Vietnam’s timeless charm, tourism miracle (2)

On our second day, bright and early, we boarded a pedicab to avoid the swarms of motorcycle riders seemingly oblivious to the teeming pedestrians tiptoeing with dread while crossing the streets. We explored more of the French Quarter, the Old Quarter, and the colonial-inspired surroundings of the lake.

The French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards, ancient temples, and bustling Old Quarter reveal layers of history that have survived wars, political upheavals, and rapid modernization. Life appears busy but not rushed and does not give us the sense of the usual hustle and bustle of a fast-trending tourist destination.

As we leisurely pedaled around Hoan Kiem Lake, we saw locals doing their tai chi calisthenics, jogging, or simply enjoying the scenery while sipping tea. A particularly delightful sight was a young bride-to-be being photographed with the iconic Ngoc Son Temple, a serene reminder of Vietnam’s cultural heritage nestled at the edge of the lake, as a backdrop.

We couldn’t resist the temptation to briefly join in the moment and just sit on an inviting bench nestled under a tree to feel the breeze and enjoy the different scenes unfolding.

Shortly after, we visited a nearby popular tourist gawk-stop: an incense-making village with rows and rows of brightly colored incense sticks, very much like our drab, brown-colored walis ting-ting, stacked like giant bouquets. It was a display of simple craftsmanship mixed with heavily promoted tourism photos that one can easily find in any Vietnam tourist brochure. I couldn’t help but think that with Filipinos’ creative imagination, we certainly could do better than that.

Our next stop was a simple hole-in-the-wall restaurant made famous by the visit of Barack Obama. The glass-encased table he sat at and the chopsticks and plates he used, along with the mummified Vietnamese fare he had, were on proud display, with Obama’s toothy photo showing him enjoying the meal with the owner. Another example of a fairly simple tourist magnet that we could easily adopt. After all, we have had our share of world-famous celebrity visitors. Perhaps the scheduled visit of US President Donald Trump in November will give our Department of Tourism folks an opportunity to come up with something similar.

Dinner at the Michelin-rated Quan An Ngon, however, was an entirely different culinary adventure altogether. We enjoyed the finest clams in tamarind sauce I have ever tasted, accompanied, of course, by a very cold bottle of Ha Noi beer. It started to dawn on me that Vietnam has apparently successfully transformed its cuisine into a tourism asset and an instrument of national branding. Again, I wonder, why can’t we do that for the unique Filipino balut, dinuguan or pinakbet, gulped down with a nice cold San Mig or some tuba?

On the third day, we joined a tour from Hanoi to the legendary Ha Long Bay, probably Southeast Asia’s most spectacular limestone formations, with more than 1,900 islands and islets spread across 1,500 square kilometers in the Tonkin Gulf, created over millions of years. To give you a sense of the size and grandeur of Ha Long Bay, our Hundred Islands in Pangasinan has only about 124 islands, depending on the tide, and covers 16.76 square kilometers in the Lingayen Gulf. We ended the day with a sunset cruise aboard the Ha Long Bay sightseeing boat. It’s a must-do if you’re planning a trip to Vietnam.

The final leg of our sojourn was Da Nang, where we met up with my travel partner’s brood, also first-time visitors to Vietnam, to celebrate her birthday. Da Nang is about an hour’s flight from Hanoi. Again, the imagery in my mind of Da Nang was of the US-Vietnam War. It was the site of the US airbase that was the jump-off point for the air offensives against North Vietnam.

During the Viet Cong’s massive Tet Offensive from January to early February 1968, Da Nang was at the center of the fierce fighting that became the pivotal event that hardened the view of anti-war demonstrators back home that the US could never win the war because of the Viet Cong’s firm determination to fight.

In contrast to my wild imaginings of a war-torn place, what greeted us was a clean, modern city with miles and miles of visually striking beaches lined with all the major hotels of the world and exuding a welcoming warmth and relaxed atmosphere.

If what we had seen so far was only a glimpse of what Vietnam has to offer, we all eagerly awaited the other surprises that were in store for us. (To be continued)

Until next week… OBF!

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