July 1, 2011

The Elder Statesmen of Vietnamese Art

(Originally published in The Guide, June 2011)

David Lloyd Son talks to Tran Luu Hau about art, beauty, the self and what continues to allow his work to thrive: freedom

We arrive at Tran Luu Hau’s home on a sodden Hanoi morning and are warmly greeted by the artist.  First impressions are of a measured, dignified, modest gentleman. Once he has established that we are settled we are invited to view his works which hang from every wall.

On the first floor, there’s one sofa and twelve paintings – nothing else. On the next we find a solitary dining table and four walls of his work. And so it goes up to his 6th floor studio which sits underneath his living quarters; so, more than 80% of his home is given over to art.

Self portait

His works

Tran Luu Hau paints across three primary themes  – female nudes, his beloved homeland, and still life. In common with many of his contemporaries, he paints countless works on one subject, his reason for doing so however is less ubiquitous. ‘My greatest purpose is to discover my self. If one knows one’s self, one can express one’s true self through art. Through painting these few themes I can discover who I am – the lengths of my abilities and the depths of my thoughts and emotions.’

His studio is tidy, but not meticulous; the space feels lived in. I spot a remote control car hiding between his books and the music collection, which serves as a sign of his other major passion – his family.

Music is integral to Tran Luu Hau’s work, but when asked whether music has any effect on how he paints he responds swiftly: ‘No, none at all. To a degree nothing can impact on me anymore. Tchaikovsky, Mozart… it no longer really matters who the artist is. I often play one piece on repeat all day. I no longer truly hear the music when I paint, somehow I only hear nature. The music goes in to my subconscious. However, I deeply appreciate the role of music in my art, it is fundamental’.

Looking around the studio I see no evidence of sketches so I ask if he plans his works. He bursts into laughter – question answered, he goes direct to canvas. Leaving his studio we pass rack after rack of canvases.  He paints at a phenomenal rate; in the last year he has created over 100 works, many of them on a grand scale.  This is considerably faster than he worked in his younger days, so what increased his momentum? ‘I don’t consider my pace to be fast or slow. I just work. Simply put, through working I have become more efficient. More consciously though, I am making up for lost time’.

Tran Luu Hau’s nudes are many and varied. Some bring Francis Bacon to mind, others are unique. Standing in front of one – a sitting woman, positively emanating grace – he tells us ‘In different periods of time, people have had different views of women. Some looked at them, as subjects, and painted them sexually. When one views a nude painted in this way, one cannot see true beauty.’

First Blush

His philosophy of art

Talk turns to the role of art critics and their effect on the art world, a subject that the artist has clearly marshalled his thoughts on. ‘When you care about the critic, you do not have freedom. Art requires absolute freedom.  No freedom, no art. Not many people understand this word, ‘freedom’. In a painting, if one can see a lack of freedom, hesitation in the brushstroke, one sees that the painting has lots of limitations’.

While Tran Luu Hau talks philosophically, he never tends to the contrite or smug – far from it. He speaks at a relaxed pace, markedly at odds with the Vietnamese one often hears on the wonderfully chaotic streets of Hanoi. I can’t help but ask if he reads philosophy. For the second time today my question is answered with laughter – the kind that quietly fills a room. ‘For me it is not about philosophy. I am 83! I don’t need to read a book to learn about life, what I know, I learned from life’.

For Tran Luu Hau the foundation for a solid and happy life is family, but he thinks some young artists lose sight of that. ‘In their younger days people jump in with two feet with a sort of ‘me-ism’. They have the attitude ‘I don’t care about family, about anything else, it is all about me’. I don’t care about my ego anymore. I care about my family. This house, these paintings, they are no longer mine. If the painter’s ego is large he lives a lonely life. One must erase the ego in order to be a great artist. Consider yourself nothing, then paint’.

The artist lives a life of two halves. In his family life he is anything but lonely. His children and grandchildren surround him.  In his art however, he emphasises the necessity of loneliness. ‘Art means loneliness. It requires an absolute loneliness. But only in art. In daily life one must be balanced’.

Shortly after our interview Tran Luu Hau leaves for Tam Dao, some 60 km fromHanoi, where he will spend three months. There, with absolute peace – he speaks of hearing only the wind at night – he will live alone. ‘If you spend all your time with friends and family you cannot understand yourself. Art helps me become introverted, to understand myself’.

His influences

On the subject of his influences he muses for a moment. ‘There are two artists who I greatly admire – De Kooning and Soutine. Long ago Matisse was very important to me. When I look at their art, I find something about myself – something about my soul’.

Hanoi Trees

Tran Luu Hau learned to paint under the stewardship of To Ngoc Van, arguably one of the country’s greatest painters. He speaks with great affection of his late mentor.  ‘To Ngoc Van’s greatest virtue as a teacher was his ability to know an artist’s strengths and weaknesses and to encourage them to concentrate on the former,’ he tells me. ‘He had great passion and an uncanny ability to transfer that passion to his students. I learned two main things from him – how to transfer passion and how to recognise talent and foster it’.

In a previous interview Tran Luu Hau was quoted as saying realism is dull. Having spent three hours with him I found it hard to believe those words were his. ‘Realism has value. The question, however, is how we explore reality, how we combine it with romance to make reality more interesting’. For him there is a fine line between playing with reality and discarding it, cutting the viewer off from any meaningful interaction with the work. By the same token, when realism and naturalism combine his interest wanes – the lack of creativity fails to spark his emotions, and for Tran Luu Hau emotion and art are irrevocably connected.

On Beauty

As I viewed a Cat Ba fishing fleet painting it struck me that the boats resemble those of Malta, of Thailand, of India.  Sometimes it is the similarities between places that interest the traveller as much as the differences. When asked what he saw  in Paris and Moscow (he has exhibited in both) that was consistent with the Vietnam he knew then – he muses a few seconds before replying with conviction. ‘Beauty. Beauty exists in every place. In people, in landscapes. When we stay longer in one place we feel its beauty more profoundly. For painters there is beauty everywhere.’ I ask if he sees a consistency in the beauty of people’s souls or their appearance. ‘For a painter the first thing they care about is the appearance; it takes time to see the souls of people.’

And so the interview draws to a close and the artist kindly shows us out. As we leave we canvasses stacked, prepared for his Tam Dao retreat. Based on his current form, we can expect him to return with a special crop of paintings, but alas they are unlikely to be seen by many in the West unless someone with an eye for a living master has the vision to introduce his work to a wider audience.

Let us hope.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Painters

Tagged as , , , ,

June 27, 2011

The Changing Face of Vietnamese Journalism: Foreign Perspectives

With Vietnam Journalism Day falling on the 21st of this month, foreign business people and media professionals share their views on the state of the press in Vietnam today. 

David Lloyd Son reports

The face of the English language media in Vietnam has changed irrevocably in recent times. It wasn’t long ago that there were no English language versions of Thanh Nien or Tuoi Tre, nor the English Language daily, Vietnam News.

The magazine sector has also undergone something of a revolution. While not quite spoilt for choice, those who wish to read about  art, what’s on, travel and culture in English can now pick from The Guide, Asia Life, The Word, and Time Out, amongst others. Before The Word there was nothing like it in Vietnam, but now there is choice, albeit rather limited. This increased competition can only be good for readers; they want choice because it means diversity of opinion, variety of articles and, ultimately, increased quality.

A view shared by all those interviewed is that both print and online media here is changing markedly and rapidly.  It was also suggested that more balanced and critical journalism is slowly emerging.

Thanh Nien and Tuoi Tre online are lauded by foreign media professionals and business owners alike for the increasing quality of their investigative features and the standard of their writing. Their journalism is seen as relatively bold compared to what was written not so long ago.

Foreign Journalists

On the subject of the English language media in Vietnam, Radhanath Varadan, Sub Editor at Tuoi Tre online, commented: “It still remains tiny and any action by one newspaper has enormous ramifications for the entire industry. For instance, when Thanh Nien News began to publish all their top Vietnamese language stories in English, in one stroke it empowered foreigners, who until then had had no clue as to what was happening in the country”. Regarding the Vietnamese press Radhanath thinks it is becoming stronger. “The Vietnamese media have begun pushing the envelope in the last few years”, he says.

Nella Prod’homme, a 21 year old Australian/French journalism intern at Vietnam News has been in Vietnam just two months so her perspective is fresh. “The atmosphere in the office is very different from what I have seen in France”, she explains. “Here there is a majority of women, at French newspapers there are many more men”.

Her perception of the ethos at her paper will make Hanoians proud. “The relations between people at Vietnam News resemble what I have seen elsewhere in Hanoi: they are very close to one another. It looks more like they are friends who work together than solely colleagues, but that does not affect their professionalism – my tutor, for example, knows exactly whatshe wants.”

A European journalist who prefers to remain anonymous explains that the pace of Vietnam is what they value most: “It’s the speed at which things can happen here. Sure, many things here can be painfully slow, but sometimes, when you need to meet someone or make contacts, it feels like there’s nowhere faster than Vietnam – in our work that’s very useful sometimes.”

Foriegn Business Owners

Jean Luc Voisin, Managing Director of Le Fruit and co-founder of Viet Adventure, gave his take on working with the media in Vietnam. “One thing is for sure, the media here will hold up a foreign company as an example, whether that example is good or bad. Luckily for me, it has been good. When you are doing good things for this country – I export, I don’t import – you get good support”. Pascal Lefebvre, owner of the Full Moon resorts in Mui Ne, and friend of Jean Luc’s seconds views – his business is also good for Vietnam’s economy and accordingly his dealings with the press have been plain sailing.

In Saigon, Stephen Mueller, owner of two businesses – Green Energy Biomass, and Vietnam Vespa Adventures – reflected on the media both here and in his native United States. “Something that the media here has done is open my eyes to how blatant the agenda of some news corporations in the USA are. When I go back to the States I look at things differently. I see their angle more clearly – take Fox News for example, their bias is abundantly clear.” As a business owner Stephen says his experience of dealing with the media here has been largely positive but his wife has her own concerns. “She’s not keen on me doing television, she’s afraid I’ll say something that might be misinterpreted – that can happen all too easily here.”

The change in the last few years then has been palpable.  Come next Journalism Day it will be interesting to reflect on developments; if the upwards curve continues there should be plenty to write about this time next year.

1 Comment

Filed under Miscellany

Tagged as , , ,

June 18, 2011

Cong Caphe

Words and Pictures by David Lloyd Son

(Originally published in Pathfinder, May 2011)

Every once in a while a writer is reluctant to pen a review; normally this is for one of two reasons – either the place is too awful for words, or it’s too small and special to expose… in this case it’s the latter.  The secret of Cong Caphe is already out however, and it’s only set to get more popular.

Cong Caphe Interior

Tucked away at the bottom of Trieu Viet Vuong, the Cong Caphe team have managed to get almost everything right. Petit in the extreme, what it lacks in size it makes up for in style, charm and quality.

Established by Linh Dung five years ago, Cong has cultivated a loyal, slightly artsy following, while managing not to foster a cliquey feel; so, while it often seems that people know one another here, the uninitiated will feel equally welcome.

With exposed brick, weather-beaten shutters and wooden floors Cong wouldn’t look out of place amongst the cafes of Barcelona or the bars of London’s Shoreditch, but this place is strongly Vietnamese at heart. The most gloriously kitsch Uncle Ho we’ve ever seen watches over the patrons, pictures of comrades adorn the walls and a model Soviet era plane dangles from the roof. Dung took her inspiration from the coffee shop her mother ran when she was a child.

If you come with a crowd try and grab the upper level with its floor cushions and low tables that make for an excellent place to hole up for an evening. A word to the wise though – avoid the seat under the stairs unless you’re happy to add some coffee to your hair style… not everyone is as graceful when descending as they might be.

So, decor wise, Cong has it nailed, but what of the product? The coffee, while

Cong Caphe Interior

not the cheapest in town, ranks with the best of them. They serve their own blend,‘Cong Caphe’,  in the standard Den Da and Sua Da forms, but it’s their Den Nom (so often unpalatable elsewhere), that stands out  – robust and velvet-smooth, it’ll kick-start the worst of hangovers. The Chanh (fresh lemon) is also worth writing home about, served in something that resembles part of a chemistry set, it’ll ensure your return visit if nothing else will. Drinks are taken very seriously here.

On the alcohol front they offer a decent wine list, including Argentinean and Chilean reds, a solid, if limited range of beers, a couple of whiskies and, rumour has it, a very fine mojito.

Cong is surrounded by other excellent cafes, so if you can tear yourself away from Cong, the area makes an excellent place for a coffee shop crawl. )pen 8am – 12am, seven days a week. 152D Trieu Viet Vuong

Leave a Comment

Filed under Cafes

Tagged as , , , ,

June 11, 2011

La Vie Vu Linh Eco Lodge: Just like Heaven

(Published in The Guide, June 2011)

A hideaway. A haven. A retreat. David Lloyd Son finds that if you’re looking to get away from it all,  La Vie Vu Linh in Yen Bai is well worth considering.

Sunset on Thac Ba

The Setting

Vu Linh was established by Freddo Binh, a Corsican-Vietnamese romantic, who, in another life, ran a circus in Ireland. Fifteen years ago, in collaboration with two local Dao people, Mrs Nhat and Tuong Van Thuong, Freddo started a home-stay scheme in Ngoi Tu, a small village in Yen Bai province. Back then there was no tourist infrastructure in the area and the only travellers who ventured there were the intrepid or the lost.

The area is home to the Dao, Cao Lan and Tay people and La Vie Vu Vinh lies equidistant between six small villages.

The success of the homestay business convinced Freddo to make a major investment and three years ago he built the lodge on the banks of the Thac Ba lake. At once imposing and subtle, it commands attention while remaining unobtrusive in this relatively unspoilt corner of Vietnam.  If you’re lucky enough, as we were, to approach the lodge via boat at dusk, you’ll be immediately captivated. Much thought has gone in to its design – this is a labour of love.

The Rooms

The lodge manages to pull off being basic without feeling unkempt. While the rooms here aren’t a place for luxury seekers, they offer the perfect escape for those longing for peace and quiet with a hint of adventure.

The Stilt House

So, where to lay your head? There are three options. In the main stilt house there’s a choice of a large open dorm-style room, or two tasteful private studios that would be suitable for families. Behind the main house the ‘rammed earth’ rooms are aimed at those on a budget but in need of a bit more privacy. Built using a mixture of African and Vietnamese techniques they are 98% natural and quite handsomely appointed to boot.

Activities

Vu Linh would be an excellent place to bring the kids to immerse them in some Vietnamese culture, but while they’re not learning there’s also badminton, ping pong and petanque to keep them happy, plus the lake for swimming and the woods for exploring.

It would be all too easy to bring a healthy stack of books to Vu Linh and simply work your way through them while swinging in a hammock, but there is more to a break here than that.

On our visit we opted for a boat ride and a hike on the recommendation of Carlos who was on a ten day vacation from Spain with his wife. Carlos told us, “We wanted to see a little of how people in rural Vietnam live – to experience something different, something a  little off the well-worn tourist path. The guide was excellent – you must do it tomorrow!”

He wasn’t wrong. Our guide, Duoc, was first rate. Charming, knowledgeable and keen to share his love for his homeland, Duoc deftly rowed us – with his feet, as is the style here – far enough across the lake to utterly lose our bearings. As we rowed among the lake’s islands, we caught sight of buffalo swimming, goats clinging precariously to the hillsides, and a water snake gliding across the lake’s surface.

Once moored, the hike took us to the summit of one of the magnificent hills that ring the lake. The views are sublime. The lake is dotted with 1,330 islands, all a vibrant, lush green offset beautifully by the colour of the water.

Duc with his haul

As we made our way back down the hill Duoc spied a Manjok tree which only means one thing here – Manjok will be on the menu. Duoc explained “we use everything from nature, every single thing, we try and take profit from whatever we can”. With a little help, the Manjok roots were uplifted and we strode proudly, dinner in hand, down to a Dao house where we took tea before heading home. The family welcomed us to their modest but sizeable home with open arms, further confirming the warmth of the people here.

If you don’t fancy the boat and hike other options include trips to local markets, cookery and traditional weaving courses, and for those with skills to share and time to give, there are volunteering opportunities. Those in need of a pampering can will be happy here too – but they have to earn their treats. Go on a hike with some of the elders and they will teach you about their culture while also picking the wild plants to use on your return to the lodge in a well-deserved natural spa.

On the menu

Drinks-wise they have a well stocked bar. Wines, cocktails, beers and whiskies are all available – the whisky sour was particularly fine; however, having been spoilt by the excellent coffee in Hanoi, the Den Da here is a low point, but when most other things are good that can be forgiven.

Evening meals are something of a social ritual at Vu Linh; if you’re not feeling talkative however, you can opt to receive your food separately. Two circles of cushions are arranged around a veritable feast on the stilt house floor. The young staff sit in one circle, the guests in another. Over three nights we never ate the same dish twice, bar the delectable pork which is something else.

Before anybody eats the rice wine is brought out. Thuong pours and everyone offers one other a hearty ‘Pozao!’ (cheers!).  Now you can eat. It’s a wonderful way to share a meal although it does of course rather depend on the dining companions. Stumble across Vu Linh at the same time as a group of rowdy drinkers and your experience could be tarnished.

Eco credentials

Freddo is a member of the Vietnam Responsible Travel Group and the lodge aims to be as eco-friendly as possible. Everything is sourced locally. Customers can have their water bottles re-filled negating the need for countless plastic bottles, and soon Freddo plans to plant a fruit forest next to his place in partnership with Green Vietnam and with help from Professors at Hanoi University.

At Vu Linh young people are trained in tourism management . One of Freddo’s young protégés Luong, a founder of the on-site school  is building a small house next to the lodge. She met Freddo years ago and convinced him to start a school to teach English among other things. Our guide Duoc was recruited when he took some tourists who were friends of his father’s to Vu Linh – Freddo spotted the potential in him and signed him up like a shot. Duoc now speaks of his dream to build a place in the surrounding hills – a better place to build is hard to imagine.

Getting there: It is possible to get most of the way to La Vie Vu Linh by public transport – we did it.Two buses from Ha Noi, one motorbike taxi and finally a boat ride will see you there in 6 hours. That’s rather longso we recommend hiring a private vehicle. This can all be arranged via your host.

The cost:

Traditional house (house on stilts)

$12 per person

Studio Duplex (Bamboo and Wood Construction)

Large studio: Standard studio:
$50 (1-2 guests) $40 (1-2 guests)
$60 (3 guests) $50 (3 guests)
$70 (4 guests) $60 (4 guests)
$75 (5 guests) $65 (5 guests)

Rammed Earth Rooms
$25 for 1 guest
$30 for 2 guests
$35 for 3 guests

Contact: +84 (0) 4 3926 2743 or info@freewheelin-tours.com

Web: www.lavievulinh.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

June 8, 2011

Hoan Kiem: The Heart of Hanoi

(Originally published in The Word, June, 2011)

David Lloyd Son does a lap of the city’s most famous lake with Linh Phi Nguyen Thuy to discover why it holds the deep affection of locals and tourists alike. Photos to follow.

Watching the sun come up over Hoan Kiem Lake recently triggered one of those ‘I’m so lucky to live here’ moments that come so thick and fast in Hanoi. People young and old were out for their morning strolls and the pungent smell of flowering phuong trees permeated the air. By night the lake once again comes to life with families, lovers and street hawkers.

Everybody knows something about Hoan Kiem – perhaps that’s why we haven’t covered it before , but there’s always more to learn, so, together with Linh Phi Nguyen Thuy, I headed out at 9pm a week later to discover more about the ‘heart of Hanoi’.

 Peace Signs and Skating

Setting out we walk clockwise from the head of the lake and Linh points out some of the trees that are special to her: the cay sau with its tiny, intricate white flowers and the red phuong tree – both are in flower now, adding to the majesty of the lake.

Approaching the square presided over by the statue of Le Thai To we are drawn to the scene. Crowds of families are out taking the air. Mothers and fathers watch their children play, toy stalls are strewn hither and thither, and a small girl blows bubbles in the breeze.

Among a group of skateboarders a young boy deftly kick flips his board. At 16, Nguyen Ngoc Son started to skate just four months ago. He used to come here to play and watch the other lads  cutting shapes. He decided to get involved and ingratiated himself into their group with ease.

Talking about the London the boarding community, which while often friendly, can also be a little cliquey he says, “Not here, it was easy to get involved. I just spoke to the senior boarders and they were very open, they took me in and taught me their tricks”.  He’s not skating for an audience here either. “Do you see any girls watching us? I’m doing this for me.”

Ambling further south we reach the ‘photo arch’, as it’s known to many – pass it at any time of day and you’ll see people making peace signs at cameras. Linh knows her stuff however and educates me. It’s called hoa phong and for Hanoi’s 1,000 year anniversary it was fully restored, but now the inside is once again covered with graffiti ranging from the cutesy ‘em yeu anh’ to the banal ‘Hippo was ere’.

Hang Khay and Le Thai To

Further south on Hang Khay the balcony of Nguyen Qui Duc, ex-reporter, erstwhile owner of Tadioto and one of Hanoi’s most bohemian characters looks over the lake. Neither cafe, nor bar or club, a rather unique establishment operates behind his home’s colonial era frontage – a supper club of sorts, still something of a secret and entry by appointment only. The view from the place is something to behold.

At the lake’s southeast corner a gaggle of people are out with their dogs. First we talk to Hang, 13, and Thuy Anh, 11 – cousins who live nearby. They’re here with their mothers and their Chihuahuas. “The lake is a place to bring our dogs, to totally relax with family,” Hang tells us. “Yes, we come here because of the beauty, it’s a truly special place for us,” adds Thuy Anh.

Dung, 44, has a full-size dog. He tells us the lake is a place for it to make friends. “We train our dogs here –to be friendly, less dangerous. They see how the other dogs behave and learn from them.” Dung has been coming to the lake since the day he was born and it shows – his is a ringleader of sorts and this is clearly his domain.

As we move on Linh talks about an elderly blind woman who works as a street vendor near the top of Le Thai To. “She’s infamous among young people here. They even set up a Facebook fan page for her. She’s blind but she knows exactly how much money she’s been given every time. Sometimes young people go to her and give her extra – they want her to have it.”

A Chance Encounter

Reaching the end of our lap I head for a quiet beer to wind down. Some plan – one beer turns in to several, plus a few whiskies, thanks to a chance meeting with a man who knows all there is to know about the lake. He asked that I don’t print his name because it’s known among Hanoians. “A famous family name here can be a heavy burden,” he bemoans.

After a geography lesson he tells me about the pen-shaped tower built by Nguyen Van Sieu that stands at the entrance to Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain) Temple. One of its inscriptions reads: ‘Where rays of morning sunshine touch’. At 7:30 in the morning the sun’s trajectory results in its rays striking a pot of black ink contained in the tower. According to Nguyen Van Sieu, if the history of the world is conceptualised as a period of 24 hours, 7:30am is when civilisation began – when people learned to read and write. “The beginning of the light of civilisation, of true culture, symbolically starts at 7:30am every day,” my new-found drinking partner tells me.

Sipping at one last whisky, he continues: “Hanoi is the heart of Vietnam, Hoan Kiem is the heart of Hanoi, and Ngoc Son Temple is the heart of Hoan Kiem”. And it’s 3.30am before we know it.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Hanoi, piece by piece

Tagged as , , , , , ,

June 7, 2011

Motorcycle Diaries: Xe Oms of Hanoi

(Published in The Word, June 2011)

David Lloyd Son speaks to three xe oms in different parts of Hanoi. Illustrations by Matthew Simpson, aka Boy Backwards. Interpreting by Linh Phi Nguyen Thuy

(Xe om = motorcyle taxi in Vietnamese; literally ‘bike hug’)

Xe Om, Luu Tien Phuong

LUU TIEN PHUONG, born 1956.

Patch: Van Ho II, Hai Ba Trung

How long have you been working this street?

I’ve been a Xe Om for twenty five years and I’ve been here on Van Ho II since 1989.

Why here?

I like this place, it’s peaceful. I know people here and they know me. And see this tree? (Phuong points skyward at beautiful dau da xoan tree we are shaded by). I planted this tree twelve years ago to keep me cool – it’s perfect.

What did you do before taking up the life of a Xe Om?

I was in the army. I was in one of the hardest battles of the war – Quang Tri. It was the toughest   time. In 1972 we were seven, me and my comrades; in 1974, three came back. My two friends who returned could not continue working. I am the only one.  I am the luckiest of seven. On the 27 of July we will reunite in Hue.

Have you seen much change in your time?

A great deal. The wall behind me has stood solid, but the buildings in front have all been added to. My clients have changed, there are many more foreigners. My clients include Germans, French English and Italians (Phuong proceeds to show us his healthy collection of customers’ business cards). They’re good clients.

Before the rescue

You must have a hundred stories, but can you tell us one that stands out from your days on Van Ho II?

There are many, but yes there is a particular one. It was a day of heavy rain, a flood. The water was up to my knees and I had a client on the bike. A taxi came straight for us and we collided. We were sent crashing in to a woman carrying her young son on her bike. The son fell to the water and he couldn’t swim. In the chaos he went under. I rescued him from floundering. He was so young and he swallowed a lot of water.

Luckily he was ok and his mother came back to me a few days later. She offered me money but of course I refused it. She understood.

You sound like you enjoy your work, but what are the downsides?

It’s dangerous work. I’ve had three people follow me and try and take my bike since I bought this one four years ago. I’ve been threatened with a knife twice and a hammer once, in fact, they hit me with the hammer. But I am still here and look (pointing) – there is my bike. You see, I was at Quang Tri – they didn’t know that.

Does it make you angry that that happened? You fought in a war and then this?

It is simple. They cannot distinguish who is rich from who is poor. They just see the bike. It’s as simple and straightforward as that. It’s life. Another 9 or ten years of it and I retire.


MAI VAN THE, born 1971

Patch: Hang Buom, Old Quarter

How long have you been working this street and why here?

I’ve been based on Hang Buom for 20 years. I came here from Thanh Hoa, 100km from Hanoi, and I just started my work here. I have family at home, 2 daughters and a son.

What did you do before you came to Hanoi?

I was a driver at home – a driver of goods mostly. I still do that here.

My family were rice farmers – life drove me to be a driver, not desire. Here I can make money to support the children. If I work hard, have a good month, and save I can send VND2million home.

Do you have any particular memories from your 20 years?

Sometimes I take foreigners and sometimes there are issues. I don’t speak English. I took two once, two on one bike. I pointed at them  and said “20, 20”, so that’s 20 each, right? But we arrive and they want to argue. What can I do? I can’t argue in English. Foreigners are hard work sometimes. They don’t understand balance, they want to grab on to the back of the bike – just relax! I won’t work here at night when people are drunk, I might see the odd person staggering about at 7am in the morning but tend not to take those!

NGO XUAN QUYET, born 1967

Patch: Kim Ma Theatre

How long have you been working this street and why here?

I’ve been on the job here for ten years. When I first came to Hanoi I worked in the parking lot down the road. People used to drive in to Hanoi in their cars, leave them and jump on a Xe Om to get around town [a precursor to the Park and Ride schemes of Europe - DLS]. That closed down so I just moved up the road and settled here where I can catch people easily.

Where are you from?

I’m from Nam Dinh, 140km from here. I have 2 children there, two sons. My family are farmers.  Once a month I go back and see them.

Do you like Hanoi?

Of course, if I didn’t like it, I’d leave!

At this point a fellow Xe Om chimes in: “I don’t like it, I like money in my pocket. I don’t work for holidays or hobbies, I work for my children, that’s why I’m here”

There are two of you on this patch, how do you decide who takes the next customer?

Easy. It’s all about eye contact. Who makes eye contact first? (I now notice he’s constantly looking over my shoulder while answering my questions – I step aside so he can get a clearer few of potential punters). You have to be fast in this game – the fastest eyes win.

What are the downsides of the job?

It’s hard. We’re out all day in the sun or the rain. And it’s dangerous  – I think about thieves all the time.

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Local characters

Tagged as , , ,

June 7, 2011

Parklife: Thong Nhat and its East Side

(Published in The Word, May 2011)

Hanoians are spoilt for choice in terms of lakes, but with precious few large green spaces to be found there is good reason to treasure our major green lung – Thong Nhat Park.

Dancers in Thong Nhat Park

Hemmed in to its west by the chaotic Le Duan and to the south by the ever-cacophonus Dai Co Viet, the east side of the Thong Nhat Park (previously called ‘Lenin Park’) is an altogether more pleasant affair. True, Nguyen Dinh Chieu and the Van Ho’s are no match for the charm of the French Quarter or the intensity of the Old, but they reward those who venture down them with enough to warrant a visit. It’s the park itself that’s the major draw however.

Every morning from dawn people arrive to dance, excersise, meditate, or simply chat over an ice-cold tra da. And so, at 7am on a balmy April morning Linh Phi Nguyen Thuy and I set out at the park’s east gate to talk to some of the local characters.

Park life

Striking gold immediately, we meet 75-year-old Mai Thanh Tan, a retired primary school teacher, in her usual spot on the lake’s eastern shore. Tan is one of a 20 strong group of friends who meditate every day. Enigmatic and serene, she steps forward when we ask who among the group has known the park longest. Tan trumps the rest by some margin – she helped build it.

Reminiscing, she tells us how in 1960 she was “one of the many who came together from all around the local area to raise this park”. Tasked with bringing soil in from outside the grounds, she recalls, “it was hard work, really hard, and the days were long,” but when asked if her memories are fond, she becomes bashful, crossing her arms behind her back and looking to the floor. “I’m very proud to have been part of all this, to represent the people and all for no profit,” she says, “yes, I am very proud”.

Tan only has to wander around the corner from her home on Van Ho II to reach the park, while Luu Thi Xuyen treks some 3km on foot every day to join her friends to dance in the shade of the trees. When meandering along the park’s many paths, visitors will hear the music of six or seven dance groups. “We pick a group according to the style of dance we want to practice or learn,” says Xuyen. Today her group is learning the Cha-cha-cha. They’re close-knit friends who met and bonded through a love of dance.

Dancing here isn’t free, but Mai Anh tells us, “it’s not expensive; it costs me VND30,000 a month – that’s VND1000 a day to make me very happy”.

Before leaving the park we stop for a drink at one of its many small cafes. Here we get taking to Phuong, who at 53 has been coming to the park every day for 13 years to take aerobics classes. Phuong explains that each aerobics group has its favoured spot and that disagreements can ensue when territory is encroached upon. But not, of course, with her group. She explains, “if people come and take our spot we don’t say anything, we just make sure we are there earlier the next day.” The old cliché of Germans and Brits abroad with their sunbathing towels springs to mind.

 For some younger people the park is a relic of the past.

“I’ve only been here twice in my life,” Huong confides. “I think in the past people came here for entertainment from all around. Now it’s old, it doesn’t attract people in that way. For some it’s a forgotten place.”

Come back here at 5pm however and you’ll encounter scores of young people running and, at the weekend, the lake is awash with young lovers in swan pedalos.

Pre-theatre Bia Hoi

In front of the park’s East gate sits the imposing, four storey Bia Hoi. Outside, an aged gentleman plies his trade fixing bikes. Closed for the colder months, its roof-top terrace is now open for business. It’s a Bia Hoi, so don’t expect grand things, but here you can sit in the sunshine, out of the smoke, and enjoy a cold one.

Next door, at the Cheo Hanoi Theatre we meet Hanh, the stage designer, who explains that Cheo is a traditional form of Vietnamese musical performance. After graduating, Hanh had a number of options but she chose to work in the Cheo theatre because she “wanted to preserve the tradition of Cheo theatre.” She reasons that, ”Cheo is unique and therefore important to my country and its heritage.”

Classic mopeds and an Aladdin’s Cave

Further South, past a several fabric shops and a top-drawer Bun Cha stall, a collection of classic Peugeot mopeds is watched over by Quang who has worked on this small alley for 20 years. He’s seen little change in that time, bar the increasing number of foreigners who come to gawp at his bikes.

“They come and they look but they never buy – perhaps we could export them to England together and get rich!”, he jokes. Quang speculates that these beautiful Peugeot 100 series mopeds were first brought to Vietnam by the great and the good from Europe in the 60s, while today they remain the plaything of the rich.

Hidden deeper down Van Ho II, following a row of small hairdressers-cum-manicurists, is another of Hanoi’s many wondrous curiosities. Behind a fence nestles a jumble of ceramics, furniture and trinkets, all shrouded in a thick layer of dust. Nobody is on hand to sell, but it’s fun to wander in and poke around.

It’s astounding but sadly true that a few years ago a large hotel corporation hatched plans to build a hotel in Thong Nhat park – yes, in the park. Unsurprisingly the local people were up in arms and the media was behind them. Protests ensued and were ultimately successful – the hotel giant was beaten back and the park remains a place for the people who love and cherish it.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Hanoi, piece by piece

Tagged as , , , , , ,