Upload
connla-stokes
View
228
Download
3
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
A feature on Vietnam's capital city from 2010 -- the year of Hanoi's millennium celebrations
Citation preview
50
tiger ta les sep-oct
51
sep-oct t iger ta les
happy birthday hanoi
50 51
The MillenniuM CiTy
t iger ta les sep-oct sep-oct t iger ta les
happy birthday hanoi
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
y a
ar
on
jo
el
sa
nt
os
Motorcyclists ride past the legend Beer Hall and
Highlands Coffee Building
on the eve of its 1,000th anniversary, Hanoi is an increasingly
cosmopolitan capital with a cultural heart,
reports Connla stokes. Photography by
aaron joel santos
52
tiger ta les sep-oct
53
sep-oct t iger ta les
happy birthday hanoi
Kids maKe up Over half the pOpulatiOn – twO-thirds are under the age Of 35. hanOi is an Old sOul with a yOuthful zing
s a boomtown with a
rich and fascinating
architectural heritage,
Vietnam’s capital manages
to be both exhilarating and
enchanting. The spiritual
and geographic centrepiece of Hanoi is
Hoan Kiem Lake, the fabled body of water
where in the 15th century, Emperor Le Thai
To – in the manner of King Arthur – is said
to have returned a charmed sword after
leading his embattled troops to victory over
Chinese Ming dynasty warriors. For the
leg-weary sightseer, the lake offers a poetic
stillness amid the city’s motorbike-powered
mayhem. And it’s that incongruous mix
of serenity and gusto which seems to be
Hanoi’s trademark.
For more than a thousand years, Hanoi
has been “bending with the wind” to resist
foreign domination while at the same time
absorbing overseas influences. So says the
venerable William S.
Logan in his book,
Hanoi: A Biography
of a City. One of the
most clear-cut turning
points in the modern
urban development of
Hanoi was the arrival of the
French in 1873. As part of the
colonial administration’s mission
civilisatrice (civilising mission) French
town planners drafted a blueprint replete
with tree-lined avenues, a modern sanitation
system, gaslights and an opera house in the
style of Paris’s Palais Garnier. But there are
plenty of other competing influences across
a cityscape where socialist monuments,
ancient Buddhist temples with strong
Taoist and Confucian accents and, now,
luxury shopping and office complexes vie
for attention.
For many, battle-hardened Hanoi is the
ultimate symbol of
defiance. Naturally,
both residents
and visitors show
an interest in the
Vietnam-American
war – out of sympathy or
respect, if not admiration.
Still, most people show little
inclination to dwell on the conflict.
This is a city that’s busy embracing the
new. Kids make up over half the population
– two-thirds are under the age of 35. Hanoi
is an old soul with a youthful zing. And
there may be no better summation of the
uneasy balance between past and present
than the sight of teenage break-dancers
with backwards-baseball caps and sagging
jeans doing their thing in front of the Statue
of Lenin on Dien Bien Phu Street. Proof,
perhaps, that history does irony.
Christina Yu, the Hong Kong designer and
a it’s that
incOngruOus mix Of serenity
and gustO which seems tO be
hanOi’s trademarK
Hair stylist tran linh
nGo worker luu My lai
Fashionable youth
exterior of tan My Design
skateboarder chic
Christina Yu, founder of Ipa-nima
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
y a
ar
on
jo
el
sa
nt
os
happy birthday hanoi
a skateboarder takes to the air near the statue of lenin
54
tiger ta les sep-oct
55
sep-oct t iger ta les
happy birthday hanoi
founder of Ipa-Nima, a Hanoi-based brand
known for its ultra-funky handbags and
accessories, first came here in 1995, when
the city had a sleepier disposition. “Vietnam
has moved from bicycles to Bentleys in the
past 15 years,” says Yu. “Back then, most of
the population still lived a simple life and did
not have a real sense of money’s worth.”
That’s because at the time money was
decidedly tight. A generation ago people
were queuing up for rations of rice as
the national economy floundered after a
decades-long scrap for independence.
Now, well-heeled ladies stroll into opulent
shopping malls to pick up a pair of Salvatore
Ferragamo stilettos, while high-rolling
businesspeople drive to golf courses in
BMW 4WDs. Elsewhere, there are reminders
that not all boats rise with the tide – the
huckster flogging watermelons and the
shoeshine boy pitching would-be customers
at a roadside café. But Hanoi straddles
these poles with ease. This city’s got grit as
well as glamour but
with very little tension
on the surface.
While Hanoi’s elite
have taken a financial
quantum leap, much of
the city’s population lives far
more humbly. These extremes
mean visitors can enjoy gratifyingly
diverse experiences. You can lose
yourself in the clamour of Dong Xuan
Market before slurping down a bowl
of noodles while perched on a plastic
stool. Or you can browse through
the latest collections from the city’s
trendiest designers at Tan My Design
on Hang Gai Street before enjoying
afternoon tea or apéritifs at the iconic
Sofitel Legend Metropole.
You can find plenty of high-end
establishments serving ultra-refined
versions of what family-run restaurants or
street vendors sell. But for the best food, it’s
always better to sit
closer to the gutter
on a plastic stool.
Even the owners of
the town’s swankier
eateries seem to agree.
The host of World Café
Asia on Discovery Travel and
Living, Hanoi-based restaurateur
Bobby Chinn, describes the local food
as “intimate and true. There’s no bullshit
‘foo foo’ food,” says Bobby. “From the
street stall that has perfected one dish
for generations to the street merchant
who walks miles from a country village
with her goods across a pole – selling on
the streets until she sells out.”
It’s worth doing some research on
street food before setting off with an
empty stomach. No less an authority
than author and chef Anthony Bourdain
once said, “You don’t have to go looking for
great food in Vietnam. Great food finds you”.
“hanOi is One Of the mOst
unique cities in asia, but liKe it Or nOt it is driving
fOrward at a rapid pace”
this city’s gOt grit as well as glamOur but with little
tensiOn On the surface
Morning ritual on nha tho street
street vendor shouldering her wares
Chillies and spices in the old Quarter
Cyclo driver near Dong Xuan Market
server at Verticale restaurant
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
y a
ar
on
jo
el
sa
nt
os
Clothing display at designer Ha truong’s showroom
Downtown Hanoi intersection
56
tiger ta les sep-oct
57
sep-oct t iger ta les
happy birthday hanoi
However, in a city as heaving as Hanoi, there
are still mediocre versions of local classics.
If you’re lacking inside information, stick to
the seasoned traveller’s rule of thumb and
make a beeline for the busiest restaurant.
Acutely aware of Vietnam’s rich culinary
heritage, the French chef and owner
of La Verticale restaurant,
Didier Corlou, has conjured
up his own brand of
French-Vietnamese
haute cuisine. He did
so on the strength
of his encyclopaedic
knowledge of
indigenous ingredients
and his natural flair for
combinations both subtle
and spectacular – or just
plain playful, like, say pho
(noodle soup) served with foie gras.
Vibrant amalgams of the Vietnamese and
French cuisines have become something
of a sub-genre. On a similar wavelength are
Green Tangerine and La Badiane – both
housed in restored colonial-era villas, which
are coveted universally, sometimes not for
the purpose of restoration.
Just this year, a plan to sell off hundreds
of state-owned villas – which would have
left their fate in the hands of capricious
developers – was rescinded in the face of a
public outcry. Australia’s leading authority
on Vietnam, Professor David Marr, who first
came to Hanoi in 1974, remains sceptical
that Hanoi can preserve its heritage amid
runaway development. “I much prefer Hanoi
to Saigon, but fear it’s heading in the same
commercial, glitzy, high-rise direction,”
he says. “There is an informal coalition
dedicated to preserving `inner’ Hanoi, which
has scored a few victories, but no one knows
what to do with the Old Quarter.”
The Old Quarter has a street plan that
harks back to Medieval times. It is one
of the most congested urban
zones on the planet, with
833 people per hectare.
It’s a thrilling place to
eat, drink, shop or
observe the teeming
street life. But behind
the shopfronts, many
of the inhabitants
are living in squalor. A
plan has been mooted
to cajole residents away
by offering them land on the
other side of the Red River. The
only problem? Nobody seems keen to go.
Elsewhere, many of the city’s pagodas
and temples are being engulfed amid a
flurry of construction projects in suburban
residential areas. It’s also not unusual to see
a street-side restaurant operating by the
gates of a pagoda.
However, Matthew Powell, Hanoi
branch director of the UK-owned property
group Savills Vietnam, is optimistic that
development can work its way around the
city’s precious heritage. “Hanoi is one of
the most unique cities in Asia, but like it or
not it is driving forward at a rapid pace,” he
says. “But with good planning and control
systems in place, this should increase its
capacity to serve its growing population
“vietnam has mOved frOm bicycles tO bentleys in the past 15 years”
hanoi’s MusT-sees
Kinh Do Café, 1 Nha tho, hoan Kiem
District a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop beside St Joseph’s Cathedral with wonderful, strong, chocolaty coffee – order ca phe den da (iced black) or ca phe sua da (coffee with condensed milk).
sofitel legend Metropole, 15 Ngo
Quyen, hoan Kiem District, +84 (0)4 3826 6919, www.sofitel.comFor a splurge, come for
lunch or dinner or enjoy drinks on the terrace, and bask in the post-colonial Indochina chic. Built in 1901, this is one of hanoi’s most iconic buildings.
la Verticale, 19 Ngo Van So, hai Ba trung District,
tel: +84 (0)4 3944 6317, www.laverticale-hanoi.com For a culinary odyssey, order the tasting menu. possibly the only restaurant in hanoi that could plausibly pick up a Michelin star.
Highway4, 25 Bat Su or 3 hang tre, hoan Kiem
District, www.highway4.com top-notch traditional Vietnamese food and delicious fruit-flavoured, rice-based liquors as well some more potent drams.
Green tangerine, 48 hang Be, hoan Kiem
District, tel: +84 (0)4 3825 1286 Set in a wonderful old villa in the heart of the old Quarter, with an array of dishes that play Vietnamese and French recipes, ingredients and flavours off each other.
la Badiane, 10 Nam Ngu, hoan Kiem
District, tel: +84 (4) 3942 4509refined French-owned restaurant that also specialises in mixing and matching Vietnamese and French flavours.
Bia Hoi restaurants: 1 Duong thanh, hoan
Kiem District; 19c Ngoc ha, Ba Dinh District; 1 Quan Su, hai Ba trung District; 22 tang Bat ho, hai Ba trung district
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
without losing its underlying charm.“
Nightlife is one industry that hasn’t
kept pace. It’s hard to argue that Hanoi’s
fragmented bar-and-nightclub scene is in
the same league as those in other cities in
the region – it’s not even on the same
planet as Bangkok. Not that everyone
is “early to bed, early to rise”, as some
guidebooks suggest.
“After midnight you might think Hanoi is
sound asleep but in the Old Quarter bars
stay open,” says 25-year old Luu Mai Ly,
who before taking a job with a Spanish NGO
managed several of Hanoi’s most prominent
breakdancing crews. “You might be
standing outside and not know it but behind
the shutters there’s a party going on!”
Certainly no-one is shy about getting
an early start to the evening. Throughout
the city you will find locals enjoying bia hoi
(fresh beer), a sort of home-brew style lager
that’s light on alcohol and sold for pocket
change. It’s not uncommon to see hordes of
young men stand in unison shouting, “Mot,
hai, ba, dzo!” (One, two, three – in!) before
swilling the beer back in one gulp. Curious
foreigners may be invited to join. And it’s
tricky to politely refuse or slip away after
just one. Elsewhere, an old man sitting by
himself may timidly enquire, “Vous êtes
français (You are French)?” before shuffling
off into the night. That’s Hanoi to a tee – in
your face one minute, elegant and charming
the next.
there is an infOrmal cOalitiOn
dedicated tO preserving
‘inner’ hanOi
tiger airways flies to Hanoi three times per week from singapore. www.tigerairways.com
streetside bia hoi drinkers
a streetside eatery
Display windows at Vincom towers
Christina Yu
art works at Bui Gallery
offerings at Verticale
happy birthday hanoi
a floral display at Hoan Kiem lake
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
y a
ar
on
jo
el
sa
nt
os