Gateway to the past

With modern ‘villages’ popping up all over Vietnam’s major cities, Lan Hieu looks at the gated communities of times past.

A newly built gate in Phu Thanh Chuong follows traditional design

An old gate leading to famous ancient Duong Lam Village Son Tay Town, Hanoi

Modern life around an ancient gate

Along with the banyan tree, the well, and the communal house, the village gate is an enduring symbol of many rural villages in Vietnam.

Village gates are found mostly in the cities and provinces lying along the Red River Delta region such as Bac Ninh, Hanoi, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh. Before 1945, almost all villages in this region were surrounded by a bamboo hedge which separated their houses from the farm. The gate was a clear marker of this division.

At that time, a village was a closed community. In the morning, when the gate was open, villagers went out to markets, took buffalos to their farm. And when they all got home in the evening, the gate was closed. Security was thus kept for villagers.

A typical Vietnamese village must have two gates: a front gate and a back gate. The front gate was built southeastwards. Southeast is towards the rising sun and is considered a good direction. The front gate is for living people, for welcoming good things and distinguished guests. The back gate faced west, where the sun sets and is considered an infelicitous direction. That’s why the back gate opens to the village’s cemetery and was also the exit to drive away bad people and criminals.

Normally, village gates were built simply, and were the combination of the Chinese pagoda and temple architecture. They usually have one big door but some villages had two smaller doors flanking the main big door. Some gates were built with a big tiled roof and had a second floor for the village watchman.

Together with the special architecture, each village was decorated with some Chinese scripts or two parallel sentences. They all demonstrate the village customs and traditions or were the admonition to all villagers. For example, the script on the gate of Cao Lam Village in Hanoi reads: “Xuat mon huu cong”, translated as “anyone who leaves this gate must gain success”. This sentence has become an inspiration for many villagers and many have become successful in their career. Villagers in Ha Tri Village in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, focus on keeping and developing their good manners and customs, inspired by the sentence: “My tuc kha gia” carved on the village gate. Or in Te Qua Village, Hanoi, villagers dream of a favourable weather through four words “Phong Van bao ho”.

In the past, when Vietnamese villagers still lived in cottages with just a simple bamboo wattle for a gate, the big brick village gates were their pride. They played an important part in the life of the people here. The gates were the places for information exchange, for villagers to find more about the outside world and for strangers to learn about the village. It is also the place to welcome returning villagers, new brides and distinguished guests.

My village once also had a big gate but then it was demolished twenty years ago to make way for a big road. Many people, especially elderly people, regret its demolition.

“I will never forget the moment when they destroyed the gate,” my grandfather said with a sigh. “It seemed I’d lost my closest friend”. The gate had been there since he was born and he had lived in this village his whole life, so it is easy to understand his feelings.

This situation is also happening to many villages during the process of urbanisation. In many villages, people are trying to protect and upgrade the gates, recognising them as their precious heritage. “This is our duty,” confirmed Vu Duy Du, head of the board for preserving ancient buildings in Nam Doai Village in Ha Nam Province. “Our ancestors had built them, we must protect them as a way to respect our ancestors and educate our children”.

Hopefully, many old village gates will still live with us long into the future and our children can also have chance to admire these special cultural relics.

Colourful, traditional Hue festival on the go

Hue Festival 2010 kicked off in the central city of Hue on June 5 with a grand, colourful ceremony at Ngo Mon Square and an artistic performance rich of traditional musical genres.

A perfomance at the ceremony Photo by Dai Duong - DTiNews

Fireworks at the ceremony Photo by Dai Duong - DTiNews

The festival began with a dance with flags by more than 100 children and artists, featuring impressively the voyage of the transfer of the capital city from Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh) to Thang Long (now Hanoi ). It was a celebration of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the 50th anniversary of the sister cities of Hanoi – Hue - Saigon .

The opening ceremony, which saw the attendance of Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong, included performances by artists from France , Japan , China , the Republic of Korea , Russia and Belgium .

With the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, the Hue Festival this year, from June 5-13, will have a wide range of large-scale, impressive cultural shows.

It will see re-enactments reviving royal rituals such as the Nam Giao Offering Ritual, Dem Hoang Cung – the Royal Place by Night—a colourful blend of food and wine served at a royal banquet and a spectacular lights show.

Highlights of the festival will include the Kham Pha Huyen Thoai Song Huong programme, which offers snapshots of the river’s history, legends and beauty, and “Hanh Trinh Mo Coi” which presents the nation’s journey to reclaim the lands in the south of the country from the 10 th century to 1945.

The Naval manoeuvres of Lord Nguyen Phuc Lan, will also be re-enacted on the Huong River to celebrate the 375 years since Lord Lan chose Kim Long as the capital city. Close to 1,000 people and 72 warships are expected to take part in the event.

In particular, the three forms of traditional Vietnamese arts that have been recognised by UNESCO as world cultural heritages – Nha Nhac (royal music), Ca Tru (ceremonial singing) and Quan Ho (love duets ) and other traditional types of music like Cheo (traditional opera) and folk songs will be performed together in a programme called “The Breath of Water.”

Dem Phuong Dong (Oriental night) will spotlight the charming and unique beauty of several Asian costumes, including the Vietnamese Ao Dai (traditional long dress).

According to the organisers, the festival will see the participation of over 1,500 artists and performers from 48 foreign troupes from 28 countries around the world, and 17 local troupes.

First held in 2000, the biennial Hue Festival has been a tremendous success. In 2008, the festival attracted nearly 2,000 domestic and foreign artists and 180,000 visitors, including 30,000 from overseas.

Vietnam’s long journey under an Australian’s view

Hoan Kiem Lake

Thirty-four photographs depicting the length and breadth of Vietnam’s cultural, historical and literal landscape are now on display at the ‘For Momentum of the River’s Flow’ exhibition in Hanoi by Les Horvat from Australia.

Through photos, he re-presents spaces charged with historical meaning in their new guises, such as an ex-Australian army base now overgrown with thick foliage and a long out-of-use American radar station still standing in ruin. In another image, past and present abut one another where modern city lights streak across Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theatre in Saigon. As a foreigner, Horvat attends to the details of particular sites that the locals might ignore in their everyday pursuits and he brings with him a strong sense of global history to attach to the local details.  Horvat sees Vietnam as ever changing and forward marching, which is why his multi-angled consideration of historical sites is so central to this series.

“Momentum of the River's Flow is a reference to the inevitable and unstoppable power of Vietnamese society. A society that seeks to move forward, no matter what the obstacles, no matter what the risks and no matter what the challenges, as in the inexorable flow of the metaphoric waterways that lie at its heart,” said Horvat.

Les Horvat spent over twenty years working as an award-winning photographer in a career at the leading edge of commercial, advertising photography in Australia. He has won numerous awards including the Kodak Professional Photography Achievement Award, Gold and Silver at the Australian Professional Photography Awards, and has been accepted into the Fuji ACMP Collection. In 1999 he also achieved Masters status within the peak photographic industry body, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. He has also co-authored a photographic text on digital imaging, published worldwide in four languages, and now up to its third edition. He continues to undertake his own photographic projects, exhibiting regularly in group and solo shows whilst working at Photography Studies College (Melbourne) as a photographic educator.

The exhibition runs until July 5 at Bui Gallery at 23 Ngo Van So street, Hanoi.

Phu Quoc harbour

Ancient treasures unearthed from the sea on display after 500 years

More than 300 precious ancient artifacts discovered off the Vietnamese coast have been unveiled for public viewing since the launch of a special exhibition at the Thua Thien Hue Revolution History Museum, open since June 3rd and lasting through June 15th.
The pieces, found off the coast from Thua Thien Hue to Ca Mau, are remnants of the long-lost cargo of six ships loaded with Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese ceramic goods, most likely sunk between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Bearing the slogan “Echoes from the Ocean,” the display was co-organised by the Thua Thien Hue Revolution History Museum, the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum and UNESCO Club. The exhibition is one of several activities that will take place to mark the Hue Festival 2010 and the Thousand-Year-Anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The recovered objects include many everyday utensils made of various materials like ceramic, stone, metal, and wood. The majority are porcelain pieces with origins in 15th- to 18th-century China, France, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Mr. Cao Huy Hung, Curator of the Thua Thien Hue Revolution History Museum, commented, “These ancient objects reflect a history of trade development and cultural exchange between Vietnam and other countries. They contributed in part to the integration of Vietnamese culture into various cultures worldwide. This proves that even today a number of ancient artifacts and invaluable cultural resources remain undiscovered beneath Vietnamese territorial waters. They are the belongings of Vietnam.”
Following appear photographs of the ancient artifacts, preserved for over 500 years by the high pressure and salinity of the sea water.

Cups, bowls, and vases from the 15th century

Three Vietnamese teapots

Set of plates with well-preserved patterns

Ancient jars

Porcelain lamp base cling by coral

Ancient bowl with fossilised coral

Unique artifact formed by ceramic pieces fused together in a fire aboard an 18th century Chinese merchant ship

Iron lamp showing discoloration from the salt water

Porcelain statue of Quan Binh, which belongs to a set of statues of Quan Van Truong, Quan Binh, and Chau Xuong

Ceramic statue of an elephant from the 14th century

Two stone tigers showing well-preserved, vivid colors

Statue of a Mandarin on horseback

Ceramic pot from the B.C. era, considered to be extremely rare and precious

Metal piece with carved text

Phu Quoc Island becomes world-famous tourist destination

Vietnamese Prime Minister recently released Decision 633/QD-TTg stating that Phu Quoc would become a special economic and administrative center for Vietnam.

Making fish sauce on Phu Quoc Island ( Photo: SGGP)

Following the prime minister-approved adjusted master plan to develop Phu Quoc Island through 2030, the island would also become the home for domestic and international resorts, urban development, as well as a forest and marine preservation center.

The Phu Quoc Island, also known as Dao Ngoc ( Pearl Island ), for its famous pearls, has the potential to become a major tourist centre within the country. Located in southwestern Kien Giang Province, 45km from the mainland, the 565sq.km island owns 32,000 hectares of pristine forests, beautiful and clean beaches, and undamaged coral reefs. ABC News selected Bai Dai Beach (Long Beach) as one of the five most beautiful and clean beaches in the world, though it is not well known outside Vietnam.

District Phu Quoc party committee secretary Van Ha Phong said the Kien Giang People’s Committee 52 domestic and foreign-invested projects have been licensed so far, with a total capital of VND43 trillion.  Seven of these, including Berjaya, Long Beach, Veranda and Miramar have become operational.

Along with appealing to investors to build tourism facilities, the development of Phu Quoc into a financial and banking center for the region, and an international trading hub, district leaders have concentrated on preserving the island’s specialties.

The planting of sim fruit (tomentose rose /myrle), which historically grows naturally on Phu Quoc, is one such preservation project. Sim Son tomentose rose myrtle wine, tea and syrup, invented by Trinh Cong Phat, the director of the Son Phat Co. in Duong To Commune, has become another speciality of the region, attracting tourist interest. Mr. Phat said the arable land for growing sim fruit has shrunk; it needs therefore to expand for tourism, which will raise income for residents.

It is understandable that over 80% tourists decided to visit the Coi Nguon (Root) Museum- a 40,000sq.m outdoor exhibition where curator and owner Huynh Phuoc Hue displays around 2,000 ancient artifacts including a 3,500-year-old stone axe, a flock of over 60 rare sea eagles and a 500kg dugong bone.

One of Hue’s hardest won artifacts was a part of a boat used by national hero Nguyen Trung Truc.

One of Phu Quoc District’s strengths is the production of traditional fish sauce. However, most of fishing boats have small capacity which can work onshore.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Truc, Head of Phu Quoc District’s Office of Economy, said the district would support local fishermen who can catch fish offshore. Vietnamese-made fish sauce has become world famous with over 100 producers making more than 10 million liters a year.

In the future, the district will reserve two areas for producing the special sauce: Ben Tram and Sau Bridge. In addition, the district is determined to spend budget funds to grow pepper.

Many construction projects have been undertaken on the island, such as a 900-hectare International Airport, a roundabout road for sightseeing tours and the An Thoi International Wharf. Pham Vu Hong, chairman of the Phu Quoc district People’s Committee, said many more important projects will be operating by June.

A taste of the old days

With a close proximity to the World Natural Heritage Site Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Chay Lap is firmly on the tourist map. The village offers visitors a "hands-on" experience of rural Vietnam.

Some might define the perfect getaway from the city as a country retreat on the doorstep of a celebrated national park, with mountain biking, forest trekking, or kayaking along majestic rivers all as feasable options. So far, Chay Lap Village in Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province fits the bill, but we are in Vietnam, so what better way to top it off with than some cultural authenticity?

The village offers tourists the chance to live the life of a Vietnamese farmer, sharing an old traditional house and helping farmers plant vegetables and feed the livestock. Visitors can fish in the river and plough the fields with a buffalo.

The homestay service was introduced at the village about a year ago and organized by the community with the Green Future Fund, which supports local people with capital and guidance. The project has a very altruistic side. Many of the families involved used to make a living illegally exploiting the forest around the heritage site for timber and wild animals. The homestays provided the farmers with an alternative means to subsidize their meager incomes. Now, most of the wooden houses in the village have been refurnished to welcome tourists.
Even when you want a break from working the land, a simple bicycle tour will find you retracing the steps of Vietnam’s history. One can follow a winding road past a forest management station and find themself meandering along a section of the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail, witness to many fierce battles during the American War, the scars of which can still be seen today. It is very humbling to look up from the historic trail at the timeless backdrop of mountains, unchanged for centuries.
After about 10km, the trail leads past a steep slope and into an immense field. You will find yourself at a river bank where a boat waits to take you back to Chay Lap. Those who like kayaking can explore the surrounding on a different route. Rowing along Chay River, you can visit Toi Cave and admire the breathtaking beauty of mountain cliffs and catch a glimpse of the many grey Langur (Voọc duoi dai) and other endangered animals and birds that live in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
A number of tour agents work with the village to promote their homestay service. Tourists can also organise their own trip with the help of Phuc Trach Commune’s Board of Community Tourism Management.
Enjoy some more pictures of the village, taken by photographer Jang Shilly

On the Ho Chi Minh Trail today

Thirty five years after the American War, I had an opportunity to travel on the old Ho Chi Minh Trail with some friends from Ha Noi. The scenery is breathtaking and the atmosphere is peaceful and poetic. This reminds me how beautiful the country is.

Transporting goods along Ho Chi Minh trail to a Southern war zone in the 60’s

New road replacing Ho Chi Minh trail

General Giap’s headquarters

Part of Dien Bien Phu’s cemetery, with tombs of unknown soldiers

The 1600 km long trail is known by the Vietnamese as the Truong Son Trail. Built in 1959, it became a network of tracks, roads, and waterways running from North to South Viet Nam, passing through Laos and Cambodia. It provided logistical support to the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) and the North Vietnamese Army. In the early days it would take about six months to go between North to South, on foot or by bicycles or ponies. Throughout the American War the trail had carried more than one million North Vietnamese soldiers and vast quantities of war supplies to battlefields in the Southern war zones.

As we passed by a series of mountains along the Truong Son Range, I was told the Americans had dropped at least four million tons of bombs along the trail during the war. The numbers of Vietnamese deaths and wounded were also in the millions. Aside from Agent Orange, the Americans also sprayed other types of chemical defoliants. In addition, they created rain by seeding clouds, in turn producing mudflows -- attempting to destroy the jungle path.

It was in the 90's, when Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet authorized the construction of the entire trail with concrete materials. Its width was increased up to four times. The newly built road also became highly beneficial to tribal Hmong families as it enabled them to travel from the remote mountain sites to towns and cities. Many Hmongs could do direct trading with the Kinh people, which is the majority ethnic group in Vietnam.

After nearly four hours of smooth travelling and admiring the beauty of the wilderness, we arrived in Thanh Hoa. There, we attended the ceremony of the 100th day following the re-burial of the 22nd emperor of the Le dynasty, Le Du Tong, who had reigned from 1705 to1729. Like all the 27 Le emperors, Du Tong had been buried in a secret location in Thanh Hoa. Forty six years ago, when a farmer was digging up the soil, he accidentally un-earthed the emperor's tomb. The government decided to keep the remains inside the National History Museum in Ha Noi for research. When Du Tong was first buried in 1731, his body was embalmed and dressed in 13 layers of silk gowns containing preservatives. Finally, last spring he was returned to Thanh Hoa, with a grand ceremony. His new tomb will become one of the great memorial sites. To prepare for the second burial, the local authorities had to widen the village roads to allow the 400 cars and trucks into the site. On the date of the burial, many young children climbed up into the trees to watch the coffin being lowered into the ground. Overloaded with the children, many branches fell and broke. Miraculously, nobody was injured. The locals said the emperor had protected them.

The 100th day ceremony was scheduled to begin at 3pm. However, the monks had decided to wait for us as we did not arrive until 4pm. At this ceremony, I was given the rare honor to present a scroll written in calligraphy by a Buddhist monk containing my personal wish to the Emperor's spirit. He is called "the elder gentleman". Something strange would happen soon. In that same week, I was invited to Dien Bien Phu for the commemoration of the 56th anniversary of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The trip would take 4 days by road, with stopovers in Moc Chau and Lai Chau. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Son, would lead the group. I badly wanted to visit the great old battlefield. However, I had already scheduled another trip to the Mekong Delta, concerning my charity. It would not be possible for me to include Dien Bien Phu. While feeling the anxiety, I made a prayer to "the elder gentleman". To my pleasant surprise, the dates for Dien Bien Phu were suddenly changed and we would leave Ha Noi two days earlier. The revised departure date was perfect for me, as I would be able to make the trip to the Mekong Delta after returning from Dien Bien Phu. Did the "elder gentleman" answer my prayer or was it pure chance? In either case, I felt that some spiritual force had blessed me for having committed myself to the charity.

We left the burial site in the evening. On the way back to Ha Noi, we stopped at a little restaurant near a mountain site for dinner. The pleasant waitress served us charcoal grilled wild boar. This was accompanied by fried farmer chicken, steamed fish with green bananas, and boiled wild vegetables. That was an exceptionally delicious meal. We returned to the comfortable car and were driven smoothly along. I enjoyed listening to many heart-felt war songs. The long trail circling the Truong Son mountains was most serene and one could hear the whispering of the night wind. The sky was pitch dark: mysterious, calm, and melancholic.

My journey to Dien Bien Phu a few days later included another series of scenic routes and also rough and muddy roads. The group enjoyed various local cuisines, including wild boar and buffalo meat. Early morning the next day we arrived at a hilltop overlooking the old battlefield. The grand ceremony for the deceased soldiers was solemn and powerful. The event was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Buddhist Association. Nearly 100 monks and nuns were present, with a huge crowd attending each day. The great altar was filled with many varieties of fresh fruits, prepared food, and drinks. Lots of beautiful orchids and chrysanthemums were on display. Together with other overseas Vietnamese, I visited the large cemetery of the unknown soldiers. At each tomb, we lit incense for the deceased. One of the most moving aspects of the whole occasion was the consideration shown to the soldiers on both sides of the war who had died for their countries. On our last day at Dien Bien Phu, we went up to General Vo Nguyen Giap's old headquarters on top of a very steep hill. Climbing was hard physical labor. I wondered about the task of pulling the many heavy cannons uphill. I thought of the thousands of Vietnamese, known and unknown, who had lost their lives at this battle. We owe them our way of life.

As soon as I returned from Dien Bien Phu, I made a second trip to Thanh Hoa, this time with Brooke Balza, an American documentary photographer. A devoted member of the charity, she wanted to obtain many photographs of the children victims of Agent Orange. They are of the third generation of those originally infected. Witnessing their physical deformity was most disturbing. With the photos, we will hold international exhibitions to raise money in order to build therapy and skill centres in Thanh Hoa and other provinces. During the American War, a large number of young men and women from Thanh Hoa had gone South to join the nationalist forces. Of these, at least 22,000 were infected by Agent Orange. Thanh Hoa itself had also suffered massive bombing raids. In the mid 60's, when the United States started their seven year campaign against North Viet Nam with "Operation Rolling Thunder", the Thanh Hoa Bridge was a strategic target for repeated attacks. So many B-52 bombers were shot down from this bridge that the proud local residents changed its name to "Dragon's Jaw Bridge".

I now anticipate many future trips to Thanh Hoa. And I would love to travel along the Ho Chi Minh trail again. One day I would like to go along the trail all the way to the Mekong Delta.

Portland restaurateurs lead two-week culinary adventure around Vietnam

Heading into Halong Bay on a 30-foot junk boat for a lunch of freshly caught seafood. The first bite was wonderfully crunchy and just a little salty.

In fact, if you didn't mind the skinny legs, you might not even have noticed that you were eating grasshoppers. After the grasshopper appetizer, there were choices of grilled goat teat or raw cobra heart.

This was just another typical meal in Vietnam, especially when you're traveling with Portland restaurateurs Lam Van and Elizabeth Nguyen, owners of Portland's Pho Van and Silk restaurants.

Last March, they led a group of seven couples, along with their favorite wine distributor, Holly Wing, on a two-week culinary adventure through Vietnam.

Starting in the French-influenced capital of Hanoi, we stopped in Halong Bay to the north; Hue and Ho An in central Vietnam; and finished in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. Along the way, Lam and Elizabeth made sure that the meals were a constant -- and sometimes startling -- highlight.

Northern Vietnam

Rooftop restaurant Highway 4 was our first foray into full-contact adventure eating. With crunchy grasshoppers, fried softshell crabs, spicy squid, baby fish and seasoned mountain vegetables, our first meal in Hanoi was one of our best.

Along with dinner, we sampled a variety of Vietnamese snake wines, which have the smoky taste of a weak Scotch and are essentially the same as Japanese Habu Sake -- with the addition of a fermented snake in the bottle. We also tried scorpion and cobra wine.

Seated on the floor under a teak trellis, with a Buddhist altar behind us and piles of Vietnamese delicacies in front of us, we felt alone in the mountains of northern Vietnam. But the snake wine can make it tough to get off the floor. (5 Hang Tre St., 84 43 926 0639, http://highway4.com)

After a day spent touring the Perfume Pagoda outside Hanoi, our second dinner was far more traditional, and one that Lam and Elizabeth were particularly excited about. We enjoyed a late-night dinner at Le Verticale, where we took over the entire third floor of an elegantly restored four-story French colonial villa. With wide plank floors, gentle candlelight and ultramodern dinnerware, the room could have just as easily been in a townhouse in Ile Saint-Louis in Paris as Hanoi.

Brittany native Didier Corlu started Le Verticale two years ago after several years as the executive chef at Hanoi's Sofitel Metropole. He has artistically melded his native French cooking with the rich flavors and ingredients of Vietnam to produce one of Hanoi's top restaurants. In fact, the first floor of the villa is an elaborate spice shop.

Our six-course tasting menu included wild prawns with spring roll and sweet and sour apple, Corlu's signature ocean escabeche, pan-fried duck liver foie gras with Daikon turnip and tamarind juice, red tuna with citronella and passion fruit, Didier's own "le Corlu" cheese and soft cake of chocolate and cinnamon. Each course was as artistically presented as it was exquisitely prepared. While we just enjoyed Didier's handiwork, he also offers cooking classes every Sunday. (19 Ngo Van So St., 84 43 944 6317, http://verticale-hanoi.com)

Central Vietnam

From Hanoi, we headed to Hue, where we toured the remains of the old Imperial Citadel. The palace, being restored, was badly damaged during the Vietnam War, and bullet marks scar much of the stonework.

At a Royal Hue dinner at Restaurant Royal Park, our entire group dressed in Vietnamese imperial costumes. Peter Bishop and Janet Williamson presided as the Emperor and Empress of the Court. While the "ancient banquet" was not the culinary highlight of our adventures, traditional song, dance and instruments, as well as the elaborate decorative presentation of the dishes, provided a glimpse of Vietnamese royal life 100 years ago. (38-43 Nguyen Sinh Sac St., Vi Da, 84 54 389 7202)

From Hue, we headed to the resort town of Hoi An, almost as famous for its tailors, who can produce virtually anything overnight, as it is for its beaches. Our group spent several hours at the Yaly tailor (47 Nguyen Thai Hoc, 84 510 391 4995), having suits, saris and caftans custom-made. Hoi An was the perfect place to relax before the excitement awaiting us in Saigon.

Southern Vietnam

On our first night there, we went to rooftop restaurant 3T Vietnamese Barbecue, which was teeming with young Vietnamese, occasional expatriates and a few other tourists. The roof deck has a retractable roof, and every table has its own small propane-operated grill.

For the first course, we grilled seasoned boar, venison and goat breast to our liking, and then finished our skewers with fermented tofu dipping sauces. While the goat was a little chewy, the venison was absolutely delicious. Charred fresh okra made for a crispy side dish. Smoke engulfed the open-air restaurant, adding further ambience, and heat, to Saigon's tropical humidity. The meat course was followed by shrimp, which were brought out skewered alive, wiggling and ready to grill. With plenty of ice-cold Vietnamese beer, we spent hours enjoying the smoky rooftop. (29 Ton That Thiep, District 1, 84 83 821 1631)

We also spent a day on the famous Mekong Delta, which has been the scene of so many American movies about the Vietnam War. Today, it is a busy commercial waterway and site of fish farming. We toured several of the smaller islands in the delta and sampled the local coconut candy and rice wine.

Returning from the delta, we had our final dinner in Ho Chi Minh City at the Quan An Bistro, which offered a more traditional colonial Vietnam setting, in stark contrast to most of the city's sleek modern restaurants. But the food offered the same rich diversity of tastes and textures that are one of the hallmarks of Vietnam.

Legging it through Vietnam

I didn't mind that I missed queuing to see Ho Chi Minh in his mausoleum though I would have liked to have seen the palace he never lived in and the simple peasant homes he preferred.

Bikes, scooters and cars battle it out on Hanoi's crowded streets. Photo / AP

Instead, I was sitting on the red and yellow vinyl couch, its exploding filling taped roughly over, in the foyer of our two-star hotel with my leg up, combining ice, compression and elevation with watching Brideshead Revisited subtitled in Vietnamese.

I failed to keep my date with Uncle Ho because I was hit by a car while crossing the street on the way to the mausoleum.

Until then, in three weeks in Vietnam on an Intrepid Explorer trip involving heaps of travel, I had witnessed only two accidents - a couple of motorbike collisions in Ho Chi Minh City.

I was aware that a major road safety campaign had managed to only slightly reduce Vietnam's usual road death tally of 1000 a month but I suppose I had become a bit blase about stepping into the chaotic traffic and expecting it to weave around me.

Silly mistake. When it was all over, I couldn't put any weight on my injured ankle.

The lady driver whose side mirror I'd bounced off was distraught. And Hoang, the leader of our Intrepid group, was devastated that he had not protected me.

But in a country with little refrigeration, ice always seems to be handy. A man on a motorbike appeared with some and wrapped it in a rag round my ankle. I was ferried back to the hotel sandwiched between this stranger and Hoang. Three on a bike is nothing in Vietnam.

Another huge block of ice appeared in reception - too big to wrap, too hard to break - so I just rested against it.

When the group returned after seeing Uncle Ho, the nurse and phys ed teacher had a feel and we decided it was a bad sprain. Best I could do was stay right where I was.

Later, one of three Oriental businessmen having an hour-long portrait session in the foyer urged me to see a Chinese doctor 200m down the road. I feigned lack of comprehension.

Then the pretty receptionist extricated herself from their insistence that she appear in every photo and enthusiastically suggested that I try a traditional Vietnamese remedy for swelling. The chef would like to apply it. Well, who says the West knows best.

I did get a bit of a shock when the sweet young man who had made our omelettes that morning appeared with a flaming bowl over which was a flat dish full of wide green steaming leaves. He took each one and carefully wrapped it round my ankle as hot as I could bear. This continued for half an hour, during which I learnt via our interpreter that though he looked 17 he was 27, had been married for a month and had used this poultice successfully on soccer injuries.

After that the receptionist kept a beady eye on me and any time I inched my leg towards the rapidly melting block she screeched: "No ice, no ice."

Sick of Vietnamese soap opera as the day progressed, I hopped to the lift up to our room for a sit-down shower, collapsing on the bed in my underwear after all the exertion. A timid knock on the door revealed my chef back for a repeat laying on of the leaves. Unfortunately, it still hurt.

That evening was the final dinner for our Intrepid group and, with departure so close, I was reluctant to get embroiled in the Vietnamese medical system.

For the dinner, Hoang, who was not much bigger than me, piggybacked me to his waiting motorbike, then up two flights of stairs at Koto ("know one teach one") Restaurant which, supported by Intrepid, equips disadvantaged young people for jobs in the hospitality industry. Coming back down after dinner was scarier and I was glad he didn't drink.

So that I could enjoy our final day in Hanoi we decided to take a taxi into the Old Quarter, known as the Venice of the East, with one of the highest population densities in the world. We would lunch at Little Hanoi, recommended by Lonely Planet, then take a scenic and shopping trip home by cyclo (a three-wheeled transport with a big seat in front of a bicycle).

The taxi dropped us at the wrong end of the street, so I hopped its length using parked motorbikes as support, only to find the restaurant was upstairs. Well, that's what bums are for.

After sharing local specialties, spring rolls and eggplant, I relaxed with a Tiger beer while my three travelling companions went for a walk and secured us some cyclos. We had quickly learnt that you always negotiate up front for any service in Vietnam and 70,000 dong (less than NZ$7 each) seemed good value.

My cyclo was wheeled across the pavement so I could barter for a jacket and a leather bag in a shop the size of a walk-in wardrobe. At the hotel, I was gently lifted out by yet another diminutive Vietnamese man.

The flights home were the next challenge. My friend Helen probably had an ulterior motive for offering to push me perched on the top of her luggage trolley. Serious shopping and the multiple garments she had bought in Hoi An meant she was over the 20kg limit while my luggage was still well under.

The minute the Malaysia Airlines check-in girls saw my predicament they frantically jabbered into the phone and jabbed at their computers. A handsome young man with a wheelchair appeared at my side to whisk me through Customs.

On the plane, invited into business class, I bounced like the Energiser bunny into privileged comfort. At the stopover, another wheelchair awaited. That was the pattern all the way home, though I got two seats rather than an upgrade on the haul to Auckland.

Back home, there was time for a shower before going for an x-ray. The ankle was broken and needed surgery. Still, it seemed no worse for having hopped around Hanoi.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Most carriers fly in or link flights to Vietnam. We chose Malaysia Airlines because it was cheapest and service was excellent.

Getting around: Intrepid Travel offers a range of tours to suit a variety of budgets, physical and culture shock thresholds.

Further information: Vietnam's official tourism site is at vietnamtourism.com.

Shopping for love in Vietnam's mountains

Once a year, with his wife's blessing, Lau Minh Pao gets to have a guilt-free tryst with his ex.

Ethnic San Chi girls giggle while attending the "love market" in Khau Vai village in Vietnam's northern Ha Giang province, 500 km (310 miles) north of Hanoi May 9, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Kham

The love market village of Khau Vai is seen from the top of a mountain in Vietnam's northern Ha Giang province. Credit: REUTERS/Kham

Their rendezvous' have played out more like strolls down memory lane than salacious flings, but they are part of a treasured tradition in this mountainous corner of northern Vietnam that may challenge some more linear concepts of love.

"In the past, we were lovers, but we couldn't get married because we were far apart," Pao said simply as he waited for his date on a dark night in the village of Khau Vai in Ha Giang province.

Now when they meet, he said, "we pour our hearts out about the time when we were in love."

They are not alone.

For two days each year, on the 26th and 27th of the third month of the lunar calendar, the tiny village of Khau Vai, strung along a saddle in the lush hills near China, is transformed into a "love market."

Hundreds of members of Giay, Nung, Tay, Dzao, San Chi, Lo Lo and Hmong hill tribes, among others, trek in from across the mountainous districts nearby to attend.

Pao's wife was there, too, meeting her old flame.

Some travel for days, even from neighboring provinces.

This year, local artists in colorful clothing performed the local myth telling the story of the origin of the Khau Vai love market.

Legend has it an ethnic Giay girl from Ha Giang province fell in love with an ethnic Nung boy from the neighboring province of Cao Bang.

The girl was so beautiful that her tribe did not want to let her marry a man from another tribe and a bloody conflict ensued between the two tribes.

Watching tragedy unfold before them, the two lovers sorrowfully decided to part ways to avoid further bloodshed and to restore peace.

But to keep their love alive they made a secret pact to meet once a year on the 27th day of the third lunar month in Khau Vai. Thereafter, the hill village became known as a meeting place for all of those in love.

These days, the tradition is carried on, albeit with a modern edge.

Giggling girls in native headdresses make dates by text message on their cell phones, and hold them up to snap digital photos of performances.

New roads have made the village that lies some 500 km (310 miles) north of Hanoi more accessible. In the Nung language, Khau Vai means 'clouds among the mountains'.

"The young generation now go out together, and find each other, and it is more modern, freer and clearer. Back in the old days, our grandparents had to pursue love in secret, not like today," 23-year-old Hua Thi Nghi an ethnic Giay.

Under the dark sky, as other couples cavorted nearby, Pao was looking forward to seeing his old girlfriend.

"We've arranged to meet and she'll be here a little bit, around 10 pm. We meet together to re-tell the tale of how it was when we were in love back then," he said.

The next day, however, he said their meeting had been cut short by a downpour.

But there's always next year.

Beautiful Sapa ready for rice season

Taking advantage of the recent heavy rainfalls, locals in the Sapa Highlands (Lao Cai Province) are hard at work to prepare for a new rice season.

Unlike other places, this is the only rice growing season for the northwestern highland's in general and Sapa in particular, so it is very important for the local farmers to do all the proper preparations following the traditions and instructions from the agricultural expansion encouragement staff in order to achieve the highest rice yield.

Rice cultivating season is also the most beautiful season in the Sapa Highland's and because of this, Sapa has always attracted a large number of photographers and young tourists from other cities to visit the region and take pictures of it during this time of year, especially since these terrace rice fields have been voted as one of the 7 most beautiful rice terraces in Asia and in the world by a U.S. travel magazine.

Some images captured of Sapa's local farmers hard at work and the region's beautiful terrace rice fields: