A Southeast Asian journey while uni is out. Part Two: Hanoi

Source: http://hanoi.gov.vn

In October 2010 Hanoi turned one thousand years old. Seven million people on the right bank of the Red River make for a hot and hectic and hazardous (at least in road crossings) experience. There are however a thousand alleys to explore, local eateries to try and puppet theatres to visit. Monuments, museums and much more make for a culturally rich experiential tapestry. 

Photo is my own: St. Joseph's Cathedral in the old quarter of Hanoi.

Of course the night markets are what attracted my fourteen students and soon silk scarves, fold-out fans and bucket hats were duly purchased. Oh! The ennui that comes with age ....

Once the centre of French Indochina, baguettes and boulevards are easy to find and although the wide avenues are lined with trees, there is barely a bird to be seen. Sparrows and pigeons are about the only birds that somehow survive the Vietnamese culture of the  caged song bird.

Part one: The song of the caged songbird

Source: hanoiboutiquehotel.com

Space is hard to come by in the cramped urban streets and alleys of any of Vietnam's urban areas. It comes as no surprise then, that the caged songbirds of Hanoi hang on shopfronts in the day, and are stashed under tables at nights.
It is said that the smaller the cage the better their singing. If they have space to fly and ability to engage themselves then the bird will not sing loud nor constant. Some men dedicate themselves to feeding and caring for these birds that they have homed in a cage.

Source: Pinterest.com

There are songbird cafes where the men collect with their birds, talk, smoke and discuss their guardianships. Songbird competitions exist too.

And then there is the Buddhist custom of Fang Sheng. Everywhere in the market are cages no larger than your two fists, woven with bamboo and containing four or five manakins or sparrows. Those who feel they must gain extra points for life, buy, pray over and then release these caged birds and are granted honour for bestowing freedom.

On the surface this is not inexplicably cruel as these seedeaters do not spend long in their tiny prisons, but they are caught again and again, caught perhaps rurally and released in the city. Breeding patterns, nest building and chick  rearing are all but impossible so really the practice in not sustainable. 

Source: stocksy.com

Part two: The Dentist

My calling in Hanoi was the dentist. Min Thu dental surgery is one of the places that caters to dental tourism. Although  Sweden was able to offer incredible studying opportunities,  it's dental prices are probably less than incredible. I decided to go for a full Vietnamese teeth clean. I hailed a 'Grab bike' (a scooter Uber) and buzzed off towards ... well I didn't know where, the language barriers being too strong for me to describe my destination.

But no worries, one gets about Hanoi with business cards, so I flashed the version from my phone, the Grab biker nodded and dropped me outside huge glass tower. 

Inside lay a large and cool glass open plan room with five dentistry chairs, the layout rather resembling a hairdressers. Each chair was waited on by dentist and assistant. With no urgency I was shown to my chair - number one - and without much ado the dentist set to.
"Do you drink tea or coffee?" Asked the surgeon.
"Tea?" I spluttered.
  "You must use bamboo straw" she advised, "you floss, you use straw and teeth will be strong. Less tea."
Did she realise tea was my strongest vice!

40 minutes later and $200,000 Dong (maybe $10) poorer, I flashed my hotel business card and was home in a jiffy. 

Part three: Water Puppetry

Inside a theatre, a pool of water lies where traditionally the stage would summon our attention. The pool depicts an unsown rice paddy. Behind and to either side of the rice paddy an ornate facade pretends a building of importance.

Musicians with traditional instruments play expertly and in full view when, from behind a red curtain, buffaloes pulling ploughs, Vietnamese puppets planting rice, ducks a-dabbling for snails, two fishermen trying to catch two very feisty fish, a cat nabbing a duck before the eyes of the farmer, little boys riding the buffalo, fire breathing dragons telling tales of yesteryear and a royal profession, fill an hour with fantastic theatre after which the men and women on the puppets, then wade out to take a well-deserved bow.

But the hectic buzz of Hanoi and the never-ending human noise worked its way uncomfortably around me. This urban landscape could not feed and sustain my soul. The habits of Hanoi's millions of residents and tourists fueled my eco-anxiety and I felt like a caged bird myself.
Rural Vietnam was calling.

Travel tips for Erasmus students:

• Maybe you cannot get a job as an expedition leader ... don't forget all the incredible travel competitions. 
• World Nomads not only offers travel insurance but they run competitions with the best prizes ever!
• Your Best Life is running a competition to find a group of responsible travellers to travel for six months and be paid for it!
• Paymaya also runs great competitions. 

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