Linh's Big, Rather Petite, Vietnamese Wedding

Saloon 1, where it all went down!

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting when Linh, a nice staff member who works in the front office of our company (doing sales, essentially), invited my co-workers and me to her wedding. I'd heard tales of Vietnamese drinking, especially rượu cần, or rice wine, so I suppose I expected to see some of that. I did not, although it may have been a part of the smaller, immediate family affair to which I was not privy. I wasn't really sure about Vietnamese wedding traditions and actually spent a fair amount of time questioning other Vietnamese co-workers/researching online to figure out what kind of wedding present I was supposed to bring. In the end I went with money, because I figure you can never go wrong with that, and it seems to be the norm at most weddings. Here is the invitation Linh handed to me one afternoon:

It was beautiful! I tried to find an equally beautiful card to put the money in but was not very successful. I found one that was nice enough but looked a little bit like a drug store birthday card. It had some nice flowers on it, anyway.

The invitation also came with a goody bag full of swag. Most of it were Vietnamese treats that I did not really enjoy.

  

Google Translate tells me this is "cereal" or "bread crumb". I confess, dear reader, I did not taste test the bright green bread crumb. My bad.

    

  

Yep, did try this. Very sweet. Reminded me a little bit of halva, which was very popular in Georgia.

  

The betel nut, which I did kind of know has a big significance in the Vietnamese wedding and traditions. I remember from visiting the Ethnography museum (pictures to come!) that a lot of people chew on it and in some tribes in the north they use it to blacken their teeth.

   

These candies were nothing special, just tasted like slightly ineffective cough drops (you know, the kind that are more sugary than actually medicinal). But I loved the packaging.

I still have not drank any of this tea so I can't report on its quality. Again, I liked the packaging most of all.

Pretty cool invitation!

I think the most surprising part of the wedding for me was how quick it was. I did not attend the temple ceremony and only arrived around 7 or so for the reception, which was in a huge hall with a ton of people. All of Linh's work friends were assigned to a couple tables at the side of the room. The food came out within 15 minutes or so of my housemate/co-worker Dan and I arriving and then everyone was getting up to take pictures and leave about an hour later. 

  

Digging in to the lazy susan presented, family-style wedding meal. Lot of delicious vegetables, spring rolls, and almost every kind of meat you could want.

And some I did not. (I see you, shrimp.)

The front stage. Not sure if anything happened with this and maybe Dan and I just arrived late, but we did not see it used as anything but a backdrop. There was a bit of a dance floor towards the stage that also did not seem to get any use. On the right you can see the screen where a slideshow of pictures of Linh and her new hubby was playing on loop.

The hall, and a former co-worker, My. My worked in the teacher's room as part of the administrative staff. She's pretty great although she abandoned us for greener pastures (aka going back to school). Can't really fault her for that.

The place clearing out.

Dan being a jerk.

  

VERY unfortunate lighting situation, but still, our pictures with Linh. She looked really beautiful. You can see the front table with some gifts and pictures or her and her husband behind us.

  

Dan and the front office staff in front of the banquet hall.

   

 Dan, My and I ended up going for a beer just because I felt like I had spent time and energy to get dressed up (I even wore heels, I wasn't even in them long enough for my feet to start hurting!) and wanted to do something else before going home and returning to my pajamas. The hall looked lovely, as did Linh and her husband, and the food was great. I think I was mostly just surprised at the efficient and no-nonsense attitude of the actual reception. My best guess is that a lot more happens but that work acquaintances are probably not a part of it. Anyway, it was still a good time and I was thankful Linh invited us!

A Fistful of Ðồng Tiền (or, Vietnam: the first few months)

Hey remember that time I moved to my fourth country in 3 years, and it no longer felt strange or particularly frightening to do so? Me too. This was that time.

The airport in Taipei was really cool. Most of the terminals were themed and had some sort of interesting display, which is hokey but preferable to the sanitized nothingness of a lot of airports, and there were some interesting rooms whose only purpose was to be a space for travelers to relax, like this garden, a small art gallery, and the prayer rooms.

"Green Relaxing Zone".

Plastic plants. Boo. But still a nice idea?

All the information on bugs you could possibly want or need. Unless you are an entomologist in which case this is probably a disappointingly scant amount of information. Perspective!

A mail-themed terminal. I took these mostly because they reminded me of Joanna and my misfortune with the Albanian airport in Tirane and its heartbreaking lack of post office. I'm not sure if this airport had a post office or not. 

I'll just let that little plaque speak for me on this one.

Of course I HAD to take some photos of C5, the library-themed terminal, especially since there were multiple Sherlock Holmes books featured. What? Go on with your bad selves, Taipei!

Chasing the euphoria of a Sherlock Holmes reference with the despair and bewilderment of stumbling upon the Hello Kitty terminal. But... why?

Art gallery in the airport. 

  

I want to own that dragon head.

Insert thought-provoking and well-written commentary on the similarities and differences of all religion and the shared need for respite in the maelstrom that is international travel here. 

My only view of the outside world while in this airport, besides the tarmac. 

First glimpses of Vietnam: 

  

Looks....brown.

Noi Bai International Airport! 

  

Looks pretty much like most airports. 

The TA's who came to pick me up at the airport brought me some "lucky money" because I arrived during the last days of Tết festival, or Vietnamese New Year. It was a nice welcome, although the welcome might have been nicer if they had known what hotel my new employers were putting me up in. Little stressful moments, a common occurrence in my life here, beginning right from day one. They did eventually figure it out and help me get there.

My hotel. Pretty nice, good service, cheap breakfast, decent enough room. They put me up on the 3rd or 4th floor (can't remember) which was a bit of a haul without an elevator but I'm glad they did, since it was really quiet and Old Quarter is a noise-filled whirlwind of activity from the buttcrack of dawn until the police shut things down around midnight.

The alley outside my hotel. Funnily enough, I've actually been back here many times as it's the easiest place to park my beloved bicycle, Kis Ló (Little Horse), while drinking at Lenna and my favorite bia hơi.

  

My first day, after arriving, was not particularly exciting. This helpful map did not fall into my hands until day 2 or 3, when some unfortunate tourist forgot it on the shelf of a small market near the cathedral and I excitedly grabbed it while shopping for shampoo. Before that I was using a map the hotel gave me, which was a black-and-white photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a not very well-labeled map. So yeah, got lost a few times on the onset. But after arriving and finding my hotel, the TA's left me to my own devices. So I went out, immediately got turned around in Old Quarter, found my way to Hoan Kiem lake, walked around it, had terrible blisters on my feet from my new shoes, bought some beer and some snacks, and went back to my room to collapse. All of my instruments that could provide the time (laptop, iPod, American phone) said something different so I really had no concept of time on that first day but I believe I fell asleep some time around 7 PM and woke up at 4 AM. Very successful transition to ICT, I'd say.

Hoàn Kiếm Lake, or Lake of the Returned/Restored Sword, the center of Hanoi, and perhaps one of its most iconic sights, the Tháp Rùa. 

Next to the lake...

People really can't help themselves. 

First impressions of Hanoi:

smell: incense, fish stock

sound: motorbikes

sights: a LOT more hammer and sickles than I have ever seen at one time

sensations: good God have I moved to the surface of the sun? I have never been so hot in my entire life, how are people wearing long sleeves?? 

  

  

Everyone and their mother climbing up on this pillar which I believe is supposed to be lucky, to get a photo, outside of the Temple of the Jade Mountain (see below, this is a shot of the temple from across the lake).

Kind of a cool/narcissistic moment: hey, a cafe with my name! Maybe this is going to be an alright place to live after all... 

Like I said, that was pretty much it for day one. Had my first Hanoian beer, ate every single one of the Christmas cookies (snickerdoodles) my mom had packed for me, fell asleep watching youtube movie reviews.

In the following days I did branch out a bit, even walking over to Ba Đình Square, although I still have not made it inside Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum despite moving in around the corner from it. I am bad at being a tourist in the cities I live in. See also: all the things I didn't do/see in Tbilisi, Hungary, Valdivia, New York, Austin, et al. 

I moved pretty quickly once I found a living situation I liked. And I do really, really like my set-up. I'm on the top floor (I like to think of it as the aerie or eagle's nest). I have my own bathroom. I have AC. I have my own laughably tiny/non-scenic balcony and also I'm on the floor with the massive one that overlooks our little pond. It's a good deal.  

The chaos. Packing/unpacking is the worst of the worst.

  

My balcony.

The stunning view from said balcony.

  

En-suite, the height of luxury.

This view always feels Hitchcockian...

Living room, major balcony, also on the top floor.

Just a flower. They can't all be epic shots, geeze.

The pond. The green water. The flags still up because I took this soon after Tết.

And now, a fistful of random bits and bobs from my first few months here: 

Lenin Park (not to be confused with the other Lenin Park) and a real-life SHELTIE that I spotted running with its owner, who of course accompanied it on motorbike. Sadly this is the fastest I could react to the extraordinary sight so my only evidence that it happened at all is the slight poof of the Sheltie pantalones that can be seen in this shot.

    

Night out on the town, we end up in a hostel whose top floor is a dance club that stays open late unless the police come in and shut them down (have experienced that, not fun), we're shaking our groove things on the light-up dance floor when suddenly everyone is given the boot so that these ladies can get up and dance lethargically for our entertainment while everyone stands around awkwardly, watching/not watching. It was...interesting. 

I once again have a gecko/geckos living in my room! They're actually all over the house. They're harmless and they eat the bugs so I'm a fan. I didn't name this one, after having to bury Alfred back in Austin I couldn't risk the emotional attachment.

Spotted: an apocalyptic sunset in Hanoi. 

The horrible pregnant chihuahua who lives in the bánh mì shop across the alley from my house. Somehow both fearful and aggressive, this thing never shuts up and she's. always. watching.

One fine day in the spring my housemates and I went to get some Indian food for lunch. I hitched a ride on the back of Margaux's motorbike and took the opportunity to capture some shots of life from a bike, which is how many (most, I might even say) get around Hanoi every day.

  

Hard at work.

  

Dan, another housemate. I think he's going for stoic here?

Notice the Hanoi ninjas. Lots of woman cover up completely, regardless of how hot it is, to avoid having their skin get any exposure to the sun. After a while you start to admire the sheer determination, will-power, and devotion to vanity that living through such heat must require. I know it's a little bit cooler on a motorbike because you're not exerting yourself and you've got a breeze but when it's 90 degrees and feels like 110... the breeze is not doing that much.

Just one example of the many, many ways people use their motorbikes to do literally everything here. There's no limit to how much shit they will pack onto it, where they will try to drive/park it, how short a distance is too short for them to use it in lieu of walking, etc. The motor bike is life here. I can respect that, but I'm still sticking to my bicycle. People keep telling me it's less safe, but I definitely do not feel safer on a motorbike.

Riding past Hồ Tây.

I spent a lot of my first couple weeks taking xe ôm's and taxis everywhere, until my friend Lenna tipped me off to how cheap and easy the buses are to take. Then I was busing until I finally ponied up to get a bicycle. Anyway, xe ôm is just a motorbike taxi. Apparently its meaning in Vietnamese is "hug the driver", or something along those lines, although I can assure you that I never, ever, not once, hugged any of my xe ôm drivers.

 

Propaganda-lined streets, as you do in Hanoi. 

  

The cafe/restaurant boats in the south side. I'm pretty sure one of them actually can/does set sail for dinner cruises although I'm not sure which.

Trấn Quốc Pagoda, which embarrassingly I have still not actually gone inside despite driving past many, many times. It's really beautiful. It's on my list.

Quán Thánh Temple, also near West Lake, which I also have not gotten around to visiting. So many temples and pagodas, so little time!

It's difficult to find what this little park's actual name is, on Google Maps it's called Vườn hoa Lý Tự Trọng, which apparently translates to Lý Tự Trọng flower garden. Anyway, it's the park at the center of the roundabout just south of West Lake and Truc Bach lake.

Hanoi life, on Ngọc Hà street.

Another view of the temple near my house. 

  

And then one day, back in March, while walking around I noticed that about half the trees I was seeing were painting white like the ones below. There was a huge furor on the Hanoi facebook groups I belong to and as it turns out, those trees were all ones the Vietnamese government had planned to fell in a brilliant money-making schem- I mean, bid to fell old and unhealthy trees *cough cough sure*. There was enough of a response from the general public that the plan was actually halted.

Another random sight, someone carrying what looked like the frame of some building or structure on one of those little 3-wheeled scooters you see the old grizzled men riding around Hanoi occasionally.

And finally, these photos were not taking during the day and no flash was used, rather, these were during a storm. That light is lightning. They're not amazing photos but they're the best I've been able to get of some of the wicked storms I've watched roll in from my balcony.