Bowing To Hanoi — Roaming with Roth

Without getting into the genealogy and fine line regional distinctions, suffice it to say that “bowing” is the accepted greeting in most of Asia. It is a traditional reception and a sign of respect. When you meet someone you can bow from the waist, hands by your side for men, hands prayerful for women. A proper greeting can be a nod that represents a bow. If you are pleased, lets say with a meal or service, you may bow in appreciation and as a symbol of gratitude. I wish to “bow” to the people of Vietnam.

Vietnamese are a simple people by nature. Graceful in their manner, they are polite, seemingly unperturbed, able to go about their lives without drama or demonstrations of extreme emotion. They smile when looked at, are natively retiring but not embarrassed, and are slightly meek but not weak. Tourists move about the streets mostly unnoticed, part of the motif, like a run of embroidered thread in the fabric of daily realities. Time does not permit greater consideration. Survival takes precedence.

Our first full day in Hanoi was spent walking the streets of the French Quarter. There are actually two areas that still maintain the influence of the French - the Military and Municipal area and the Residential and Commercial side which we visited. Anchored by the Metropole Hotel, a symbol of colonial rule and extravagance, this charming area is especially inviting on Saturdays, the day we fortunately took our walk, because it is designated as a pedestrian zone. Families, lovers, school kids are out in full force. Crowds gather as someone organizes a "grab the flag" game. College students with bamboos poles were encouraging passers-by to partake in a sort of dance in which the long sticks click together in unison as you try to walk between the sticks before the poles knock together. Men playing competitive "badminton" using feet only drew a crowd. School kids were jumping "double Dutch". There was a school choir on the steps of City Hall. By the lake, vendors were making and selling clay flowers.

Then, Adele was asked if she would allow herself to be interviewed by college students conducting a survey for a school project. They wanted to know about parents attitudes towards their children in America. As you can see, I was superfluous.

The next day, Adele and I, accompanied by our guide, crossed over a major bridge into the rice fields nearby, for a half-day bike excursion through a community of rice farmers. We were brought to the house of a man who is a cyclist and conducts 'local' tours. Its not as if Adele and I were the first tourists here, but this area is not frequented by tourists. Here are some of the many scenes we passed.

Dropped off by boat, he caught a huge catfish. ..

Then, placed his basked in the water to restore the fish and keep it fresh...

And, with a helping hand from our guide, got him up the hill, back on his bike and on his way.

A fisherman on Truc Lac, a large lake in the NorthWest Hanoi.

Cutting Sugar Cane.

On our journey, we took a walk through a small 'hidden' village our guide wanted to show to us. We passed a family that was in the last throes of butchering a calf. The animal accidentally fell into a gully filled with water, injured itself and could not recover. So, they went about the job of killing and gutting the animal there on the road.