts. The first teaspoon of green bean was spectacular, and the ones that followed, no less spectacular. The cookie was light as air. And since my cup was small, I started tasting some of the ice cream in the banana split boat. They use real cream!! Also, remember, you must slow yourself down as much as possible because service takes forever. And this, - with the venue not crowded at all. I think we saw one other family with children in total. 


There was a very large building which looked like a theater of some sort, and after we left "Kem", we started walking around. Again. We went into the building which was completely empty, and there was no one around. Parked alongside the river bank were these adorable duck boats, which I assumed people rented out to glide around on the river. There are also performances which take place on the river, but we unfortunately did not have the time to catch one. 


As the sun was setting, we realized that once back in the hotel, we would not be able to move. So our walk to us to an outdoor restaurant, with tables at seaside. You could see the trees around the tables had been decorated with hundreds of mini-lights that would go on as soon as the sun disappeared. It was very quiet, but as I looked up I saw speakers, and music began to emanate. This might sound bizarre, but the man singing sounded exactly like Engelbert Humperdinck in Viet namese. Since our server did not speak English, there was no way for me to know. But it was lovely and memorable. And we were given menus and started peering at the offerings; here's a sample:

· #61. My (pronounced me) y Sot Bo Bam : Sauteed spaghetti with beef

· #62. My y Sot Hai San : Sauteed spaghetti with seafood

· #63. Vu De Neong : Grilled teats of goat (this one triggered a half hour conversation)

· #64. Tho Hon Banh My : Stewed rabbit with break ( I think they meant bread here)

· #65. Tho Nuong : Grilled rabbit

· # 66. Ca Com Chien Bo : Deep-fried small fish with butter

We settled on a vegetarian dish that was spiced to perfection and quite fragrant. It went down without a hitch. It was a noodle dish with curried vegetables, but you really could not distinguish any heavy curry flavor. It was so subtle, and mixed probably with other aromatic spices. 

And of course, it would not have been as memorable an evening, if it weren't for two young boys who were trying to get some money for polishing our shoes. I was saved, since my shoes were suede boots that could not be touched. So they naturally turned to Chuck, and it became comedic as we realized the tins of shoe polish they had brought with then were empty. Nevertheless the younger of the two boys was earnestly scrubbing away. The other boy had his hand on my camera at one point, and I gave him a look that must have encouraged him to let go of it. All the pictures of the day that I had taken were in that camera, and at that point, I would have killed anyone who would take the camera. 

There is a fabulous dialog going on between the man and the boy in the photo. It turned out that the shoe polish had at some point in its lifetime contained black, and Chuck's shoes were brown. So the man is trying to tell the boy not to shine his shoes because he's got the wrong color. You can see the pained look on the child's face, because he is looking to make some dong this evening. 


At some point, the conversation will have stopped because the grown up realizes that the child is so persistent, he might as well let him have his way. We did manage to find some coins to reward all that hard work. At least they did leave us when the food was served. 

A barge gliding on the Perfume River at Sunset

Hoan Kiem Lake

The lake seen from atop of the City View Café

This lake is the beehive of Ha Noi's old quarter and is often used as a point of reference for easy orientation. It is considered by Hanoians to be the very heart of their capital, though it isn't the largest, nor the cleanest, nor the most awe-inspiring.

Very fancy tai chi for 6:00 am with red fans

As this was our second trip to the capital, we were already familiar with its ambiance, the "hot spots" surrounding it, but we had missed the 6:00am tai chi rituals that occurred every morning. Frankly, I was not that motivated to get myself out of bed to view or participate, so the first time, Chuck went solo with his camera and must have shot himself silly out of photos.

Naturally, after he returned and could hardly contain his excitement, it was very difficult to refuse going. And a great percentage of the 500 or so photos he had originally taken were blurred, so a do-over was in order. Of course, breakfast was on my mind, as this is something one simply cannot miss,-all you need to do is look at the spread laid at our beck and call every morning, and you know what I'm talking about. However, he mentioned that there was a French bakery where one could indulge right at lakeside. Ironically, we did go back to that very spot where we had lunch with a business associate of mine the next day. It was heavenly, and you could not get better views of the lake except if you were on a high floor, which we did as well.

So, what is it about this lake and the temple which seems to float on the water? and the inimitable red lacquered Huc bridge which appears to have been crafted from elves borne out of a fairy tale? Yes there is a legend which surrounds Hoan Kiem Lake, and it only adds to the romantic feeling as you meander through the walkways, and splendidly planted nooks and crannies all around this spot of water.

I bet as you look at these photos that you are wondering if this is really Viet Nam. The country has stopped being a "war" a long time ago. It is vibrant, fast, aromatic, colorful and extremely welcoming.

It's about a warrior called Le Loi and a golden turtle who swallowed his sword, as the turtle had the wisdom to realize that once the Chinese had been driven away, Le Loi didn't need his sword anymore. You'll find Le Loi to be a main artery in Sai Gon, and we'll get to that eventually. I'm sure many other things are named after this 15th century hero of the Viet Namese people.

It is reported that this lake was once part of the Red River (it's huge, and we were there up close when we went west of Ha Noi to a pottery village) and moved eastward through thousands of years' changes in the topography. Originally name Luc Thuy lake, it was changed to Ho Hoan Kiem, which means Lake of the Returned Sword, by Le Loi.

At the north end of the Lake, Lord Trinh Giang built Khanh Thuy shrine on Ngoc island, which was destroyed and rebuilt into a pagoda. It is now referred to as Ngoc Son Shrine. We did not go into the shrine, but did make our way through the huge portal, immediately after which there is a recessed spot onto a rocky hill where one can burn incense and offer a prayer or blessing. This time, I had the camera and took pictures as Chuck negotiated his way up, studied the movements of the woman before him, and repeated her motions and came down. The aroma of incense is quite intoxicating and adds to the spiritual feeling that reigns along the lake.

the lake at night

Occasionally one will see lovers sitting on a bench, but it's not very often, as Viet Namese, especially in the north, are not quite as emancipated as their brothers in the south, or the West for that matter. There is no public kissing whatsoever, but it is, without a doubt, one of the most romantic places to be and see. Also amazing and inspiring are the scores of older generation Viet Namese either exercising, or speaking French. The younger generation aspires to speak English and many to whom we talked dream of going to America. Hard to believe, isn't it?


soaking the sun at City View Café

Seeing the lake from up high is a treat, as I mentioned before. We were lucky to catch the sun in Ha Noi for lunch one day, and had the most exquisite spaghetti al fresco. The year before, we had dinner at Kim Quy, an elegant restaurant opposite that high building and across the water fountain, and the night views were reminiscent of Paris. You can never tire of Hoan Kiem Lake or what adorns it, no matter what time of day it is.

the fountain taken from Kim Quy Restaurant on the second floor