PressReports about Highway4

TimeOut, 4-10 November 2002
FIRE OF THE SPIRITS
Following his Traditional Culture of Liquor on Poonah Paper exhibition, artist Nguyen Anh
Tuan returns with his new curvaceous, nom script-inflected collection Awakenings.
It is a search for the roots of Vietnamese culture in all respects, both material and spiritual. My
aim is to make Eastern philosophy accessible by converting its concepts such as Buddhism,
Taoism and Confucianism into pictures and drawings."
So says artist Nguyen Anh Tuan of his latest exhibition to go up in Hanoi's Highway 4.
Regulars at the popular ruou bar and restaurant may be familiar with Tuan's previous aptlythemed exhibition entitled 'The Traditional Culture of Liquor on Poonah Paper'. Drawing on
an age-old reverence for rice wine, the show featured images of bearded sages and tigers
supping from gourd-shaped receptacles in a style reminiscent of ancient Chinese ink scrolls.
While dispensing with the liquor. Awakenings is no less inebriating for the senses. While many
of the pieces feature bold, curvaceous brush strokes and Tuan's trademark use of Chinese Han
and Sino-Vietnamese Norn script, others employ more subtle textures and images of horses
(mascots of the current lunar year) and the female form.
Tuan seems to relish a variety of materials and forms. Poonah paper, oil paintings, block
printing, water-colour and calligraphy are each key to his artistic vision.
"They are an expansion of my enthusiasm and inspiration," he says. "[They form] a
combination and collection of traditions through painting and drawing symbols of culture, an
exploration of the synergy between traditional and contemporary materials, symbols and ways
of expression."
Late starter
Born in Hanoi in 1956, Tuan began exhibiting his work relatively late. Following a 15-year
stint in the army, he graduated from the College of Industrial Fine Arts in 1995. During the
'90s, his work found its way into private collections both in Vietnam and abroad, but it was not
until 2001 that Tuan gained more widespread recognition, winning a Ford Foundation award
as part of its Conservation and Environment Programme.
Nom script, which Tuan learnt through courses before studying himself, is central to his work.
"I perceive it as an interesting expression of Vietnamese culture; also as a challenge to use a
complex, traditional writing system to create art that is still attractive to modern viewers," he
says.
And why Highway 4 for his latest exhibition? "Highway 4 also explores traditional Vietnamese
culture through its liquor and food - liquor is the fire of the spirits."
"Awakenings" by Nguyen Anh Tuan Venue: Highway 4, 5 Hang Tre, Hanoi Duration:
November 7 to December 18 Opening reception: Thursday 7 November 18.30 - 20.30 (ALL
WELCOME)
The Guide, December 2002
Scripted awakening
Hanoi Nguyen Anh Tuan, whose study on ancient altars and incense, writing and prayer
tablets won a recent Ford Foundation Award, is exhibiting 52 paintings - 11 in oil, the
remainder graphic works and calligraphic painting in Chinese characters and Sino-Vietnamese
(Nom) script. The artist has been learning Sino-Vietnamese for only a short time, but says this
language interests him the most. "I perceive it as an interesting expression of Vietnamese
culture, and I see it as a challenge to use a complex traditional writing system to create art that
is still attractive to a modern audience," says Tuan. Most of the works are created on do paper,
representing the search for the root of Vietnamese culture in both material and spiritual aspects
of life. With the aim of making Eastern philosophy accessible by converting its concepts into
pictures and drawings, the exhibition is entitled "Awakening", and is open until December
18th at the Highway 4 restaurant and bar, 5 Hang Tre, tel: 926-0639.
Vietnam Discovery, May 2002
Tried and tested by our staff
Take the Highway 4, gateway to the north, winds along the Chinese-Vietnamese border. It's
also a unique bar/ restaurant, specializing in this northern region. Home to discerning ex-pats,
it's also the hangout of the Minsk and motorbiking clubs. Even the decor reflects the cuisine's
origins: exquisite rice-paper wall hangings, silk floor cushions and split-bamboo low tables:
check out the exotic roof terrace. Traditional northern medicinal liquors are brewed on site and
flagons of snake, gecko and black forest bee wines line the walls. Experienced staff (plus selfexplicatory menus) will talk you through the range of herbal potions (including sample shots,
like fruit liquors). The food too is traditional north Vietnamese; no greater compliment than
mostly Vietnamese enjoying the delicacies on a Friday night. Specialties include 20 kinds of
rice porridge, 6 types of spring rolls, tortoise, clay-pot and steamboat dishes. Be adventurous
and try fried silkworms with lemon leaves, roasted sparrow, bull testicles with Chinese herbs, or
Cha Ran, snake nuggets.
• Highway4 5 Hang Tre, Hanoi, tel: (04) 926 3639
Cam Nang Mua Sam (Handbook of Shopping), No. 1,
2002
Cam Nang Mua Sam (Handbook of Shopping), No. 2,
2002
Heritage In-Flight Magazine, March/April 2002
Road Trip
Used to be, if you wanted to sample exotic Vietnamese moonshine, you had to take a road trip
to the northern mountains. That changed when Highway 4, a bar that takes its name from the
road that runs near the Chinese border, opened its doors at 5 Hang Tre Street in Hanoi's Old
Quarter. Here, you'll find a rare stock of traditional Vietnamese rice wines infused with fruits,
medicinal herbs, flowers, and animals.
Served by the bottle or by the shot, the liquor comes in such exotic flavors as rambutan, wild
honey, and gecko. Different blends are reputed to aid various ailments, and, if nothing else,
provide an undeniable buzz. Highway 4 also offers tasty Vietnamese food, including both
traditional dishes and some interesting East-West fusions.
Set in an old French villa, Highway 4 offers plenty of room for lounging. The second floor has
low tables and mats where patrons can stretch out, while the third floor terrace features an
open-sided traditional wooden house.
Vietnam Discovery, December 2002
Making his mark
There's still time to catch Nguyeh Anh Tuan's" Awakening" exhibition at Highway 4
Restaurant and Bar. A native of Hanoi, Tuan specialises in Chinese Han calligraphy and
ancient Vietnamese Norn script, The 36 exquisite works displayed feature both oil paintings
and poonah (rice) paper. Why "Awakening?" Tuan explains, "it's a search for the roots of
Vietnamese culture in all respects, both material and spiritual, My aim is to make Eastern
philosophy accessible by converting its concepts into drawings and pictures." The artist chose
Highway 4 for his exhibition, as it too explores (north) Vietnamese culture through traditional
liquor and food. He perceives Norn script as an expression of Vietnamese culture; by using this
traditional writing system today, it still creates an attractive art. See for yourself: the exhibition
runs until December 18 at Highway 4, 5 Hang Tre, Hanoi; tel: (04) 926-0639.
Time, 23 December 2002
STRANGE BREW
"Young sister, you drink ruou— you must have some more," the flush-faced butcher insisted,
waving the bottle in my direction. With the glowing benevolence of a newfound friend, he
poured the berry red medicinal rice wine into tiny teacups. Someone shouted the ubiquitous
toast "Mot tram phan tram" (which means 100%) as we downed the liquor with one gulp and,
in my case, with a grimace. Binh and his fellow butchers had been sitting around the tea stall in
Cao Bang market for an hour, and we were on our third round of ruou and feeling little pain.
Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, except that it was only 6:35 in the morning.
Anyone who has traveled Vietnam's back roads knows that villagers love to welcome visitors
with a cup or more of ruou, no matter what time of day. Locally brewed by the ethnic
minorities in the highlands, there are almost as many kinds of ruou (pronounced zyoo)—as
there are hill tribes. Notorious for packing a punch, plain ruou is made from rice and is either
clear or red, depending on the brew. More exotic, though, are the ones containing some notso-secret ingredients: whole pickled cobras, monkey parts or any other animal that will fit in a
jar. Each variety is said to have specific medicinal powers. Gecko is purported to be a natural
antibiotic. Black crow supposedly cures backaches. Aphrodisiac versions come with goat
testicles, starfish and sea horse. Then there's the secret herbal recipe with a name that conveys
a sense of its rare erotic promise: Nhat Da Ngu Giao, or One Night, Five Times. In the past,
travelers had to hit the highlands to procure ruou, but it's now sold in some Hanoi bars, which
are thronged with trendy Vietnamese and Westerners alike. One of the first, and still most
popular, is Highway Four at 5 Hang Tre Street. Named after the famous scenic highway from
Lang Son to Cao Bang in the north, the bar offers nearly every kind of ruou. Unlike the tea
stall in Cao Bang market, however. Highway Four doesn't open until midday.
Asiaweek, 4 May 2001
The Economist, 21 December - 3 January 2003-07-02
Eating out in Vietnam
As communism crumbles, a great cuisine revives
IN VIETNAMESE, simple tasks are not as "easy as pie"—they're "like eating dog's brain". But
until recently, eating dog's brain was not easy at all. Vietnam's old communist regime frowned
on bourgeois excesses, such as eating out. The few restaurants that survived were drab, soulless
spots reserved for party grandees and visiting dignitaries. Anyway, there was not much food on
offer. Thanks to a disastrous attempt to force all the country's small family farms to merge into
giant collectives, Vietnam flirted with famine in the 1980s. A decent portion of rice, let alone a
dog's brain, constituted a feast.
Faced with desperate food shortages and a growing exodus of "boat people", the government
undertook tentative market reforms. Its first step was to give peasants secure tenure over the
land they farmed, and freedom to sell their crops at a profit. Gradually, other forms of private
enterprise won freer rein. The ensuing revolution was not just agricultural, economic and
social, but also gastronomic. Ten years ago, there were only three restaurants serving dog
along the dyke that protects Hanoi from the Red river; now there are 25. Hungry Hanoians
can feast not only on dog's brain, but also sausages of dog-meat with beans and bitter herbs,
grilled dog with ginger and shrimp sauce, boiled dog with lemongrass and steamed dog's liver
with chilli and lime.
Geography determined the basics of Vietnamese food. The vast deltas of the Red river and the
Mekong provide the staple, rice, while the strip of coast that connects them supplies abundant
fish. Every other aspect of Vietnamese cuisine, however, has changed along with the country's
tumultuous history. Chinese invaders introduced chopsticks and soy sauce. French colonists
brought coffee, now the country's biggest cash crop. Pressed rice cakes became popular during
the war with America, as a durable and lightweight ration. American ice-cream, which had
been sidelined by Russian slush, has made a comeback since America and Vietnam reestablished diplomatic ties in 1995.
Nowadays, free-market reforms are having a profound effect on Vietnamese food, most
obviously in terms of quantity available. In 2000, Vietnam produced some 32m tonnes of rice:
more than twice the output of 1987. That huge increase has transformed the country from a
net importer of rice to the world's second-largest exporter (after Thailand). Over the same
period, production of chicken and pork-and much else—more than doubled.
But this plenty is unevenly distributed. A third of Vietnamese children are underweight, and
even more are stunted. Ethnic minorities living along Vietnam's mountainous borders with Laos
and China an the hungriest, and the north is hungrier than the south. The weather in the
Mekong delta (in the south) is warm and wet all the time, allowing farmers to churn out three
rice crops a year. The chilly northern winters, by contrast, limit their counterparts in the Red
river valley to two. The war's legacy plays a role, too. The south was only subjected to
collectivisation for about a decade after reunification, compared with some 40 years in the
north, so agriculture suffered less disruption.
Many Vietnamese still have to eat whatever they can lay their hands on. Pet birds and dogs are
kept indoors to save them from the cooking pot. In 1998, the government tried to reduce the
consumption of snakes and cats by banning their sale, since the exploding rat population was
damaging crops. Instead, peasants simply took to eating rats as well. The dwindling number of
rats, in turn, has caused an explosion in the numbers of another tasty treat: snails.
Meanwhile, in nearby Ho Chi Minh city, the country's commercial capital, a recent survey
found that 12.5% of children were obese—and the figure is rising. Local restaurants vie with
one another in expense and luxury. Hoang Khai, a local businessman, recalls how his family always celebrated at home when he was young, because there was nowhere to go out. He
decided to change all that, by ploughing the returns from his textile business into a restaurant
lavish enough to suit the city's business elite. The result is Au Manoir de Khai, a colonial villa
smothered in gilt and silk where a meal with imported wine can set you back more than most
Vietnamese earn in a year.
Mr Khai's humbler compatriots are also learning to enjoy their food again. Take Lan, who has
been cooking Hanoi's famous beef-noodle soup, pho bo, for over 20 years at a hole-in-the-wall
stand in the city's old quarter. She learned the trade from her parents, she says, but never
bothered to put any effort into it since the shop belonged to the state. In the 1990S, however,
it was sold to an entrepreneur as part of the government's economic reforms. Now she uses
only the softest noodles, and stews her beef broth for eight hours before serving-twice as long
as before. People are fussier now, she explains, and won't tolerate slapdash service.
Of silkworms and goats' testicles
Indeed, Vietnam's culinary renaissance is helping to revive traditions lost during the years of
war, famine and repression. Didier Corlou, a French chef who has married into a Vietnamese
family, explains how his in-laws eagerly contributed old recipes for his recent book on Hanoian
cuisine. Several new restaurants in Hanoi have helped to popularise old-fashioned medicinal
wine. Diners at the inexpensive Highway 4, for example, merrily knock back shots flavoured
with silkworm, snake, crow or goat's testicles. The food, too, is a souped-up version of
traditional mountain cuisine, complete with rural treats such as eel or frog. Even street food is
being gentrified: at Quan An Ngon in Ho Chi Minh city, bejewelled ladies wash down their
stuffed pancakes and hot-and-sour soup with sips of chardonnay.
There are innovations as well as resus-citations. Highway 4 serves spring rolls containing
foreign ingredients such as wa-sabi paste and mayonnaise. These are so popular that several
other local restaurants have copied the recipe. Mooncakes, a delicacy sold in the autumn, now
come stuffed with chocolate as well as the standard beans and egg. Bars - a foreign concept in
Vietnam, where food always accompanies drink—are beginning to spread.
Unlike the cheap pubs that draw only men, the comedy acts, raffles and bands at the new
nightspots attract both men and women. But the biggest new craze of all is the ubiquitous corn,
a sort of Vietnamese fast-food joint. Whereas traditional street stalls serve only one dish, corn
stands offer a wide choice of ready-made toppings to accompany a bowl of rice. Poor Vietnamese, delighted by the variety and convenience, are flocking to them.
Not everyone is happy about these changes. Cha Ka Le Vong, a Hanoi restaurant which only
serves a thick stew of fish and herbs, has survived three wars, two famines, several attempts at
nationalisation, hyperinflation, and the dramatic boom and bust of the 1990s. But the old lady
who runs it considers current culinary trends a tougher challenge than any of that. Corns, newfangled foreign ingredients, and even well-entrenched French imports, such as bread or French
fries, are "a threat to our tradition", she rails. To this day, Vietnam has no McDonald's.
But most Vietnamese are adapting to commercial pressures all too readily. Farmers, suddenly
paid according to what they produce, are slathering their crops in pesticides to increase their
yields. Many Hanoians fear that this may damage their health; the market stalls that advertise
"clean vegetables" are doing a roaring trade, even though their wares cost as much as 25%
more. Eating pho probably poses a more serious threat, since some unscrupulous merchants
try to preserve perishable noodles with formaldehyde or boric acid. Indeed, food scares have
become common enough that the World Health Organisation is helping Vietnam to set up a
food-safety agency.
Other dodgy tradesmen make a fortune serving endangered species to superstitious diners. The
menu of the Lamrice restaurant in Hanoi offers a whole roast civet cat for 120,000 dong ($8)
or porcupine steamed with ginger for 50,000 dong. Liquor bottles filled with bear paws and tiger penises decorate the walls. In Ho Chi Minh city, sea-turtle meat goes for 300,000 dong a
kilo, while one enterprising salesman offers to produce a bear and draw its bile on the spot for
$400. He also sells tiger meat, he says, to "men whose flags are drooping". All these animals
are protected by law, but as Pac Bo, the owner of Lamrice, puts it, he has "good relations" with
the authorities, so no one bothers him. The unabated trade in wildlife is all the more alarming
since half of the big new mammals discovered worldwide in the past century were found in
Vietnam.
Piracy, too, goes entirely unchecked. La Vie, the country's most popular mineral water,
contends with a host of blatant knock-offs with names like La Vi, La Ve and La Viei. Vietnam's
best fish sauce comes from the island of Phu Quoc, off the southern coast-so every fish-sauce
producer with initiative slaps a "Phu Quoc" label on his inferior swill. Despairing of official help,
the islanders have entered a joint venture with Unilever, an international consumer-goods firm,
which may have enough cash and clout to pressure the authorities to curb the counterfeiters.
There could be no better sign of the free-market turmoil to which Vietnamese food is suddenly
being exposed. Fish sauce is the basic condiment for all Vietnamese food, and Phu Quoc its
finest incarnation. Imagine French vintners granting Coca-Cola distribution rights over their
grands crus. In fact, one impassioned Vietnamese argues, the comparison is inadequate, since
fish sauce is a more sophisticated product than wine: only a tiny number of wines survive
longer than 50 years, whereas fish sauce continues to grow in flavour and complexity
indefinitely. The wood of the barrels in which it ferments, the quality of the anchovies and salt
from which it is made, the weather and temperature during the fermentation process-all these
factors, he explains with a faraway look in his eyes, affect the flavour of the finished product.
The producer, he continues, knows that the sauce is ready for bottling when the flies have
stopped swarming over the rotting brew.
Unilever has promised not to alter this challenging flavour for foreign palates. Nor will it need
to. Given Vietnam's new wealth and interest in its culinary heritage, making money out of Phu
Quoc fish sauce should be like eating dog's brain.
Far Eastern Economic Review, 26 December 2002 - 2
January 2003
CURRENTS
FIREWATER
Highway to Intoxication
Rice liquor lubricates life in Vietnam, providing one of Asia's cheapest routes to
pleasure, inspiration or oblivion
By Margot Cohen/HANOI
WHEN THIRSTY, approach an apparently pregnant woman. That was how Vietnamese in
1930$ Hanoi flouted the French colonial ban on home-brewed rice liquor. Typically, a woman
vendor would take a buffalo bladder fitted with two spouts,
fill it with liquor, tie it around her stomach, then cover the bulge with a loose brown vest. In the
market, male customers would squat under her belly for a few surreptitious gulps.
It's easier to get a drink in Hanoi these days. While the communist leadership formally brands
drunkenness a "social evil," officials recognize the futility of clamping down on ruou, a distilled
rice liquor steeped in tradition. Beyond toasts at weddings and funerals, the firewater
permeates daily life, whether served in tiny ceramic cups at street stalls, shot glasses in bars or
bowls in more rustic villages.
In winter, the warming spirits are especially popular. Cyclo drivers and other common folk
often have a few shots with their breakfast of pho (chicken noodle soup). Afternoon tippling is
also widespread, particularly among Vietnam's
underemployed and the artistic crowd. At a street stall, a standard shot costs as little as 500
dong (30 cents). At night comes another round or two, as some potent varieties are thought to
enhance sexual prowess. Hence the Vietnamese
proverb: "A man without ruou is like a flag without wind."
To test that proverb, or simply to enjoy some brew in particularly stylish surroundings, head to
Highway 4, a Hanoi drinking (and eating) establishment named after a road that winds through
four northern mountainous provinces, where
many villages have refined their own ruou recipes over centuries of backyard experimentation.
Since opening its doors two years ago, the narrow three-storey hang-out has drawn a
remarkably mixed crowd, and helped ruou transcend its image as rough, cheap firewater. A
busy night packs in about 160 patrons—roughly 70%
Vietnamese—as young professionals, self-styled bohemians, petty gangsters, tourists and
resident expatriates sit on floor mats, lean against ethnic embroidered cushions, and clink
glasses over low rattan tables.
The 34-year-old owner, Vu Thi Thoa, happens to be pregnant at the moment, but don't
expect any buffalo bladders. On the downstairs bar are displayed jars of the more exotic
varieties of liquor—an eerie floating world of flattened geckos,
bloated starfish, tiny sea horses and a king cobra. On Highway 4's educational menu, some
monikers are left to the imagination. such as "One night five times” while others are more fully
described, such as "Minh Mang," a brew of 27 herbal
ingredients named after a 19th-century emperor "notorious for uncountable concubines and
over 100 children."
First-timers may wish to opt for a tray of four sample shots. Samplers are grouped around fruit
concoctions, herbs, animals and insects.
The common base is rice, though tills too includes several varieties, such as unhusked rice and
glutinous red rice. Most of the liquors are made in the village of Phu Loc in Hai Duong
province not far from Hanoi, where Thoa's mother and extended family monitor quality. But
the recipes are strictly vetted by Thoa's 77-year old uncle, a member of the traditional medicine
association in the northern town of Sapa.
The menu claims ruou can turn grey hair black, cure backache and strengthen bodily functions.
It urges: "Drink our potions at ease without fear of headache." But while most Vietnamese
imbibe gradually while eating, foreigners show a disturbing tendency to gulp with haste. That
can make Highway 4 a road to a shocking hangover.
South China Morning Post, 17 June 2003
Perfect 10
The low-down on the best places to visit in Hanoi, by Graham Holliday
1 Highway 4
The Vietnamese take on alcohol embodies the age-old belief that' consuming something living,
disgusting, decaying or harmful turns even the biggest loser into a sexual behemoth for the
night. Hanoi's Highway 4 Bar in the Old Quarter takes the Vietnamese alcoholic experience
away from its grubby back-alley haunts and gives it new dignity. The bar's no-nonsense menu
virtually screams "Sexual satisfaction guaranteed or your money back", as the name of one
concoction, "One night, five times", suggests. Cobra whisky, bee spirit and herbal brews are
served in shots on low wooden tables, tatami mats and cushions. It seems like a 1970s
bohemian beat boozer, but it works (5 Hang Tre. Tel: [84 4] 926 0639).
2 Ethnology Museum
This vast French-funded institution celebrates the diversity of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, from
Sapa in the north to the Central Highlands. Interactive exhibitions, live displays, and aural and
video units shower visitors with a wealth of living and ancient history. There are also
recreations of authentic Yao and Tay stilt houses and an Ede longhouse among other buildings
in the museum's grounds. Entrance fee HK$8 (Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District.
Tel: 756 2193).
3 Bun Cha
You'll find bun cha, northern Vietnam's finest street lunch, served all over Hanoi between 11
am and 2pm. Bun cha is a barbecue-grilled pork-ball affair doused in a spicy fish sauce with
sliced carrot, -accompanied by a mountain of seasonal greens and herbs and a plate of cold
rice noodles. It is a hearty meal for less than $3. Nem, crabmeat spring rolls, can be ordered as
extras and dipped into the bun cha sauce. With more than 100 bun cha stalls and restaurants
scattered throughout the city you might try a few before you find a favourite. Each has its own
closely guarded recipe and the secret is all in the sauce. Try 61 Ly Thai Tho Street or a tiny
front-room affair at 20 Ta Hien Street.
4 Snake Village
Le Mat Village, or Snake Village, in Gia Lam district is on the opposite bank of the Red River
from central Hanoi. There are 15 or so restaurants in this serpentine maze, all selling much the
same farmed snakes and some more exotic creatures. Nguyen Van Duc's " special snake and
forest beast meat" restaurant is as good a place as any to take the plunge into the area's
reptilian pleasures. Snake meat is served in 12 courses - you name it and the chefs have done
it to the snakes. Many older Vietnamese swear by a therapeutic snake whisky nightcap. Bien,
the cook and wife of the restaurant owner, says:
"It's no myth, my husband is very strong." With drinks included, dinner costs just under $50 (Le
Mat, Viet Hung, Gia Lam. Tel: 827 2891).
5 Hang Bong Street
This prime stretch of real estate is Hanoi's Pedder Street. Clambering around parked
motorbikes, over uneven pavements and past street sellers can test your patience in the
capital's humidity, but the vast array of air-conditioned shops are a relief. Big hits on the street
are silk and paintings, and Duc Loi Silk has a selection of off-the-peg designs and can rustle up
made-to-measure numbers in no time (76 & 93 Hang Gai. Tel: 826 8758). The two-storey
Apricot Gallery sells paintings from some of Vietnam's most famous artists such as Le Quang
Ha and its prices can reach $400,000 (40B Hang Bong. Tel: [84 4] 828 8965; www.apricotart vietnam.com. The Co Do Gallery next door has regular exhibitions by the likes of Le Thiet
Cuong (46 Hang Bong. Tel: 825 8573; www.codogallery.com).
6 Temple Of Literature
Otherwise known as Van Mieu, this temple was founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong
and was supposedly modelled on a structure in Shandong, the birthplace of Confucius. The
temple went on to become the first university in Vietnam, originally only for the sons of
Mandarins. Now it is open to everybody and alongside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is one of
the most visited sites in the capital. The recently restored temple and gardens offer a
surprisingly tranquil setting in the middle of a very noisy city on Van Mieu Street. 2km west of
Hoan Kiem Lake. Opening times are 8am to 11.30am and 1.30pm to 5pm, Tuesday to
Sunday.
7 Pho Bo
Do you like Saigon pho or Hanoi pho? Wherever your loyalties lie, Hanoi pho bo (beef
noodles in soup) is purportedly the original. Even if it seems to lack the sophistication and
flavour of its southern alternative, Hanoians prefer this beefy broth. The genuine northern
article is rare in the tourist traps, so head to 13 Lo Due Street. This unassuming joint boils
cauldrons of bones 24 hours a day for one of the meatiest soups you'll find. Add a raw egg for
depth and a dollop of chilli sauce for bite.
8 Cue Phuong Forest
Cue Phuong, Vietnam's oldest national park, was officially opened in 1962. Made up of 220
square km of rainforest on limestone mountains, 120km south of Hanoi, the park makes for a
fascinating overnight trip from the capital. The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre (EPRC,
www.primatecenter.org) is worth a visit as it is the only rescue and breeding centre for primates
in Indochina. In the Van Long protected area, you have a good chance of seeing the
endangered Delacour's langur, of which there are thought to be only 250 left. The centre cares
for even rarer species such as the golden-headed langur, a species from Cat Ba, an island off
the country's northern coast. The best time to visit is between April and June during the
butterfly season. Guests can stay in small, basic bungalows and there are a variety of walks,
including an overnight trek to a Muong village. Sinh Cafe runs inexpensive tours to Cuc
Phuong (Tel: 934 4103; www.sinhcafe.com).
9 Metropole Hotel
The Hotel Sofitel Metropole Hanoi was the first accredited five-star hotel in Vietnam. And
although other arguably more upmarket places such as the Hilton Hanoi Opera, Nikko Hotel
and the Daewoo Hotel have since opened, "The Met" retains the romance of a bygone era.
Located on a leafy boulevard just south of the Opera House and Hoan Kiem Lake, this
imposing 232-room, white French colonial building was built at the turn of the century and has
since catered to the rich and famous, from princes to presidents, Charlie Chaplin and Stephen
Hawking. Rooms from $970 (15 Ngo Quyen Street. Tel: 826 6919;
www.sofitel-hanoi-vietnam.com/metropole/).
10 Bia Hoi
It is hard to understand why Hanoi's bia hoi phenomenon has not caught on overseas. The
concept is simple: fresh beer is delivered in barrels to various street corners and dens
throughout the city in the morning, and served ice-cooled, cheap and direct from a hosepipe.
When the beer's finished, usually by 3pm or 4pm, the street stalls wind up for the day, though
the larger beer halls might not run dry until 8pm or 9pm. There are bia hoi stalls on just about
every street corner and larger drinking halls such as the one at 89 Pho Hue (tel: 943 2452)
and the gargantuan Ho Chi Minh Bia Hoi, behind the deceased leader's mausoleum. The Bia
Hanoi and Viet Ha brands are often recommended and sell for $2 a pint.
New Sunday Times: Nuance Magazine, 5 January 2003
Enthralling Hanoi
Seems like every other Caucasian we meet in Kuala Lumpur of late is a
documentary film maker, and an American one at that. What with all the
developments in the past months on the security front everywhere, we couldn't
resist asking CHRIS CALLAHAN if he had any links with the CIA. He is the
producer of the Noodle Box series — a new offbeat TV travelogue that focuses on
South-East Asia and is currently airing on Discovery Travel and Adventure in the
UK and around Europe. The team had also gone up north to Shanghai and other
places. Chris assured us that he is not an agent, despite `my uncanny resemblance
to Gill Bellows (star of the TV series 'The Agency' now running over Astro's AXN
channel). Some people say I look like a young Tom Hanks too." Though the jury is
still out on both counts, we allowed Chris to regale INTAN MAIZURA with tales of
his travails and travels in the region, the accounts of which - starting with Hanoi will be featured over the next six weeks.
Hanoi was one destination where everything simply fell into place for us. I arrived there two
days ahead of my crew, didn't know anyone and wasn't at all sure what I'd find.
There were four of us in all: myself, Keith Chong (the director), a soundman and a cameraman.
We flew there from KL, courtesy of Malaysia Airlines, and we had a van to get round in.
We brought basic camera, sound and lighting equipment and filmed on DVcam until it
exploded and I quickly found a replacement mini-DV.
From what I knew. Ho Chi Minh City was the more vibrant of the two, culturally and
economically,so I wasn't overly optimistic.
As it turned out, my apprehensions were totally unfounded.
CULINARY DISCOVERY
First things first. Food. I have to say I simply love Vietnamese food.
Hanoi is a small and really laidback city It doesn't have very many big restaurants. But what it
does have in abundance are stalls (on the sidewalks as well as those of a slightly more
permanent structure) that specialise in single dishes.
People go eat at the place that serves the specific dish they want, and usually out in the open.
For example, there is this "special fish" prepared in a hot pot. Somebody's great grandmother
came up with the recipe and the restaurant has been serving the dish, and nothing else, ever
since.
That stretch of road where the restaurant is located has even come to be named after the fish
— Cha Ca fish on Cha Ca Road.
It was summer when we were in the city, the weather was pretty hot, but the atmosphere was
simply great.
One thing I appreciated about the food in Hanoi was the freshness of everything that goes into
the pots and pans. You don't get that very much anymore in major Asian cities. And eating out
is amazingly cheap.
You should check out Restaurant Bobby Chinn, which is one of the more "expensive"
restaurants in Hanoi, and yet the most you'd be paying for a main dish is about US$7.
Other dishes cost about US$3 or US$4 and they're all really good, easily match the stuff you
get in five-star hotels.
For the more adventurous, there is a village a few kilometres outside Hanoi whose entire
economy seems to be based on serving up snake meat (and parts thereof) dishes.
You have a choice of 30 restaurants there, and you choose the snake you want to eat. The
conservationists would be very upset, but we chose a king cobra.
They cut it open while it's still alive, and removed the heart and gall bladder — which
traditionally go to the oldest man at the table. The still beating heart was served in a glass with
a little vodka, supposedly a very potent aphrodisiac.
Snake meat is surprisingly tasty, and like everything else in the country, nothing is wasted too.
The meat is stir-fried with vegetables, the skin is battered and deep fried, and the bones go into
the soup.
There is also a wide selection of traditional snake liquor — displayed in jars — to go with your
meal, or take away. It's wild.
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
Vietnam has a very young population. People, even the poor, seem to spend a lot of time and
money on looking good. Vietnamese women are in any case among the most beautiful in the
world.
They're naturally extremely good-looking and they make an effort to dress nicely, put
themselves together properly.
We came across a peasant woman, and a woman who was selling fish in the market, who
looked to be manicured and pedicured... and the vegetable seller, by the way, was a stunner.
All women have manicures and pedicures pretty much.
In fact, they have corners in the market where women go to have their nails done... not the
career women, mind you. They sell shrimps or something.
As for fashion, there is this amazing woman, Christina Yu, who has built a brand of her own
called "Ipa Nima". If you are a woman and find yourself in Hanoi, her shop downtown (59G
Hai Ba Trung Street, Hoan Kiem iStistek*) is a must-visit.
It's located in a great big yellow building, and the first things you should pick up is one of her
very nice handbags... they go for about US$35 each.
The very same items are sold for 300 each at Liberty's in London. All her handbags and other
fashion items are handmade and use local materials. She's succeeding in proving that a
developing country can come up with high quality, high-end fashion products... this lady's
products are way cool and apart from Liberty's they are also sold at Saks Fifth Avenue in New
York as well as top department stores in Tokyo.
WATER PUPPETS and RUSSIAN BIKES
You've got to check out the water puppet shows. They are a blast. Ask your hotel concierge
where there will be one. It's a traditional Vietnamese thing, done on a lake with puppets
dancing on the water.
Somebody sits behind a curtain and works the puppets, made of paper, to re-enact old fables
and tales. It's absolutely fascinating. There's always a good turnout for the shows... and an air
of festivity.
And if you are into architecture, prepare for a feast — go on a private tour of all the old
buildings, very French. People sell baguettes outside them as well. The buildings stand out
majestically against the dour government blocks.
But for something different, try the Minsk Motorcycle Club based at Highway 4,which is a bar.
It rents out ancient Russian motorcycles which the Government imported way back in the
1950s.
They may not be attractive, but what character. Very sturdy.
The guys organise motorcycle tours of the surrounding areas... the hills, nearby villages and
mountain tracks that are completely inaccessible by any other mode of transport. Here is a
chance to see Vietnam and village life as it has existed for hundreds of years.
You can go to the snake village on a bike. Elsewhere, you'll meet people who have never seen
foreigners before, up close anyway.
Daredevils and Apocalypse Now
One of the most dangerous things you'll ever get to see is the motorcycle spectacle at the
Hoan Kiem lake. Held in the evening, a bunch of guys gather to race along the narrow roads
around the lake at more than 100 km an hour.
It's illegal of course, but I was told that as long as you steer clear of politics, pretty much
anything goes.
For starters, you have sharp curves, and the pedestrians and cars to avoid. And then, some of
them actually disable the brakes on their bikes just so that it's impossible to slow down.
For good measure, the riders are sometimes blindfolded as well.
Imagine tearing around the "course" guided only by a pillion rider, with no brakes.
It seems the race only ends when somebody gets hurt. The authorities are trying to clamp
down on the activity because of the many casualties, but apparently it is something even
grandmothers would bring chairs and sit out to watch.
Most things shut down at midnight. It's government regulation. But there are still plenty of
places to go at any time of the night... discos everywhere, although some tend to be a bit
seedy.
Ho Chi Minh City definitely has a better "nightlife", more clubs and bars though. The most
famous bar in Hanoi is Apocalypse Now (there is one in Saigon too) but you have a lot of
Western guys and young Vietnamese girls getting very drunk.
To me, Highway 4 is more fascinating. It serves traditional Vietnamese liquor, basically grain
alcohol with different things added... snakes, lizards, goat testicles, crows and other stuff.
The taste is not that great, but interesting... you've got all these jars with the different things
that are supposed to have different effects.
Boost your libido with this, avoid the cold with that, but all I got was seriously drunk. Actually
the last one did wake us up, so who knows.