Word Ha Noi May 2013 by Word Vietnam

Chuyên đề du lịch, ẩm thực Hanoi EDITION

May 2013

Entrepreneurs

Nhà Xuất Bản Lao Động

The editorial and design of WORD is carried out by Duong Huynh Advertising JSC

EDITORIAL aaron joel santos Photo Editor aaron@wordhanoi.com

MADs monsen Art Director mads@wordhcmc.com

francis roux Staff Photographer francis@wordhanoi.com

douglas pyper Staff Writer douglas@wordhanoi.com

hoa le Staff Writer hoale@wordhanoi.com

rose arnold Staff Editor rose@wordhanoi.com

kaitlin rees Features Editor kaitlin@wordhanoi.com

nick ross Chief Editor nick@wordhanoi.com

ADMINISTRATION Duong Vy Bao General Director bao@wordhanoi.com

Le Dang Phuong Trang Chief Accountant accountant@wordhcmc.com

ADVERTISING chau thi huong giang Sales Manager & Office Manager giang@wordhanoi.com

mark allan Graphic Designer designer@wordhcmc.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS hai@wordhanoi.com For advertising enquiries please call Giang on +84 934 640668 or Bao on +84 938 609 689 Special thanks to Ed Weinberg, Fabiola Buchele, Anemi Wick, Matt Dworzanczyk, Francis Xavier, Elisabeth Rosen, Huyen Tran, Nguyen Bao Ngoc, Bui Chien Phong, Shane Dillon, Claire Driscoll, Karen Gay, Douglas Holwerda, Truong @ Bookworm, Lan Ha, Harvey Morrison and Dr. Cynthia Dacanay for their contribution to this issue. Word is a registered trademark. No content may be reproduced in any form without prior authorisation of the owners. © Word - Duong Huynh Advertising JSC

© Tất cả hình ảnh và nội dung trong Ấn phẩm này thuộc bản quyền của Ấn phẩm Word (Ho Chi Minh city và HaNoi) của C.Ty CP TM–DV–QC–Truyền Thông Dương Huỳnh. Mọi sự sao chép không được phép sẽ bị xem là vi phạm luật Sở Hữu Trí Tuệ hiện hành của nhà nước Cộng Hòa Xã Hội Chủ Nghĩa Việt Nam.

Chuyên Đề Du Lịch & Ẩm Thực Nhà xuất bản Lao Động 175 Giảng Võ, Hà Nội ĐT: + 84 4 3851 5380 Fax: + 84 4 3851 5381 Chi nhánh phía Nam 85 Cách Mạng Tháng Tám, Q.1, TP. HCM ĐT: + 84 8 3839 0970 Fax: + 84 8 3925 7205 Email: cn–nxbld@vnn.vn

2 | Word May 2013

Chịu trách nhiệm xuất bản: Lê Huy Hòa Biên tập: Hồ Phương Lan Sửa bản in: Nick Ross Trình bày: Dương Vy Bảo Bìa: Duong Huynh Advertising JSC

Thực hiện liên kết xuất bản: Công Ty CP TM–DV–QC–Truyền Thông Dương Huỳnh 87/21/6 Đường Số 4 Cư Xá Đô Thành, Phường 4, Quận 3, TP. HCM. ĐT: + 84 8 3838 6908 Fax: + 84 8 3838 6971 Email: info@wordhcmc.com Website: www.wordhcmc.com

In tại Công Ty In Trần Phú 71–73–75 Hai Bà Trưng, Q. 1, TP. HCM. www.tranphuprint.com Giấy XNĐKKHXB của Cục XB số: 362/CXB-QLXB ngày 04/02/2013 Quyết định xuất bản số 91/QĐCN-LĐ Nhà xuất bản Lao Động cấp ngày 04/02/2013 In xong và nộp lưu chiểu năm 2013.

Contents

wordhanoi.com

MAY 2013

026

056

066

034

004 | The Prelude

columns FEATURES

090

026 RHYTHM

AND RIGHTS

The latest CAMA festival offering is upon us. Here’s the lowdown

028 A

DIFFERENT BEAT

Experimental music in Hanoi creates a new path

030 OF

HEAVEN AND EARTH

We follow author and humanitarian Le Ly Hayslip on a trip back to her roots

034 ENTREPRENEURS

From social entrepreneurs to serial businessmen, enter the world of risktakers who are doing it for themselves

046 CHEWING

THE FAT

A round-table sit-down with two restaurateurs and a chef

050 WOMAN

Beautiful DJs may seem to have it all. But it’s not so straightforward

052 TRENDSPOTTER

Two wheels are good, four wheels are bad

054 THE

BELLYDANCER

Do Thi Hong Hanh has made shakin’ your tail feather into a national craze

056 HIDDEN

BANGKOK

There’s more to the Thai capital than shopping malls, Sukhumvit and Khao San Road

060 THE

VILLAGE

062 DAY

TRIPPER

The house that laterite built The former citadel of Co Loa is a hidden surprise

Hanoi has changed, but much has also stood still

092 | The Last Call

Hamburg-based freelance illustrator Line Hove

The Prelude A

s chief editor, my role requires me to do either the first or second edit of each article. Rarely do I get to read the whole publication before we send it to print — this is the job of other members of our team. Instead I tend to understand our publication as the sum of many parts, seeing it more as a final visual entity than a whole magazine. This month, a technical error meant that I found myself giving the final magazine a thorough proof. It is years since I’ve been placed in this position, and although at first it was unwelcome — it was extra work — as I started reviewing each

article, I found myself enjoying what I read from the perspective of a reader rather than an editor. The diversity of our publication still amazes me, as do the contrasting writing styles. Certain aspects of our ethos — to have a number of writers, and to vary the number of photographers we use — helps with providing variety, a spice that adds to the perspective we provide of this city. To understand Hanoi you need to see it through different eyes. Here I feel we are on the way to accomplishing such an aim. In July we are going to make a number of wide-reaching changes to Word, changes that we hope will improve both the

INBOX Wrong Photo As director of marketing and development of Oriental Bridge Travel, I wish to thank you very much for the article you have published (Bridge of Paradise, Page 11, April 2013). However, the photo is one of a large collective junk when OBT’s junk is a private, two-cabin version. I was wondering if you could put an erratum in the next issue, with the correct photo in attachment, for which I thank you very much. — Jacques Bacon, Oriental Bridge Travel

quality and commercial viability of our publication. You will probably notice some initial adjustments. Our listings section has been reduced and with a new website on the way, the full allotment of listings will appear online rather than in print. This is a response to a changing market. However, before we make changes, we need feedback. What do you like about Word? What do you dislike? What do you feel we should improve? Anything, any thoughts, please throw them our way.

CHUYÊN ĐỀ DU LỊCH, ẨM THỰC HANOI EDITION

MAY 2013

Entrepreneurs

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN LAO ĐỘNG

Feel free to email me on editor@ wordhanoi.com. I look forward to hearing from you. — Nick Ross

THIS MONTH'S COVER Photos by Aaron Joel Santos

Do you have any comments that you would like to air? If so, reach out and touch us AT EDITOR@wordhANOI.com — we’re at your fingertips.

Typo I wanted to mention that the column title The Alchemist (April 2013, page 107) had a typo in the last issue. Maybe it was already caught, I don't know, but just thought I would pass it along. — KG Profile I was featured in one of the profiles last month and wanted to say that I could definitely recognize myself in the article. Kudos to the writer. — AMZ Bud Mo I loved reading about Vadim (April 2013, page 41) in the languages story of Communities. — JR The Beautiful Game I'm a little bit drunk, but I'm going to go ahead and say that I liked Doug's football article (April 2013, page 51). — BE

4 | Word May 2013

- Authentic Indian Cuisine Serving both North & South Indian dishes - Cozy & Ambient setting - Halal Food - Free Home Delivery - Indoor Party facilities & Outdoor catering services - For details contact Gopi 0903 266 997 Or Ms Dung 093 657 2277 Add: 47 Lo Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi Tel: (84 4) 3935 2400/01 Email: Info@namastehanoi.com Fax: (84 8) 3935 2402 Website: www.namastehanoi.com

May 2013 Word | 5

The Talk

thE big 5 / Just in / the buzz / calendar / overscene

On Checking the Status of Things

t’s upsetting to watch the unfolding of tragedy. It’s upsetting and exhausting to watch the unfolding of a drawn out tragedy. It’s upsetting and exhausting and confusing and a little creepy to watch it from the comfort of Twitter. Among the many effects of this month’s global news was for me the bulldozing of reality in Hanoi. From a rather uneventful third-floor apartment, a road to the surreality of the internet was paved and worn smooth. After one particular week of page-turning and link-clicking events, what once felt like a lightly trodden path to see how the other side of the world was doing, quickly turned into a constantly travelled highway. This month in the land of the internet, in addition to the bombings at the Boston Marathon, the ensuing shootings and dramatic manhunt, were mass arrests and beatings of protestors in Venezuela, the staggering continuation of the Syrian civil war, and the hair-raising nuclear muscle flexing of North Korea. The world followed,

6 | Word May 2013

we were there, watching and clicking and sometimes commenting. The benefits of such omnipresence are clear. The magnitude seven earthquake in China that injured over 5,000 people was followed by 500 million users of Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) being alerted to how they could help their neighbours and friends — it started a discussion on better reporting.

Absorbed but Cut-Off As sequestered as this city feels at certain times, one can never be truly cut off from the world if one has WiFi and working fingers. But being cut-off from the world and being completely absorbed in the play-by-play happenings of somewhere else are separated by a fine line. When something of import in another part of the world completely takes you out of your presently lived life, it would seem that you have crossed that line. After a series of what seemed like endless upheavals, particularly in a place that I consider close to my centre,

I can say that I spent a great deal of time ‘away’ this month. The need for constant news and constant updating, this clicking into various corners of the world, does something to one’s present place. It expands it. Hanoi becomes as wide as the reaches of the internet and that is wonderful, — it is very modern. But it also diffuses and confuses the place. It is harder to be present here when you are constantly travelling to the land of everywhere-everyone-always. Compared to everyone-everywherealways, Hanoi cannot possibly feel as real or as relevant. With Twitter’s distinct power to make one feel more alive than real life does, with its millions of things happening simultaneously every second in exactly the place you are watching, staying in this city and looking up becomes a conscious effort. But a necessary one. Finding a balance between being informed and being absent is of the hour, because this city is a pretty good one to be present in. — Kaitlin Rees

Photo by: Saad Faruque

The internet muddles the concept of place

THE

big Artwork is Work: ASEAN Music Festival

watch out out for for this this month month Things to watch

20 x 20

images

seconds

Pecha Kucha After far too long a hiatus, PechaKucha is back. If you haven’t been before then brace yourself for a series of informal presentations from a diverse group of creative Hanoi residents. PechaKucha’s trademark format of 20 images displayed for 20 seconds each keeps things snappy and stops anyone from waffling on too long. As PechaKucha events at 432 cities around the world attest, it works. If you’ve got something to say, then contact pechakuchahanoi@gmail.com to see if there are any spaces available for May. PechaKucha will be taking place at the Hanoi Cinematheque, 22A Hai Ba Trung, Hai Ba Trung on May 30. Doors open at 7pm with the first presenters taking the floor from 8pm. Entrance is VND50,000 or free if you have a valid student card

More than Music This month HRC is opening up its doors to music and more. South Rakkas of the Mad Decent label, on May 11, is one to not miss. On his 10-year anniversary tour, the duo of Dennis ‘D-Rakkas’ Shaw and Alex ‘Alex G’ Greggs, will bring “rugged dancehall, shameless pop, hipster electro bangers, rude dubstep — f_ck it, South Rakkas does it all,” to Hanoi Rock City for one night only. To change up the pace, HRC will also host Encounter Maps, a combination of drawing and performance. Clémence Bardaine, plastic artist, and Natacha Milosevic, actress and director, work with charcoal, the human form, and “a sheet of paper as a country, a world, a planet and the other... YOU. Paper as skin, a stroke as an organ, a design as a house.” The performance on May 2 will be followed by an artist talk on May 7. Hanoi Rock City is at 27/52 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho. Check www. hanoirockcity.com for updated information

Hanoi’s first ever ASEAN Music Festival hits the capital this May, providing a much needed introduction to the summer and all things artistically ASEAN. Put together by CAMA Vietnam and the US Embassy, Vietnam, the event aims to showcase contemporary music from Southeast Asia, highlight issues of Intellectual Property Rights in the region and provide a platform for creative youth culture to thrive in Vietnam’s capital. The schedule is looking pretty packed already with bands from Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, The Philippines and of course Vietnam,

all looking to show off what the ASEAN bloc’s got to offer. Further adding to the party atmosphere is a creative arts flea market run by the hip young women at the Hanoi Flea Market and The Onion Videophonic Workshop representing visual arts via local cool-geeks, The Onion Cellar. Artwork is Work: ASEAN Music Festival will take place at the American Club, 19 Hai Ba Trung, Hai Ba Trung on Saturday May 11. Proceedings kick off from 2pm and run until 11pm. Entry is VND300,000 or VND100,000 for ASEAN passport holders. For more info and chances to win free tickets, check out www.camavietnam.org

Gulliver For anyone who enjoyed the recent theatrical treats offered by TNT — Macbeth and Oliver — the UK-based theatre company will be returning to Vietnam this May with Gulliver’s Travels. The stage version of this epic will be performed on May 8 at the Hanoi Opera House and May 10 and May 11 at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House. Doors open at 8pm and tickets can be purchased in advance from both opera houses (VND600,000 for adults, VND300,000 for students). For further enquiries email hoang.phan109@gmail.com at the Vietnamese Performing Arts Centre or Grantly Marshall on gma@adg-europe.com

Pencils, Paper, Privates Hanoi based Scottish artist Heather Chan is turning up the volume of the creativity in the city. With a series of life drawing classes at Hanoi Social Club every Thursday at 6.30pm, she leads participants through two hours observing the finer points of the human figure. The classes focused on bodies are balanced with a beginners drawing class every Monday evening at Hanoi Rock City, also from 6.30pm. AND, Heather is also running the art space / workshop that is a part of the ongoing bi-weekly flea market called Mincity at Hanoi Rock City. Hanoi Social Club is at 6 Ngo Hoi Vu, Hoan Kiem and Hanoi Rock City is at 27/52 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho. For both classes, materials will be provided, so please register beforehand by emailing heathchan@yahoo.co.uk or signing up on Facebook at Hanoi Art Classes. Mincity will take place at Hanoi Rock on May 19, starting at 11am.

Just In Foodshop ( but

The Sky’s the Limit Rooftops are in! No, they’re hopelessly passé — no, wait, they’re so passé that they’re achingly hip again! Celebrate with the latest addition to physically high society at Cielo13. Promising food, wine, cocktails and great views, this new high-above-the-city skybar and restaurant is set to open this May. Cielo13 Sky Bar & Restaurant is on the top floor of the Sun City Building, 13 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem. Check their website for details, cielo13.com.vn

Zenith Café Opening There is nothing that anyone in the world could possibly want more than a biscuit and a coffee after an hour spent breathing fire and positioning oneself as various warriors. That is to say, Zentih Yoga Studio has opened a café at their second location on Duong Thanh. The café is open from 8am until 5pm, with later hours soon to come, and offers a selection of drinks and healthy snacks. Zenith Yoga Studio II & Café is located 16 Duong Thanh, Hoan Kiem

Metiseko Opens More Stores One of Hanoi’s favourite homeware stores, Metiseko has increased its national presence by opening two new stores in Hoi An. Tourists, locals and expats will be able to get their hands on Metiseko’s eco and stylish goods at two additional outlets in what is now known as Hoi An City. Using only eco-friendly materials and espousing a sustainable ethic within the garment industry, the new stores offer a welcome change to the sometime sweatshop-like, cheap tailoring of Hoi An. Metiseko will be opening stores at 3 Chau Thuong Van, Hoi An and 86 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An. To see what they’re all about go to www. metiseko.com

8 | Word May 2013

not at number

45)

It’s small. It’s skinny. And it’s got the dark bamboo, creams, red tartan tablecloths and other worldly atmosphere of its mother restaurant in Truc Bach. But at Foodshop’s second offering on Hang Buom, the focus is on all things 'set'. Costing just VND85,000 per offering — the set menus here come with papadam, raita, vegetable salad, Indian bread and rice — each day the menu changes. Take Mondays, for example. At the time of writing, vegetarians can go for the tomato-infused, cottage cheesebased paneer butter masala, while meat eaters can hit up the chicken curry. On Tuesdays this changes to the vegetable korma and the British staple, chicken tikka masala, while on Wednesdays it goes to the lentilbased dhal tarka and the tomato, onion and capsicum curry, the kadhai chicken. It’s a concept that stretches to the weekend, too, where four options take up the set menu. Of course, the menu that Foodshop 45 has become wellknown for is also available, but if you want to make your meal quick and have it all wrapped up in one, easy-to-cope-with option, then the new eatery on Hang Buom is great for anyone looking for some Indian spice in the heart of the Old Quarter. In June the proprietors are adding a tandoor oven to provide some on-the-premises kebabs to add to the mix.

Foodshop 45 Take 2 is at 32 Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem, opposite Ta Hien. Tel: 3991 9299

Casa Italia They may be late to the party, but hey [Latin shrug] they brought treats. To celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations, the Italian Embassy Hanoi has opened Casa Italia, a cultural space to rival L’Espace and the Japan Foundation. With Italian companies like Piaggio and CAE footing the bill, the Italian House looks set to host cultural events from press conferences and product launches to film screenings and exhibitions. As is to be expected it’ll also be a one-stop-shop for those seeking to find out about Italian culture through to language classes. Casa Italia is located at 18 Le Phung Hieu, Hoan Kiem, which also happens to be the former ambassador’s residence

HANOI

TANNOY

Always agreeing with someone is the dumbest form of support It would be diplomatically so savvy if they did We’re all opposed to ostentation, it’s what brings us together. In general people seem pretty depressed here.

The Only Irish Pub in Hanoi As a place that claims to be ‘Hanoi’s Only Proper Pub’, Uncle Joe’s Irish Pub is certainly worth dropping into. With pub-like elements such as Guinness, draught beer, Irish stew, all-day big breakfasts, a pool table and dartboards, this new venue has pub-like décor to match. It’s spacious, too — a nice change from some of the more cramped watering holes doing business in this city. Uncle Joe’s is open every day from 10am to midnight at 45 Nguyen Truong To, Ba Dinh

I didn’t want him to think I was like, planning our marriage. So instead you started planning your break up? Interesting new trait: I don’t feel as if I should be somewhere else. Fashion TV could stand to get some better jackets. All I can hear is ‘blah blah blah blah’. Will there be men at the sausage night, or just us girls?

Late Service Delivery They say the key to a successful business is knowing your market, and LSD certainly do. From their frat party name to the Grand Theft Auto homage of a menu, these guys are going straight for the Unistudent-cum-English-teacher who stays up all night. Operating from 6pm ‘till 5am every night of the week, these guys offer a party on demand and are willing to supply everything you need from spirits to fags to playing cards to condoms. Straws are free. Call the services of Late Service Delivery (LSD) on 6290 7907

May 2013 Word | 9

The Exhibitionist Hanoi Social Club Gets Musical

Clothing and Process Revealed It’s a fashion show without a runway for clothes that are partially unfinished. On May 18, Hanoi designer Vu Thao will officially launch her line of men’s and women’s wear, Kilomet 109. Because a great deal of what makes Kilomet 109 stand out is its use of technique, the process and story of how the clothes were made will feature just as much in the launch as the clothes themselves. With both finished and unfinished pieces, Thao will showcase her new collection at Module 7, which is where it will stay for retail. Kilomet 109’s launch is on May 18 at 5pm at Module 7, 83 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho. Entrance is free and the event is open to the general public

Millenium Jazz Jazz it up at French restaurant, Millenium (11B Ngo Bao Khanh), every second Thursday of the month — in May, in case you’re wondering, that would be the 9th. It is then that jazz band Domino will be performing. We know next to nothing else other than it’s jazz. So if music, drinks and French gastronomy is your thing — and really, why would it not be? — make your reservation by calling 3828 7207.

This month Hanoi Social Club is continuing a line up of bluegrass-meetsother-colours of grass. On May 18, Ze Champagne Unicorns will bring their trio of ukelele, cello and violin to the venue from 8pm. As this combination of instruments pairs nicely with burgers, you can get yourself one of these, and hey, how about a beer too? Later in the month will see Vu Nhat Tan of the Vu Nhat Tan Group who will not be playing bluegrass as it is traditionally thought of, but perhaps more of an icyblue grass of electronica. Paired with the dan tranh, the music might as well be enjoyed with a beer and a burger, too. Ze Champagne Unicorns will play on May 18 and VNTG will play on May 25. Both shows will start at 8pm with a VND100,000 cover charge at the door. The Hanoi Social Club is at 6 Ngo Hoi Vu, Hoan Kiem

Just go to the Goethe The Goethe institute continues its knack of delighting Hanoi with what German culture has to offer. The Munich Chamber Choir will be providing music for lovers of all things classical. In collaboration with the Vietnam National Ballet and the Academy of Music they will bring a bit of Beethoven to Vietnam in celebration of Europe Day on the May 9. For the eyes, however, Goethe is preparing a more contemporary feast. Comics, Manga & Co will exhibit the BOOM! and ZANGS! of 13 German comic artists. The display of 55 comics will show a range of work that highlights the versatility of all things illustrated. The Munich Chamber Choir will perform a preview concert on May 4 at the Vietnam National Academy of Music on 77 Hao Nam. Two gala concerts are scheduled on May 9 and May 10 at the National Opera House. Comics, Manga & Co will open on May 8 at 6.30 and will be displayed at the Goethe Institut until Jun. 2

Palimpsest Celebrated artist Nguyen Phi Phi Oanh is forgetting convention and going inside the box for her latest project, Palimpsest. She has converted the downstairs area of the L’Espace building into a giant lightbox, projecting light and shadow onto translucent screens. The result is poetic encounters for those walking down Trang Tien in the evening, with different images produced each day. Oanh has worked before with lacquer and will continue the relationship here, using lacquer to make the slides that will be projected onto silk screens stretched over wooden frames and placed behind the windows of the building. Palimpsest is taking place nightly at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, from Apr. 17 until May 24 with the visuals starting from 6pm

HCMC: +84 8 3933 0065 HaNoi: +84 4 3941 0805 E: info@santaferelo.com.vn www.santaferelo.com

May 2013 Word | 11

Points of View By Matt Martin

Sometimes tourist photography can drive you mad

sit and wait for someone to snap. If you transposed the same scenario into any western capital city, retaliation would be inevitable. The Old Quarter cafe where an outburst seems most likely has patrons spanning students to retirees, and my temper makes it easy to imagine all kinds of potential kindling. Suddenly the foreigner’s camera intrudes without any warning, a step away, maybe less, and the flash — the flash — fires in someone’s face. Life’s frustrations have pushed me to the limits of civility already... Yet while I glare at the snap happy tourists, the Vietnamese coffee drinkers in the vicinity barely blink. As an expat, it’s difficult for me to claim any moral high ground when it comes to an unearned sense of entitlement. I’m a student working part time who’d probably be living with his mum in Melbourne’s rental market hell were it not for the inequitable magic of foreign currency exchange. My entire Hanoi existence is an unearned entitlement. I’m here for the advantages of a lifestyle unsustainable back home. Some days it’s a certain kind of freedom; while opportunity, excitement, and escape are always there in equal measure. On bad days I catch myself expecting these privileges as if they are deserved. Worse, as if the city owes me them.

Attitude The way certain types of tourist photographers shake off tact’s shackles is a personal frustration because it’s symbolic of an attitude. These people would never accept being treated like part of a tableau, a service for foreign visitors, unworthy of

12 | Word May 2013

as many couples and groups out taking pictures of each other for the fun of it. For all the unabashed staring, local photographers have never mimicked the tourist photography technique. No one shoves a camera in my face, no one fires their flashes at me. Being “more relaxed” about tolerating behaviour isn’t the same as embracing it.

Why oh Why?

even mimed thanks or acknowledgement. Yet here in Hanoi they perceive the right to inflict such treatment. I joked around with the proprietor of the popular Old Quarter cafe in the aftermath of a Du Lich Xanh Green Tourism vehicle drive-by. She told me locals’ attitudes are “thoai mai hon” — more relaxed — about that sort of thing. But it does make me realise how photography-friendly Hanoi is. Cameras are everywhere — in omnipresent phones, in an enviable density of high-end digital SLRs. Their lenses and accessories are passed around, discussed and compared, cradled or dangling from straps attached to their often teenaged owners. Although sunny days entice the standard wedding party weather opportunists, Hanoi’s lakes welcome just

I asked my language teacher to explain. “Van hoa Viet Nam vua mo vua dong,” she explained — Vietnam’s culture is both open and closed. The hinge between outsider and insider trumps the familiar public/private divide. It’s not as if this grating approach to photography is condoned because sitting streetside invites it. It’s more like a free pass from etiquette’s one-way valve. The way life bleeds over into communal spaces muddies the borders of one’s personal image in public. And those borders, she says, aren’t worth the fuss of a direct confrontation to defend. I don’t want to pretend I’ve gotten a proper handle on it. I admire street photography’s results with no pangs of guilt, which means my iron principles come down to shades of subtlety. But the contrast ratchets up real fast when you watch the worst offenders in action, and wonder how that attitude infects other aspects of their stay here. So I still sit, petty, waiting for a reprisal. A local photographer perhaps, beating the interlopers to the draw, whips out their own camera and shoots back. If only to inspire a moment’s self-awareness. Because seriously. Flashes?

The Buzz

Cycling Yoga

Sick of being ripped off by taxi drivers pretending they don’t know where you are going, or deliberately taking you the long way round? Well, apparently, Tappxi is your savior. The app for iOS and Android allows customers to contact taxi companies to request a taxi and obtain live information en route. Whereas most taxi applications are limited to showing a list of phone numbers, Tappxi relies on the internet feature of the smart phone to provide precise details of the route and cost of the journey. Having put in an address, the user can show it to the driver and avoid common misunderstandings. The application features the display of the most effective route and a fare calculator. Through a combination of GPS and internet methods, Tappxi ensures a pleasant journey by making it easier to spot rogue taxi drivers. Tappxi can also help taxi firms who treat their charges fairly stand out. For more information check out tappxiapp.com

Hanoi Cooking Centre Accolades If you are one of those (us) who are always looking for a new reason to brag about this city, The Hanoi Cooking Centre has just given us one. Last month, the cooking school was listed in Travel and Leisure Magazine as one of the best in the world. The New York-based magazine’s readership of over 4.5 million, which is well over 4.4 million more than Word, puts the Hanoi Cooking Centre on the world circuit of cuisine-focused travel. The centre runs four-hour daily cooking classes that include a hands-on guided tour to local markets and they also host street food tours for a sampling of Hanoi’s speciality dishes. With Vietnam’s cuisine getting more international attention, and particularly one of our own favourite spots, we can all sit back with a little more unearned selfsatisfaction in the place where we live. For more information contact the Hanoi Cooking Centre on info@hanoicookingcentre. com or stop by at 44 Chau Long, Ba Dinh

Photo by Markus Steffen

Smarter Phones, Smarter Passengers

It’s not exactly jelly and ice cream; more like ice cream and sticky rice, which is why it may be a good fit for Hanoi. The Hanoi Bicycle Collective’s latest endeavour to get you fitness-focused and purchasing bicycles is Cycling Yoga. Get your daily dose of outdoor cycling and yoga to boost your four cores of endurance, strength, flexibility and balance. It’s probably a better way to start the day than a Hoa Ma beefsteak. Cycling Yoga takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays every week. The cycle sets off from the Hanoi Bicycle Collective, House 44, Lane 31 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho at 6.30am with the yoga segment starting from 7.15am. Email hanoibicycle@gmail.com to register

Very Ngon If you like your tea towels to be more than just an occasionally damp multi-coloured rag, more of a home accessory than a kitchen necessity, the latest designs of Very Ngon Homewares will make you reach for your purse. Faded photos from a Vietnam long gone on aprons, cushions and postcards have been what they do, but mostly images of South Vietnam. But now pictures of what was once Tonkin and is today the city you are probably reading this in have made it to the collection. Very Ngon products are available at Tan My Design, 61 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem and L’atelier shops at 21 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem and 33 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho

May 2013 Word | 13

{ nerd's World} **

Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. — A Retro-Digital Tale

Beers, Bands and Banter

y tama has taken to smiling after making a poo. I named him Brian. He’s not especially well-trained. I tried an experiment with him that I’d never try on a real pet or child. I fattened him up with candy until he reached the max weight for his age — 99 ounces. I never play with him, as the candy both fattens him up and increases his happiness rating. I don’t know where this cruel impulse came from. Here’s a disclaimer: I’m not the kind of nerd who really gets into this. I never had a tama to have fond memories of. A couple of hours into Brian beeping his discontent or poop pride, I shut the sound off. When I do play games with him, I play to win. I poke him on my iPhone’s touch screen to make him jump around. The app is a re-release of the classic beeping keychain, playing on the memories of the international kids craze that saw over 76 million of these virtual pets sold worldwide. It was so widespread at one point that schools had bans on them. People wrote fan-fiction about them — “They sounded like an undiscovered species of fantastic digital birds,” said Troy Blackford in Proper Care and Feeding. It is clearly playing on some heartstrings.

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Nerd Time Machine Taking my fat little tama around town, I watched as he elicited coos and smirks. It triggered a few memories. After posting screenshots of his progress on Facebook, some girls wrote giggly comments like, “i like to play with him again hihi^_^”. One smirking friend called me Brian’s ‘host’. Another said, “It’s boring Eddie. It’s a digital bullsh_t you waste your time on.” I fell somewhere in the middle. At first he amused me. I wouldn’t say I developed emotional attachments. I diligently cared for the first, unnamed edition until he died at the age of five. It didn’t phase me too much. Then I started turning the lights off on Brian while he was still awake. But here’s the thing — raising a Tamagotchi isn’t an activity for my 31-year-old self. It’s an activity for my 15-year-old self (still too old) to live through again, for the lunch table I sat at every day in high school. To a generation who lived through its eggshaped tsunami, it’s a chance to remember the easier days, when losing to a dozen-pixeled creature at rock-paper-scissors was enough to keep everything right with the universe. — Ed Weinberg

Beerfest Asia is just hitting its stride in its fifth edition, to be held from Jun. 13 to Jun. 16 in Singapore, a four-day festival of the beer lifestyle and the other fun stuff that goes along with it. On tap for the weekend are comedy and music performances, beer auctions, tasting workshops, a craft beer experience in which brewers take attendees from hops to home brew and 300 different kinds of beer from all over the world. There will be funky beers (UK’s Hollows Ginger Beer), overwhelming malts (Germany’s 11 percent EKU 28) and everything in between. Melbourne’s premiere Creedance Clearwater Revival tribute band, The Fortunate Sons, will be on hand to ensure it all keeps on rollin’. Tickets to the Jun. 13 to Jun. 16 festival go from S$15. Check beerfestasia.com for more info

Cleaning up Ha Long If you’ve been kayaking in Ha Long Bay, you’ve most likely had dark thoughts about all the Styrofoam, candy wrappers and other floating debris in the water. You’ve probably sighed and shook your head and said to yourself, “someone should really clean this up”. Well, here is your chance to put your time and effort where your disapproving sigh and judgment are. Handspan Travel Indochina is organising their annual Clean Up Tour in June that will bring tourists in kayaks to the remotest parts of the bay, visiting quiet lagoons and sandy beaches, all the while collecting the floating rubbish. This will be the seventh consecutive year that the tour is offered as a means of raising environmental awareness. To book your place in the Clean Up Tour that will run Jun. 22 to Jun. 23, visit www.handspan.com or email guilhem@handspan.com

Intrepid Adventures

Focus on Lao Cai Vietnam in Focus have been organising photography tours in Northern Vietnam since 2012, and this May they will continue with a photography safari to Lao Cai. Over the weekend of May 25 and May 26, a group of six budding photographers will travel overnight by train to Lao Cai and then by motorbike to a traditional H’mong homestay near Bac Ha. Over the weekend, participants will enjoy an epic motorbike ride into the mountains of northern Vietnam, a trip by longboat up the Chay river and a visit to Bac Ha’s exhilarating ethnic minority market, returning to Hanoi by train early on Monday morning. The workshop with professional photographer Colm Pierce will focus on landscapes, portraiture and storytelling with images. See www.vietnaminfocus.com for more info and book up at info@vietnaminfocus.com.

That heat that’s been pressing down on you lately is just a reminder that it’s time to go snooping around summer deals. Hanoi Urban adventures is offering a 20 percent cut off Boats & Bikes in Hoi An, a night of street food in Hanoi and essential beach lazing. Their offers are available online (hanoiurbanadventures.com) and can be booked until Jun. 30 for travel dates until the end of September. Use the promo code UA20 to get your discount

Do it for Mum Digital Storytelling Summer Workshops Looking for something worthwhile for your kids to do this summer? Then Hanoi-based educational consultancy the Learning Project Asia’s digital storytelling workshops are the answer. Students from ages 12 to 18 can join for between one and six weeks to develop research, collaboration and problem solving skills through short photo and film projects. Learners are guided by experienced educators and will be encouraged to bring their own interests to the projects they develop. Each week will also involve hands-on workshops and field trips led by experienced creative industry professionals to help the participants build the skills involved in making engaging digital stories. Students earn badges and develop an online portfolio of their projects that can be used to support and showcase their learning. Unmissable for nurturing little auteurs, or anyone who’s going to have to survive in the digital age. The venue for the programme is Concordia International School, Duy Tan, Cau Giay. Workshops will run from Jun. 17 until Jul. 26 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. To get more info or find out how to sign up visit www.thelearningproject.asia/summer2013 or email ccampbell@ thelearningproject.asia

Calling all mums, alert your loved ones that it is a) Mother’s Day on May 12 and b) Van Chai Resort has a number of ways for them to show their love and devotion. Expressions of affection include 30 percent off rooms at the resort, 15 percent discounts on food and drink, and 20 percent off spa treatments. There’s ten days to enjoy these offers, so excuses will be even harder to come by. Van Chai Resort’s promotions will run from May 10 until May 20. For all the gossip, contact the Hanoi Sales Office by phone on 3717 2438 or email at sales@vanchai-vn.com. If you want to check if Van Chai Resort is the kind of place you’d want to take your mother, then see how they present themselves on their website —www.vanchai-vn.com

May 2013 Word | 15

In the Papers The Best of the VietnameSe Press

Smartening Up A plan been approved to provide VND2.070 trillion (US$96 million) for training officials and young talent abroad over the next seven years. Under the plan, Vietnam aims to provide Master’s degree education to college lecturers at higher education institutions, employees of research centres, and those working for government ministries and other state agencies. The country will also send gifted young people in science and other specialisations to undergraduate programs in foreign countries. It is hoped that through this scheme, 1,650 such people will graduate with a Master’s from overseas institutions and a further 150 others will graduate with a university degree. Priority will be given to universities in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia.

XP (Dark Ages) Users Beware

Books are for Life The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revealed last month that Vietnamese people read a mere 0.8 books a year on average. The announcement was made in the run-up to the Festival of Books and Reading Culture 2013, titled The Book that Changes Life. Deputy Minister Huynh Vinh Ai made a passionate speech about the importance of books, and Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, of the ministry, said that compared to other countries in Southeast Asia, Vietnam was lagging behind. Nguyen Quang Thach, who initiated the project to bring books to the countryside, said that he conducted a survey in 2011. All 253 respondents, farmers, said they did not read any books. Rural children read 0.2 to 0.8 books per year, compared to five books per year for urban kids. The third Festival of Books and Reading Culture was held at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi on Apr. 20 to mark the World Book and Copyright Day.

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Microsoft announced last month that support for Windows XP — which it is believed to have surfaced in the late 19th century, but due to some technical issues is still being used by millions around the globe — will end on Apr. 8, 2014. With this announcement, there is one year left for Vietnamese users to upgrade to newer operating systems instead of the 11-year-old Windows XP. If users are running Windows XP after the support ends, they’ll truly be left in the wilderness.

Sign of the Times Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City say they will remove banners and neon signs with illegal designs to ensure urban traffic safety in the city — and punish those responsible. They will also set more regulations on banners, including requiring them to show names of management entities or producers, in line with business registration licenses, along with their addresses and telephone numbers. Horizontal banners will be fixed at a maximum height of two metres while the length is not allowed to be longer than the home front width. Vertical banners’ width and height is restricted to one metre and four metres respectively. The height of the signage is not allowed to surpass that of the building where they are installed. In addition, writing on banners must be in line with Advertising Law — which regulates the size of a foreign language not to be scaled at over three quarters of that of Vietnamese. When broadcast on radio, television channels or in other media, Vietnamese advertising content must be expressed before foreign content.

10pm Curfew Rejected by City Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have rejected a proposal to ban sales of beer and wine after 10pm — not surprisingly, as it would destroy the local economy. This is despite growing issues policing the streets after dark and dealing with drink driving. According to statistics, in the first quarter of this year there were 213 drink-related incidents in the city resulting in 178 casualties and 70 people injured. Compared to the same period last year, that’s 55 more cases, 34 more deaths and five more people injured.

Aussie beef is Tops The Australian Embassy in Hanoi has rejected information that beef imported from Australia to Vietnam did not meet food safety and hygiene requirements. Australia pledges to continue to ensure food safety and beef quality when exporting to Vietnam.

InterCon Danang splashes on Conde Nast InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is the first Vietnamese resort hotel to be featured on the front page of the world-famous Conde Nast Traveller. The plush resort, which officially opens its doors to the public on Jun. 1, is one of the 16 properties from Asia to be featured on the Hot List this year in the prestigious global travel magazine’s UK and US editions. The magazine annually chooses the best hotels around the world, and this year the flagship of IHG’s resorts in Vietnam is among 154 honoured. The An Lam Saigon River Private Residence in Ho Chi Minh City and Banyan Tree in Lang Co near Danang also made the list.

May 2013 Word | 17

May CALENDAR MON

TUE

WED

Last day of Traditional Japanese Dolls exhibition. @ Vietnamese Women’s Museum

Photography Exhibition: Etonnant Vietnam. Until May 15 @ L’Espace

Japan Handmade: Crafts and Design Workshop. From 2 to 5.30pm @ Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts

Gulliver’s Travels. 8pm @ Hanoi Opera House

Cycling Yoga. 6.30am @ The Hanoi Bicycle Collective

Roll out of summer menu. @ Metropole Hanoi

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Character-based improvisation workshop. With Robert Marchand, until Jun. 3. Visit www. theblackbox.vn for info

Millenium Jazz. @ Millenium (11B Ngo Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem)

The Apotheosis of Dance. May 16 and 17, 8pm @ Hanoi Opera House

you must

Future Living Studio Open Day. 4pm to 7pm @ Room 507, Ta Quang Buu Library of Bach Khoa University

Last day of Bonne Nuit Exhibition. @ 21 NORTH (49 Lang Yen Phu, Tay Ho)

Sausage Night. 9pm, find it yourself

THU

VNTG. 8pm @ Manzi

PechaKucha. 7pm @ Cinematheque (22A Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem)

To have your event included in our calendar, please email news@wordhanoi.com by no later than May. 20 with a description of the event and a high-res photo

FRI

SAT

Munich Chamber Choir. @ The National Academy of Music

Artwork is Work: ASEAN Music Festival. 2pm @ American Club

Les Femmes du 6e Etage. 8pm @ L’Espace

SUN

Luala Concert Spring Summer 2013. 4-6pm @ 61 Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem

mother's day

Ze Champagne Unicorns. 8pm @ The Hanoi Social Club

Palimpseste Exhibition. Until May 24 @ L’Espace

VNTG. 8pm @ The Hanoi Social Club

May 2013 Word | 19

OVER

SCENE Art Talks Jacqueline Hoang Nguyen’s art talk at Manzi got the crowd discussing multiculturalism and the use of humour in art, without cracking a smile.

Photos by Bao Ngoc

Photos provided by Manzi

Hanoi Soundstuff

Short and Sweet

With the stunning back drop of the Hanoi History Museum and a line-up of genre bending artists, the opening day of Hanoi Soundstuff Festival was never going to be boring.

HITS Spring Shorts had their most informal season yet by moving from traditional theatres and into Chez Xuan’s laid-back restaurantcum-bar space. The result was one of the longrunning amateur theatre’s best series yet.

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M: 097 675 06 44 - david.shinn@alliedpickfords.com.vn M: 0122 514 1848 - joel.garbutt@alliedpickfords.com.vn

Photos provided by Trang Tien Plaza

Trang Tien Plaza

Hanoi: David Shinn HCMC: Joel Garbutt

The iconic Trang Tien Plaza reopened with all the stereotypical pomp youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d expect from auch an event. Traditional music was played, speeches were given in front of podiums and pop sensation Dam Vinh Hung turned up to supply a bit of star power.

Wildlife Awards Education for Nature Vietnam, with USAID, hosted the Outstanding Service in Wildlife Protection Awards Ceremony at the Hilton Hanoi Opera. Photos by Tyson

May 2013 Word | 21

Insider

solid gold / rhythm & rights / entrepreneurs photo by Matt Dworzanczyk

Portrait

Solid Gold The story of Loc Vang and his music is like a sad and yet heartening song of love forever. Words by Hoa Le, portrait by Aaron Joel Santos

his is not the first time Mr Loc Vang has stood on this stage. It’s certainly not the first time he’s sang the epic ballad love song The Boat Isn’t Docking by the great composer Dang The Phong. But the 68-year-old — immaculate in dark pink shirt, neatly tucked in, neck-tie and a fine pair of shoes — looks as if he has prepared for the most important show of his life. In the cozy café named after himself, his voice is both full of echo and yet smooth, delivering poetic lyrics:

and contributing to the growth of society. “Any songs that contained words about romantic love were banned,” reflects Loc Vang. Golden music, he explains, gradually became associated more with the colour ‘yellow’ (vang means both yellow and gold in Vietnamese) rather than with gold itself. “It’s the yellow of the autumn leaves that are about to fall and die. The beautiful songs that were once considered the country’s treasure were judged to be too sentimental and dispirited; they made listeners lack energy, [become] pale and weak.” As a result of his musical tastes, together with six friends in 1968 Loc Vang fell foul of the authorities while singing and playing the guitar. It led to 10 years behind bars and a further four without rights as a citizen. “It was hard… feeling shamed and disgraced,” he recalls. “But I can’t give up my love for this music. And history has proved that those songs have a truly high value.”

techniques and extensive performances. This is possibly true, but on the other hand, the early 1930s was a time when people here faced one of the toughest periods in this country’s history; the colonial administration was applying an extortionate taxation system and was trying to tighten its control over its territories. According to Tu Ngoc, many musicians and composers of the 1930s found that the romantic European melodies were perfect for expressing the depressed feeling of the era. Popular songs of this time are full of the sadness and the emotional feeling of heartbroken love, Tonight the fall has arrived with the cold crisp wind expressed with poetic lyrics. Nguyen Van Thuong, Dang Thai Phong, Doan Tonight the fog has blurred the cloud bottom line Man and Van Cao are some of the Someone’s boat is floating apathetically in the river A Love That Never Fades great musicians whose songs helped In 1987, one year after doi moi, golden music define this new type of music. Their As if it was missing somebody so much that it lost its way… was officially re-acknowledged and freely ballads mark the pinnacle of this era distributed. All the songwriters from that of Vietnamese artistic development. time were once again bathed in glory and No one listening in the audience today was A Yellow Kind of Sadness the determined and vivid Loc Vang started probably even born when the songs were thinking of composed, nor did they experience the The afternoon hasn’t gone completely, but the darkness has already fallen opening his suffering of the period when this song was own café and written. But through Loc Vang’s voice and The sound of the bell from somewhere echoes gently music venue passion, and the charming melody, it seems to continue every single word of it has touched people’s The birds slowly flap their tiring wings to sing nhac deepest emotions. Bring along the grey clouds in the sky… vang. The noise from the street, the honking If nhac from outside, seems to have disappeared. Winter night / The soldier stares to the direction where his home is and he feels sad vang were The singer’s voice and music feel like the Winter night / Sitting next to the window, a woman is missing her husband a woman, only sound that can be heard in the packed Loc Vang room. A young woman gazes out of the door — Winter Night by Nguyen Van Thuong would be her at West Lake, just across the street from the most loyal café. There’s a gentle breeze, enough to make “I have a strong feeling when listening to and steadfast lover. After opening at a few ripples on the surface of the water. these songs,” says Loc Vang. “Their smooth places which shut down, his latest venue Worth its Weight melodies and meaningful lyrics are so good has now become a regular destination for Loc Vang acquired his nickname because it that I’ve been in love with them my whole music lovers. Some of those who come want means Mr Loc who sings nhac vang ‘golden life.” Music and his love of it has indeed to reflect on one period of history, others music’. The music is so called because it shaped his destiny. It moulded both the man to simply appreciate the smooth, tender was considered to be as valuable as gold now in his 60s and his fortunes. melodies and the poetic lyrics. It has also at the time it was born. Its origin is rooted In 1954 the Geneva agreements were become a popular performing space for in the early 1930s during the French era signed and Vietnam was divided. With the amateur singers who love these songs. when this type of music was also known French departed, the mood in the north was But the night is getting late and the last as ‘new music’, distinguishing it from the understandably anti-Gallic and the only melody of the last song is being sung: traditional five-note musical scale used in music broadcast were the traditional melodies of Vietnam. patriotic songs that Outside on the veranda, the autumn rain is gently falling. Across Europe new forms of music supported the ethic of The somber sky is quieting, suspended clouds are scattering… were becoming popular, but in Vietnam communal working at this time it was the Romantic Era. In and manufacturing. — Autumn Rain Drops by Dang The Phong, translated by Jason Gibbs his book Vietnam’s New Music: Its Path Golden music was and Achievements, Tu Ngoc discusses banned. Partly whether this was because Vietnam, as a less because of its association with colonial times, developed, colonised country, just wasn’t and partly because the sentimental lyrics Loc Vang Café is located at 17A Duong Ven Tay able to follow trends that required advanced were not seen as conducive to hard work Ho, Tay Ho, Hanoi

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May 2013 Word | 25

INSIDER

Rhythm and Rights This May, a new festival enters the Hanoi music calendar as Artwork is Work: ASEAN Music Festival makes its debut. CAMA Vietnam’s Douglas Pyper explains why it’s different.

013 marks the first Artwork is Work: ASEAN Music Festival, an event that aims to promote contemporary Southeast Asian music. Often overlooked in modern culture or simply dwarfed by the cultural powerhouses of China, Japan, Korea and the rest of the world, ASEAN bloc music is

26 | Word May 2013

little-known outside of Asia, and perhaps even under-appreciated at home. So, in an effort to defy the critics and to instill some pride in Southeast Asia’s creative youth culture, CAMA Vietnam and the American Embassy in Hanoi have unearthed five bands from across the ASEAN bloc capable of reversing stereotypes.

Bloodsugar Politik Myanmar That’s right, they’re from Myanmar. As the country slowly opens up, Myanmar nationals are looking for stages on which to share their culture with the world. The Yangon music scene is completely unknown outside of the country, so the appearance of Bloodsugar Politik at an international music festival couldn’t be more timely. With more than a decade of writing energetic music together, the band — formerly known as Big Bag — is as tight as you could hope for with a fanbase to prove it. Big Bag sold out stadiums before changing direction in 2010 after being introduced to foreign musical styles by international bands. The new project Bloodsugar Politik is an intoxicating blend of rock, punk, ska and folk with lashings of energy and subtle undertones of Burmese classic rock.

Molam International Thailand Molam International is a one-of-a-kind group formed by Zudrangma Records (Thailand) and brought together to perform vintage molam with 21st century vibes. Their blend of Isan musicianship, powered by one of Bangkok’s funkiest rhythm sections, was formed by recruiting veteran molam musos like phin master Khammao Perdthanon and khaen maestro Sawai Kaewsombat and adding the drive of local rockers Piyanart Jotikasthira (bass) and Phusana Treeburut (drums). Their shows in Bangkok are a riot of furious Isan rhythms and dancing bodies as Thai traditional music is fused to the future sounds of rock. No one else in the whole world looks or sounds like this group — which is why they’re the unanimous choice to headline the first ASEAN Music Festival.

MUON Singapore

18+

Singaporean five-piece MUON is a musical collective delving through electronic experimentation and beat science, fusing together bricolages spanning IDM, ambient trip-hop, and jazzy cinematic soundscapes. With four critically acclaimed albums available for download online, MUON have all the evidence they need of their creativity and talent. MUON have taken to the big stage for festivals like the Mosaic Music Festival, The People’s Party, Baybeats and represented Singaporean music at the British Council’s global music project Musicity. On May 11, MUON will again be responsible for bringing Singaporean music to a global audience.

Rock and metal are massive in Vietnam and the cream of the crop right now is 18+, five Hanoi kids on the way up. In the last year they’ve gone from unknown to blowing away fans up and down the country at Rockstorm. That’s a swift rise, but these home-grown, nu-metal heroes have the sound to fill expectations. In Hanoi venues, 18+ have had young crowds going wild as their heavy sound and brutal vocals have struck the right chord with Vietnam’s youth. At ASEAN Music Festival 2013, Vietnam’s next big thing will be able to show an international audience what Vietnamese bands can do.

Vietnam

Hold on a Second…

Pulso Philippines The Philippines is full of great musicians and bands, many of whom have come to play Hanoi in the past, such as Caliph8 and Up Dharma Down. This year’s model is Pulso, an experimental, ambient-driven group signed to the excellent Terno Recordings label. Pulso do melody and rhythm, matching patterns and overlaying acoustic harmonies, transforming them into dreamy post-rock tunes.

Adding to the carnival atmosphere of the festival, Hanoi-based mover and shaker youth groups will be doing their thing. These are groups who have made a big social difference within their communities. Film and music promoters The Onion Cellar will curate a visual arts center, while the Hanoi Flea Market will oversee a creative arts flea market featuring some of the most talented and innovative stalls in Hanoi. As per the festival’s title, another aim of the festival is to support Southeast Asian artists by raising awareness about Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). One of the biggest barriers to ASEAN region musicians, artists, illustrators, filmmakers and other creatives is the lack of IPR enforcement. As long as artwork is viewed as something that should be free, then those in the creative sectors will remain unable to commit themselves full-time to their craft, and unable to compete on the world market. With a little luck Artwork is Work: ASEAN Music Festival will change assumptions, support artists’ rights and give Hanoian music fans a great day out.

The Low Down W hat : Artwork is Work:

ASEAN Music Festival 2013

W here : 19 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem W hen : Saturday May 11, 2pm to 11pm T ickets : VND300,000 on the door;

VND100,000 for ASEAN passport holders. If that seems like too much for your wallet, then keep an eye on the festival website for details of how to get your hands on free tickets.

For more info on the event and the bands see www.camavietnam.org

May 2013 Word | 27

Q&A

A Different Beat Can experimental music change things? Fabiola Buchele meets Kim Ngoc, composer and founder of Dom Dom, a new not-for-profit experimental music organisation in Hanoi. Portrait by Aaron Joel Santos What happens at Dom Dom? We have three ‘feet’. Like the tripod underneath a heater, you need three feet to be stable. The first one is education. This programme contributes to raise a new generation of young experimental musicians — we are going to collaborate with some mainstream music institutions and conservatories. The second ‘foot’ is developing a creative platform for working, collaborating, exchanging ideas, getting feedback from the public and presenting the work. The final ‘foot’ of Dom Dom is an audience development programme. We’re not aiming to increase audience numbers, but to have a more involved audience for experimental music and art.

Does an experimental art scene exist in Hanoi or are you creating it now?

colleagues that you can discuss things with or talk about a common topic. So, isolated is the main feeling for me.

How important is collaboration with young musicians? Collaboration means communication. Having a dialogue, making conversation, I think that is the most important element in contemporary experimental music and in the world nowadays. We need to communicate; we need to enlarge minds by touching and approaching wildly different people. And the second reason is in this conservative and what, for me, is a weak education system in Vietnam, the creativity of students and artists are not encouraged.

Do you think art and music in themselves can be agents of change?

It exists, but as different pieces everywhere. That’s the reason why I initiated Dom Dom, to bring those together. We [want to] create an automated system beside the already mainstream system, which is not very supportive of experimental contemporary music.

Yes I believe that. For me experimental and contemporary music, from my very personal point of view, bring me into a new level of creativity and communication. Just because of the structure of innovation, how avant-garde this music is. [Art and music] treat the human mind in creative ways and give freedom of expression.

What is your experience as an experimental musician in Hanoi?

Will Dom Dom’s work be accessible for a wide range of people?

Isolated. Actually I don’t have colleagues. Well not enough, a few. And they all have different backgrounds. It is not easy to grow up in a scene where you have one colleague that understands you, or one or two other

We are going to build it up little by little. At the beginning I don’t expect to have open access immediately, you need time. Inside everything you have an element at the centre. For me the education is that element at the

centre. We create energy around the artists and then [this] will attract the audience.

What challenges are you anticipating? We have more difficulties and disadvantages than advantages. We don’t have a good and stable foundation to build up contemporary art and music. That means in reality we don’t have anything. We have to buy a brick, we have to start from a brick and then get more and more, and then start building.

Why educate people about contemporary art? First of all you give them an option to know about the rest of the world, [something] that they have never experienced. The second is we inspire them in a very different way. The way they are learning at the conservatory is a very traditional way, based on our culture, based on our system, and that is not a creative way.

Why in Hanoi. Is it ready? It is not about Hanoi’s time. It is my time. I feel ready. It took me more than a year to analyse the scene here and talk with people from different institutions, different artists. And I connect what I imagined myself to the possibility and capacity of the society and community to realise the idea. In the underground a scene exists already. But I think experimental music is still more for foreigners than Vietnamese people. I want to fix that.

“We don’t have a good and stable foundation to build up contemporary art and music. That means in reality we don’t have anything. We have to buy a brick, we have to start from a brick… and then start building” 28 | Word May 2013

Of Heaven and

Earth

Fabiola Buchele spends three days with writer and humanitarian Le Ly Hayslip on her most recent trip back to her hometown. Photos by Harvey Morrison

e Ly Hayslip’s double bed, in a modest hotel room in Danang, is a sea of sparkly pink. Stacks of polka dot leggings, frizzy skirts and Disney princess-adorned t-shirts take up almost her entire sleeping space. They are donations from her two American granddaughters — girls whose lives are almost a perfect opposite to the one Le Ly chronicled 20 years ago. It is a life that has brought her from war to peace, from poverty to comfort. When Le Ly told the girls about her trip they raided their wardrobes, wanting to give her some things to take to give to the children here. Their grandmother seems to have succeeded in passing on to them what she has made her life’s work; sharing what has been granted her with people less fortunate. Born during the French war and

30 | Word May 2013

experiencing adolescence at the centre stage of the American invasion, Le Ly left the country for the US in 1970 aged 21. Upon returning to Vietnam 16 years later, she wanted to give back something to those she left behind. Helping alleviate their poverty became her focus. Her deeply personal account of life during the war served to raise awareness and Le Ly has poured every penny she can spare back into her ‘motherland’. She founded two NGOs — the East Meets West Foundation and the Global Village Foundation. Between them they have funnelled millions of dollars into Vietnam’s education and health care development.

A World Away Today, a strong-willed woman of 64 and full of energy, Le Ly strolls along a stretch of beach which bears no resemblance to its former self, the one 3,500 Americans

landed on Mar. 8, 1965. Danang has long since embraced progress and development; the seafront is lined with five-star resorts and top-end restaurants. As she meanders through the sand she talks of the childhood home that she has watched shape-shift. It is almost impossible to imagine that the life so vividly described in her autobiography When Heaven and Earth Changed Places took place close to this now prosperous holiday destination. “Each time I come here I see the city progress, they think I will be very happy to see [the difference from] what I saw back then and what I see now. [Indeed] I was very sad and very disappointed when I saw what I saw 25 years ago,” she says. But she is also weary of the pace and nature of the change. “I really do want Vietnam to change, I really want Vietnam to progress. But it turned out those things happened, no doubt, but then

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“As long as people will listen she will share the wisdom she has gained from the exceptional feat of turning a life of war and turmoil into one of peace and tranquility. Her life, she says, has come full circle”

what is the price? I want to see how we protect our motherland, keep our tradition intact and keep our people going with a better life.” But Le Ly is not the kind to lament too long over such city developments; she cannot be sure its impact on the local community is all negative, and she has no say in it either way. After an early morning meditation and a 6am swim in the silvery shimmering water of the East Sea, it is back to her schedule. She has been invited to talk at Green Shoot International School in Hoi An. 14 kids are sat on cushions, eager to meet the lady whose story has been part of their curriculum. Their classroom is lined with posters of people who have prospered against the odds. Amid images of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and antislavery activist Harriet Tubman, Le Ly tells her story, painting a picture of yet another exceptional woman, one who grew up in a place physically close to the children’s homes but many miles away from the reality of their lives. When Le Ly first embarked on the project of jotting down her memories she had no clue just how irreversibly it would alter her life. “I didn’t know how powerful the book would be. I didn’t understand that the

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book would be [translated into] 17 different languages or that it would take me from A to Z on all different levels,” she says. But never does she tire of retelling the story that first hit the bookshelves 23 years ago. “Each time I tell my stories in a different way. If the audience is young, like today, I talk about my water buffalo, my duck, my chicken.”

Friends, Family and Ancestors It is 6am on a new day, and time for breakfast. Le Ly wants to get some banh cuon before joining the family celebration in honour of Hung Vuong, founder of Vietnam. She wanders the streets of central Danang looking for the woman who used to roll her delicate rice parcels, by the hotel she was a regular at; Le Ly is loyal to people she has taken a shine to. As during numerous other encounters with old friends there is a tangible love for Le Ly at this breakfast joint, despite her pleaded insistence that she is an outcast and regarded as uncomfortable and perhaps strange. But it seems she has managed to find enough other fringe dwellers and people who have a deep-rooted respect for her to give her the support she needs. Just how seriously she takes her duties to look after her ancestors becomes clear when she starts prepping the family temple she

built on her father’s land 20 years ago. It is huge, similar in size to the bamboo-rimmed family home behind it, with ample space to accommodate not just her own ancestral line, but the spirits of the home plus nameless family members twice removed, without offspring of their own, to offer them the occasional pineapple and look after their needs in the afterlife. Le Ly has prepared for this with a trip to the market — a long shopping list in hand and a niece in tow to make sure she gets local prices and the best produce. She is purchasing offerings for her ancestors. “You have to look after them, so they look after you,” she says explaining what she has bought. There are gorgeous banana bundles, which her late mother loved; the plumpest mangos; incense sticks; stacks of candles and paper offerings to the family members that have long passed away. Le Ly is a highly spiritual woman. She says she has felt the protection of more than one spirit during her lifetime — especially when she and the war around her got her into some tight spots.

Full Circle Le Ly grew up as the youngest of seven children. Her oldest brother and sister, who have both seen their 80th birthdays come

“Her deeply personal account of life during the war served to raise awareness and Le Ly has poured every penny she can spare back into her ‘motherland’”

and go, are alongside her, getting ready to invite the spirit side of the family to join them for the country’s founding celebrations. A calm settles over the little compound as incense is lit, a table is laid and the three Phung siblings make their offerings. Amid her family, with a simple ao dai thrown over her comfortable western leisurewear, this Viet Kieu gentlewoman seems at ease. “If I could I would live here like a nun. I chant, I pray, I teach classes for kids to behave well,” she says. A wish reflected in the words she exclaims, as she passes through the lush patch of nature between Danang and her village, “How can you not love it here? You get the fish, you get the snail, the shrimp. You get the greens from your garden. Rice paddy. A water buffalo as your pet. What more do you want?” Although Le Ly occasionally mentions old age and has started to think about where she will one day rest her weary bones, she is not there yet. There is still work to do. She still has more libraries to donate, she needs to coordinate her volunteers, she needs to give more talks. As long as people will listen she will share the wisdom she has gained from the exceptional feat of turning a life of war and turmoil into one of peace and tranquility. Her life, she says, has come full circle.

The Story Behind the Woman Le Ly Hayslip is a Vietnamese American author and humanitarian. Born in 1949 in a hamlet just outside Danang she experienced the end of the French occupation as a child and was 12 when the first American soldiers arrived. The period that followed is one of personal horrors — these are later recounted in her autobiographies — and survival against the odds. She married her first husband,

an American civilian, and left Vietnam for California in 1970. After returning to Vietnam 16 years later she wrote her two books, one of which was turned into a movie by Hollywood director Oliver Stone, Heaven and Earth. She has since founded two humanitarian organisations — East Meets West and the Global Village foundations. Le Ly is both a three-time mother and grandmother. She lives in Los Angeles.

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Photo by: Faith Goble

Entrepre neurs “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” — Thomas Edison

In this city businesses seem to pop up like mushrooms in the night. New additions — cafes, places to eat, new shops — constantly emerge as if from nowhere. Some last, some don’t, but the ones that don’t are quickly replaced by yet another incarnation. As a country, Vietnam might be new to private business, but it’s clear that people here have been quick to seize the opportunity to make money for both themselves and their family. The same is true for a number of foreigners. They have come to a new country and seen a chance to add something of their own, to find a niche, to make something of their time in Vietnam. Entrepreneurs find new ways of doing things. They take risks, they look for and make opportunities, they initiate and create. That entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well here in Vietnam, and it is a spirit that we document over the following pages.

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Right Time, Right Place With so many businesses timing is everything. It’s not just about having a good idea, it is about having that idea when conditions are right to succeed. Words and photos by Matt Dworzanczyk

o Viet Anh left Vietnam as a kid. In the Czech Republic he picked up his passion for skating and his European mindset. Figuring that college wasn’t right for him, he dropped out and came home to Hanoi, bringing his enthusiasm, influences and ideas with him. At 10 years old, Ricky Forester would put on his protective body suit and get taken down by angry Rottweilers, which he was helping his father train as guard dogs. Years later, leaving his Texas hometown for a new life in Vietnam, he didn’t know what lay ahead. What do these two, as well as many other individuals, have in common? Well, for one thing, they both happened to be in the right place, at the right time. Viet Anh is now the owner of successful skate and lifestyle store Bo Sua, and Ricky Forrester has established himself as a professional dog trainer here in Hanoi.

Getting the Look As a young skater in the Hanoi of early 2000s, Viet Anh was feeling out of place. Despite the international boom in the skating culture, the movement was nearly nonexistent in Vietnam. The only gear available were a few poor quality skateboards from China. As Viet Anh says, “when you skate you want to look like a skater.” But quality imported products were not available. With the recent opening up of the economy, and with society already beginning

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to shift away from old-fashioned values, Viet Anh and his brother saw an opportunity. Demand was high, their friends all wanted to dress like them, and so they thought, why not bring some skate gear to Vietnam? “I started to realise that we could do something very big here that could affect the Vietnamese youngsters,” says Viet Anh. “Money wasn’t a goal, it was all about spreading a message. People think that Vietnamese products are not good quality — we wanted to change that. We wanted Vietnamese people to be proud of the products made here, in Vietnam, by Vietnamese people.”

A New Need For Ricky, training dogs has always been mostly a hobby. Coming to Vietnam, he was pretty certain he’d have no chance of working with dogs here. Yet when he arrived he found that things here were changing rapidly and so were people’s attitudes towards their pets. “It’s a different relationship with dogs here [in Vietnam], they’re always on a chain or in a cage, but the last two years it’s really been changing,” he says. “The ideas about pets are changing. People want more family-like relationships with dogs and not just things to make noise outside. People are getting more western dogs, more expensive dogs, they’re caring for them, wanting to go to better vets. There’s an increased need to get those dogs trained.” Ricky noticed many people buying dogs

based on appearance rather than researching their breeds. Many people were getting working breed dogs like huskies, malamutes and labradors, athletic dogs which are typically used for active, physical roles — pulling sleds, sniffing out drugs and acting as guides. Owners who kept them as pets were soon finding the dogs to be unruly at home. Suddenly they had a need for training for their dogs, which they lacked knowledge of, creating a demand for professional dog training services. That’s when Ricky realised that he could turn his passion into a successful business model. With no money to start anything big, he began training dogs out of his living room. Starting with a few friends’ dogs, the word quickly spread and more space was necessary. In his new house, with a big garden, he now manages to care for 10 dogs or so at a time. “I already need a space three times the size of my garden to keep up with the business. It’s taking off quick!”

For the Love of It In both cases, the businesses launched at the perfect time, catering to the new demand created by the rapidly changing society. But neither was driven by capitalist values, instead both were looking to involve the very communities that made it possible for them to combine their passions with work. “I wanted Boo City to be something new in Hanoi,” says Viet Anh. “This concept is known around the world — you have a coffee shop, a store, open spaces, like a mini

“As in every successful business, just being in the right place at the right time in the beginning isn’t enough. Markets develop, people change and the business owners work hard to stay on top”

shopping mall. But before us, we didn’t have that in Hanoi.” He also wanted to empower Vietnamese youth, but he wanted to do so in a responsible and fun way. Combining environmental messages with marketing events and modern art, he and his team organised T-shirt design contests, spreading cultural and socially responsible messages to the youth. They also worked with local schools on promoting proper sanitation in creative, child-friendly ways. Working with local communities, Rick also recognised the special importance of the younger demographic. Through his involvement in dog shows and various community dog groups, he’s been meeting youngsters and now seeks to educate them further about dog training and pet care. “Some people seem to think that Vietnamese dogs should be kept on a chain and foreign dogs should be taken for a walk,” he says. “But especially now, with Vietnamese breeds like the Phu Quoc dog becoming internationally recognised, this is changing and people are starting to regain pride in Vietnamese dogs.” Ricky finds people get unusually excited

seeing him walk his dogs. Few of his walks are complete without several stops. People ask him questions and everyone wants pictures, not with him so much, but with the dogs.

From Small Beginnings As in every successful business, just being in the right place at the right time in the beginning isn’t enough. Markets develop, people change and the business owners work hard to stay on top. Ricky’s big hope for the near future is to start a responsible dog-breeding programme. Working closely with kennel associations he hopes that soon bad puppy mills and dog abuse can be prevented. He’s training young people up to be his assistants and he’s looking to expand into a larger space. From a small skating shop started for a niche market of friends, Bo Sua has grown and expanded. Within just ten years, they have become one of the leading fashion brands for young people in Vietnam. When their original store grew and expanded from a niche to the mainstream, Viet Anh was sad to see some of his old customers disappear. At heart he is still a skater, and he was

happy to see the kids he once skated with go on to launch their own skate-shops aiming to influence the following generation in the same way he did and still continues to do. He is now releasing a new line of clothing intended for an older demographic. He’s looking to open more stores, in more cities around Vietnam. He also hopes to expand to foreign markets. His personal goal, though, goes back to the very beginning. Viet Anh’s dream is to open a skate park in Hanoi where he hopes young people can get a chance to discover themselves and develop their dreams into something bigger, just like he once did.

Information A lpha D og T raining S ervices

Contact Ricky Forester by email on kcirocol@yahoo.com

B oo C ity

The main store is at 308 Ba Trieu, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi. Check out the website for more information and to see the clothing lines — www.bosua.vn

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Intellectual Disabilities Who: Dr Do Thuy Lan Role: Director, Morning Star Centre What: Provides early detection and intervention for children with intellectual disabilities and autism Where: Khu Noi Chinh, Vu Trong Phung, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi; www.morningstarcenter. net

n the early 1990s Dr Do Thuy Lan was given a scholarship to study in Holland and learn about intellectual disability. On her return to Vietnam she set up a class at the hospital to help children with autism or other learning difficulties. It lasted two years before being closed down as it wasn’t ‘hospital treatment’. But nothing was being done in the education sector, so children were left without support. In 2001 Lan opened the Sao Mai Centre, again with the continued support of Dutch health experts and with the encouragement of parents whose children had attended her earlier classes. But in 2010, funding streams the centre relied on were redirected to more rural areas and Sao Mai had to find its own money to stay open. With help from The Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion, they started offering teacher training services to earn an income. Gradually they made the switch to a social enterprise model.

Child Creativity Who: Nguyen Dinh Nguyen Role: Founder and CEO of To He What: Fashion and home décor Where: 70 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho, Hanoi; www.tohe.vn

Lan says the business is going really well. “We now offer several kinds of services such as early detection and intervention for mentally handicapped children, providing training sessions to staff of clinics or organisations that wish to have such special classes, and services to test children’s mental development.” They also have a café, where the older children help out to build confidence and skills, which brings in some extra money and they offer extras such as photocopying. There are 210 children having lessons and treatment at the centre and 92 members of staff including doctors, nurses, kindergarten teachers and specialists. “Seeing children in the centre getting better and better day by day is my most rewarding thing in this job,” says Lan. “They call me ‘grandma’ and at times I feel as if I am their family. I’m just motivated to help them get better.”

guyen, an artist, has worked with NGOs, many involved with children from disadvantaged backgrounds or with disabilities. “In those projects, we mostly played with the children and taught them to draw,” he says. He always thought it was a shame that so many of the children’s paintings that he loved ending up being discarded. Then he got the idea to start To He (the name of a traditional Vietnamese children’s toy) selling products decorated with children’s pictures. “I find in it the true value of art: the spontaneous personal expression, freedom, and cheerful colours,” says Nguyen. The children the company is involved with are disadvantaged, many in orphanages. The company gives 50 percent of its profit to the children’s centres that they work with. Nguyen and his wife established the business in 2007, but they were only part time initially. Not everything was

The Bottom Line Business isn’t just about maximizing profit or revenue. Hoa Le explores the world of social enterprise. Photos by Francis Roux

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ot all entrepreneurs are motivated by profits and the bottom line. Some want to use their business ability for a different kind of outcome, an outcome linked with doing good and supporting worthy causes. Due to the reclassification of Vietnam from being a ‘low income country’ to a ‘low middle income country’, funds from overseas have been cut in favour of countries in direr straights. The organisations affected have either had to find a way to maintain themselves or close. We spoke to three Hanoi-based entrepreneurs motivated by social aims.

Micro Finance and Tourism Who: Nguyen Phuong Loan Role: CEO of Bloom Microventures What: Microcredit and responsible tours, farm-fresh produce, workshops and field trips Contact: www.bloom-microventures.org

straightforward, and they felt their lack of business experience at times. Over the first couple of years they struggled to make any profit at all. They did what they could to support the children’s organisations that they worked with. “Once you have started and established an emotional connection with those children, it’s hard to stop. I just couldn’t do it.” But it was difficult. In 2011, with positive feedback about their products and philosophy, they made the decision to go full time. That decision paid off — today they employ 16 staff members, who work on marketing, design and production. Their product range has grown to 70, they plan to open two new shops and to export products for sale overseas. “We also organise regular drawing competitions in which we encourage parents and adults to pay more attention to their children’s creativity as well as provide a playground for children to be creative.”

loom Microventures combine responsible tourism with helping poor farmers via micro loans. Visitors get to visit remote areas in Hoa Binh and meet local people. Each trip funds the loan of approximately VND2million to a farmer to help them with a business idea. “We work very closely with the local women’s union to select the female entrepreneurs,” explains Loan. The candidates are incredibly poor with no resources to help them change their circumstances. Sometimes business consultants will help the farmers develop a strong business proposal. The interest on the loan is 1 percent, which goes into the Women’s Union fund. If after a year the loan has been repaid, that person will be considered for a bigger loan of VND4million. Bloom Microventures was initially started as an NGO by a group of foreigners. But since Loan and Tran Huong Ly, the legal

representative, took over the running of the company, they have had to make it self-sufficient. “To be honest, we’ve only taken over the new position for a few months, so I can’t avoid feeling a bit nervous,” says Loan. “But I believe that our products and our strong philosophy will be a good foundation for our business to boost up.” They have started extra strands of the business such as the fresh farm foods project. They sell fruit and vegetables on behalf of kitchen garden farmers in Hoa Binh and Soc Son. For small-scale farmers, it can be incredibly difficult to find a market for such tiny amounts of produce. The project gives them a small income. Bloom also offers workshops and field trip tours to school students in international schools. “It’s a unique experience for them and [allows them] to get out of the city and interact with farmers and nature.”

“Over the first couple of years they struggled to make any profit at all. They did what they could to support the children’s organisations that they worked with. ‘Once you have started and established an emotional connection with those children, it’s hard to stop. I just couldn’t do it.’”

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A Head For Business Elisabeth Rosen meets some pioneering entrepreneurs and finds out how two decades of economic reforms have changed Vietnam. Photos by Francis Roux

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n the shadow of the rusted Long Bien Bridge, a slender man in his 30s lifts sharp-edged durians from cardboard boxes. The bare electric bulb hanging overhead illuminates the name of the company written on the side, which is also his own: Thuy Thuan. Like other vendors in the capital’s wholesale produce market, Thuan conducts most of his business in the hours between 2am and 5am. From his shop near the entrance, he watches the endless flow of customers, backs stooped under baskets and motorbikes loaded with boxes of fruit. Later in the day, these buyers, now working as vendors themselves, will be able to sell that produce for a significant mark-up. After 10 years in the business, the wholesale vendor from Ha Tay has only one piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs — “You have to love your job.”

Getting Down to Business Before the economic reforms of 1986, this would have been a radical sentiment. Private enterprise was forbidden. In a society where owning your own business wasn’t an option, work was something you did because it was your duty, not necessarily because it was something you loved. But when the reforms altered the direction of Vietnam’s economy, many people started to open their own businesses. During the 1990s and early 2000s, people who had previously worked for the state or in agriculture struck out on their own. Many of the entrepreneurs interviewed for this article can recall previous lives as farmers, factory workers and government inspectors. As new entrepreneurs, they offer more than a rags-to-riches story of going from nothing to something. Their experience also sheds light on how Vietnam’s economy and culture have changed in the last two decades. Today, people are grateful for the freedom to decide what to sell and how much to charge. And although people here still don’t define themselves by their occupation in quite the way many westerners do, there’s a growing sense that work should be enjoyed. An entrepreneurial mentality has been ingrained in western culture since the earliest days of capitalism. But after the market reforms, many Vietnamese people had to teach themselves how to be entrepreneurs. Here are some of the lessons they learnt.

Be an Expert Before opening her hardware store on a busy street five years ago, Yen was a farmer in the rural outskirts of Hanoi. Today, she looks completely at ease among the scattered pipes and infant formula cans filled with various sizes of screws and nails. “You have to be able to advise customers, which means knowing everything about what you sell,”

explains the petite owner, clad in flowered leggings and a bright red shirt. “So someone comes in and wants a pipe. What kind of pipe? How thick?” Yen’s aunt, who also owned a hardware store, was her primary resource. She also spent hours on her own learning about the trade. Asked whether she’d ever faced any business problems, Yen gives a bright smile, a gesture of keeping face, a vital obligation in Vietnamese society, where admitting to failure is seen as particularly humbling. Even if she did have difficulties, the smile indicated, she wouldn’t admit to them. “No,” Yen says. “Everything’s gone just fine!”

Get Experience First During the 1980s, Binh worked for the authorities in quality control. Something to do with machinery, she explained, waving her hand dismissively as if to say that it wasn’t really worth going into detail. She’s more interested in talking about her current life. After taking early retirement in the 1990s, she opened a small photocopy shop in 2003. Today, the compact shop, lined with neat rows of pens and notebooks alongside copiers and printers, turns a steady profit. “My father said photocopying was a good business,” Binh says, brushing back an auburn curl. “Back then, there weren’t many photocopying shops around, so I had more customers. Then everyone in the neighbourhood saw how well I was doing. They wanted their own shops!” Like Yen, Binh says that she has other relatives who had started such businesses; a convenient support network that could also help explain why barely anyone interviewed admitted to going through business difficulties. She also advises prospective entrepreneurs not to rush into things. “Work in a shop for a year or two. Then when you

“Today, people are grateful for the freedom to decide what to sell and how much to charge. And although people here still don’t define themselves by their occupation in quite the way many westerners do, there’s a growing sense that work should be enjoyed”

feel like you have enough experience, open your own.”

Timing is Everything Mai opened her salon in Tay Ho 12 years ago, after taking several beauty classes in Ho Chi Minh City. Leaning back against the foilcovered wall as one of her employees polishes her toenails, the young woman explains that she loves every aspect of the business from styling hair to applying makeup. There aren’t any customers in her shop, but perhaps it’s an unusually slow afternoon. When asked if she’s had any problems, she gives the standard face-saving headshake. She does, however, offer some advice. “You have to choose the right time to open your business,” she says. “Right now, the economy isn’t doing so well, so it wouldn’t be a good time to open a business.”

Short-term v Long-term Investments Chung opened her rice noodle restaurant three years ago. Located down the block from the Syrena Shopping Centre, the unpretentious eatery feels worlds away from the shopping mall’s luxurious atmosphere. “I didn’t want to sell things on the sidewalk and I really like noodles, so I opened the restaurant to earn money,” she says. Chung is no stranger to owning a business. Before opening the restaurant, she was a tailor, but she closed the shop because it wasn’t making enough money. Still, that experience taught her a valuable lesson. “There, the turnover was long-term, so you might not make a profit for a while,” Chung says. “Here, you buy ingredients in the morning and you get the return on your investment back by the end of the day.” Still, restaurant owners are particularly vulnerable to one problem — fluctuating prices. “Sometimes the chicken or beef price changes, but I can’t change the menu every day,” she says. “So I have to absorb those costs.”

Keep Overheads Low Bich sits on her shady patio, underneath a CAFE sign. During the 1980s, she worked in a factory but when she retired early she gave up hope of having a pension, so had to earn a living on her own. Five years ago, she opened this cafe on the bottom floor of her house. Once, the second floor hosted her daughter’s business, a photocopy shop, but it closed when the daughter had children. The cafe has few customers, mainly elderly regulars who linger for hours over their coffee with condensed milk, but Bich enjoys the leisurely pace. She has thoroughly embraced the freedom that owning one’s own business offers. “Because it’s my house, I don’t have to worry about paying rent,” Bich says, grinning widely. “If there are no customers, I just close.”

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The Art of Copying It is said that every good idea and product in Vietnam gets massively and immediately copied. Kaitlin Rees*ponders and plunders to ask; is originality really that important? Is all art theft? (1,9)

here are so many ideas out there already; one really does not need to create more. To me, making something new has become secondary to pointing at something that already exists. (2) And after all, copying is not easy. People who copy a business model and do it well have to be smart. It is interesting to question who has the most success: the innovator, the early adopter or the copier? (3) The whole question of what is real and what is apparent is a bad question. (8) When you are talking about a concept, an idea, where is the true beginning? How can you possibly trace back the origin of an idea? (3) I don’t understand why anyone buys real Ray Bans anymore when the copies are everywhere you look. The only thing that really matters in sunglasses is the lens having proper UV protection. The weight, the brand name, I don’t see why someone would pay €300 for something that also

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costs €2. (6) It’s like buying medicine; you either get the generic or the name brand, and the only difference is how much you spend. (7) You can ask about a real Rolex and a fake Rolex or a real cream or a non-dairy creamer. But you can’t ask about reality in general. Real only has a sense when it’s applied to something specific. (8) It is interesting how what we often value is not real — copying makes us question what it is about a branded thing that makes it worth so much money. We’re buying into illusions. Like the Plato story about shadows in the cave. (9)

Production and Reproduction In principle a work of art has always been reproducible. Man-made artifacts could always be imitated by other humans. Replicas have always been made by pupils in practice of their craft, by masters for diffusing their works, and by third parties in

pursuit of personal gain. (10) But original paintings are still unique; they look different from how they look on TV or on postcards. Reproductions distort. Only a few facsimiles don’t. A painting by Leonardo is unlike any other in the world. The National Gallery has the real one, it isn’t a fake; it’s authentic. If you go to the National Gallery and see this painting, somehow you will feel this authenticity. Standing in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, I notice bulletproof glass encasing the painting. I imagine pulling out a semi-automatic and letting loose on the da Vinci as polyester-clad guards rush me from behind. Then I snap back — this is the Mona Lisa, finally I am seeing it for real, in the flesh. It’s masterfully painted and exciting to view on the wall instead of in an art history book or on a coffee mug. But I feel let down — how can the real thing ever compare to the hype surrounding it? (11) Nearly everything that we learn or

“I understand that you may want to start your own thing. But you don’t have to be identical. Do something different… You start your own business. You open across the street… But why make it identical? Why are you confusing customers?”

Notes * The entire content of this article has been copied and pasted from various sources — not a single word is the author’s own. Thank you to the following people, who may or may not have stolen their ideas and words from somewhere else: 1) David Payne, email April 18, 2013 2) Kenny Goldsmith, On the Media: Plagiarism: maybe it’s not so bad, episode 8, March 8, 2013

read about art encourages this attitude or expectation. (12) There are those who say that if art is not dealing with distribution, if it’s not dealing with replication, if it’s not dealing with copyright, then it’s not contemporary. These really are the issues of our time and they are at stake everywhere you look. Our culture has moved past the stagnant ideas of originality. (2) There isn’t a further question about what something really is. All there is to know is a story of how the words are used. (8) Does that mean we are trapped within the stories we tell ourselves? That it becomes a question of choosing which story appeals to us in our imagination most, to what flatters our self-image the most? (13)

Make it Different I understand that you may want to start your own thing. But you don’t have to be identical. Do something different. I mean, even though if you get my recipe, you stole

my recipe. Or you didn’t steal it. You just know it. I taught it you. You know it. You worked here for many years, then you know the recipe. You start your own business. You open across the street, the next block. I mean, that’s your choice. I can’t do anything about that. You know, that’s how it is. But why make it identical? Why are you confusing customers? (4) If you’re, like, a kung fu student, if the master didn’t teach you, how are you supposed to learn? But I won’t copy you. We do your own thing. You do your own thing. There’s a difference between the two restaurants, we made a new menu. Take a look at it. (5) The choices that we make are as expressive of ourselves as any kind of personal narrative we might tell. (2) On no account do I wish it were original. For originality is novelty to us, and nothing is as dear to me as things as old as the world itself. (14)

3) David Payne, email Apr. 19, 2013 4) Hanco, owner of Vietnamese sandwich shop recorded on This American Life, July 16, 2010 5) Huy, Hanco’s former employee and new business competitor 6) Kim Rojas at brunch Apr. 7, 2013 7) Claire Barnard at brunch Apr. 7, 2013 8) Richard Rorty in conversation with Robert Harrison on Entitled Opinions podcast, Nov. 22, 2005 9) Rose Arnold, email, Apr. 13, 2013 10) Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 1936 11) Heather Rogers, Still Seeing: Berger’s Critique of High Art Turns 30 12) John Berger, Ways of Seeing, 1972 13) Robert Harrison in response to Richard Rorty on Entitled Opinions podcast, Nov. 22, 2005 14) Friedrich Holderlin’s preface to Hyperion, 1797

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The Entrepreneur The man behind the Argentinean steakhouse El Gaucho, Dany Himi may well be the ultimate businessman. Words by Rose Arnold. Photo by Nick Ross

any Himi is a true entrepreneur, a businessman with a history of successful ventures under his belt both in Europe and now in Southeast Asia. The latest of these is the El Gaucho restaurant chain, home to imported, top-end steaks and a range of grilled fare. Along with quality wines, subtle Argentinean-influenced décor, and a warm and professional waiting service, it’s a winning combination. There are currently three El Gauchos in Vietnam, one in Thailand and there are plans to open more across Asia. Dany grew up around the food and beverage industry — his parents owned a restaurant — and he has worked in the business before. As a stickler for both good food and service, the decision to open a restaurant chain in Asia was natural, a logical step. Yet starting off a restaurant, or indeed any new venture in Vietnam has its challenges, especially for a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language fluently or have full knowledge of the laws and regulations. “I am always aware that there is a certain trust you need to give to make things happen,” explains Dany. “To the country, the government and the people.”

Understanding and Belief To start any business, whatever it is or wherever you do it, according to Dany you need to have a level of understanding across several business areas. For small start-ups, owners often need to fulfil several functions themselves. Even for businesses with the luxury of access to expertise, such as lawyers, accountants, tax advisors,

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development and marketing departments, it is important to have an understanding of what the experts are saying. Dany also deems it vital to have a business plan and in doing market research. This might sound like obvious advice, but many new businesses quite simply don’t take heed. “[They are] essential for any business,” he explains. “Both are tools to estimate, understand and as a result review and evaluate at a later stage your own performance.” Belief in what you’re doing is also essential. If you’re running your own business, you’re likely to be spending a huge amount of time doing it. So it is vital that you’re doing something you love. “Be passionate with what you are doing. Surround yourself with people you trust, question yourself and don’t hesitate to question others.” But running a business can often mean making sacrifices, especially in terms of your personal life and time spent with the family. It’s all about balance, says Dany. As long as you can find some sort of status quo and ensure that such periods are temporary, it shouldn’t become too much of a problem. He adds: “Juggling so many different things, personally and business-wise, should never mean doing it quickly, being halfhearted and not paying attention. You need to be mindful at all times.”

Ups and Downs One area where many businesses in Hanoi seem to fall down on is consistency. There are countless places that can be great one time but disappoint the next. “I train my people in quality control,” says Dany. “I

train them in service and I train them in what I personally experienced as positive in my life. I am very happy about the satisfaction of my restaurant guests.” Personality and temperament also come into play — you need to maintain belief in yourself even when things are going wrong. There will always be ups and downs, but entrepreneurs need to be able to take the rough with the smooth. “Failure is an ultimate word,” he explains. “But in business you are confronted with issues on a daily basis, easy ones and difficult ones.” The interpretation of failure, he continues, depends very much on the individual person, his personal performance and on how you deal with problems. “If a business activity has negative results, I would not call that failure, especially if it’s due to [problems with the market] which could not have been foreseen. A failure is if you didn’t take care and didn’t bother.” He adds: “I believe that if you do your best at all times, if you allow yourself to be challenged, if you are aware of your responsibilities, if you don’t get overwhelmed by a bad day or a bad period, and if you believe in what you are doing, you are doing it right.” As for what the future holds, Dany is taciturn. He says he is satisfied with what he’s achieved so far, but that to an extent satisfaction for him is never standing still. It is always doing more, building up his businesses. “To go out and constantly develop my business,” he says. “[That] gives me the biggest fulfilment.”

“Belief in what you’re doing is also essential. If you’re running your own business, you’re likely to be spending a huge amount of time doing it. So it is vital that you’re doing something you love”

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out & about

Chewing the Fat What is it that elevates a good meal above being just food? Douglas Pyper and Fabiola Buchele talked with Pots â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n Pans head chef Joel Manton, restaurateur Thao Nguyen and Highway 4 founder Dan Dockery, about their place in the Hanoiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food scene. Photos by Bui Chien Phong.

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[ Joel Manton ]

[ Dan Dockery ] Douglas: Highway4 has been going strong for over 10 years, so what’s the secret ingredient?

“Restaurants are perceived to be a very simple way of doing business and anyone can do it, which is largely why you see restaurants appear and disappear”

Dan: One of the things we’ve always tried to do with Highway4 is make it a meeting point. It’s perhaps not the best couple’s restaurant — it’s a place to take your family, for foreigners to take friends visiting from overseas. It’s great for birthdays, Tet parties, any sort of gathering. That’s our concept. Integral to Highway4 is Son Tinh liquor. We try to explain to our own staff and our customers. It’s not just a decent Vietnamese liquor, it is a premium international spirit. Doug: Not the food? Dan: We make Vietnamese food for Vietnamese people. If foreigners would like to go have some doctored Vietnamese dishes, there are many places [for that]. But we’re making something that is aimed at the Vietnamese market and that appeals to foreigners. Fabiola: Thao, in contrast, what’s your concept? Thao: Our food concept is contemporary Vietnamese cuisine with an international twist. Hanoi has so much to offer in terms of food. You can find local food everywhere in Hanoi, with really good quality and good prices. What we are trying to focus on is [fusion, and in Hanoi,] I don’t see the fusion angle is working. Many venues are doing

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[ Fabiola Buchele ] fusion food, they do it more French, or more Vietnamese, there is no balance. People often say fusion is confusing, we’re trying to balance that out. Fabiola: Like Dan said, you need something that sets you apart. What would you say sets Pots ‘n Pans apart? Thao: What we’re trying to focus on is international or modern dining. It’s a place for romantic dinners, a place where you can entertain your clients — a more formal, upper market experience. Douglas: Hanoi sees restaurants open and close with alarming frequency, what’s causing this? Dan: People think it’s an easy way to make money. They assume that if you set up a restaurant and put out a menu, people will come, eat lots of food, pay a whopping bill and the owner can put all of that money in his pocket. They forget about rents, purchasing food stuffs, staffing, utility costs, they forget all about this. Joel: And getting people in the door… Dan: It’s perceived to be a very simple way of doing business and anyone can do it, which is largely why you see restaurants appear and disappear. It’s a lot of work: it’s building a brand, building a concept, setting a standard, setting up your systems,

“People often say fusion is confusing, we’re trying to balance that out” [ Nguyen Thao ]

[ Douglas Pyper ]

maintaining your standards. It needs close control all the time.

Fabiola: How important is change to staying relevant?

Fabiola: Do you think that’s the difficulty rather than there just isn’t a market for more?

Dan: You’ve got to keep remodelling, if you sit on what you have, it will die.

Dan: There is plenty of market for food and drink. Too many people in Vietnam go, oh, the market likes to go to cafes so let’s open another café exactly the same. Very few people look at the market and go, ok, now the market likes to go to cafes. In the next couple of years, what are they going to want in a café? Or, thinking of it another way; what are we going to tell them they want when they go to a café? You’ve got to lead your clients the way you know they will want to go. We now have a focus on suppliers, healthy food, sustainable suppliers, the benefits of food, whether it’s a humane slaughter, things like this. At the moment, urban Vietnamese are not caring too much about that. If you said we’ve got great free range chickens, healthy chickens, they’d say “no, we want ga ta!” they only care about that. But you’ve got to set up a concept that you believe in, then you educate the customers into the direction that you’re going. Thao: With unique concepts it always takes time to educate people. I totally agree with Dan that sometimes you have to lead your customers, force them to try new things. Especially the Vietnamese market, they don’t like to try new things.

Douglas: Joel, Pots ‘n Pans isn’t cheap and Hanoi is full of cheap, widely available good food, so how do you compete with that? Joel: It’s tough, but we’re trying to do something that’s not familiar in Vietnam. The waiting staff, for example, are fantastic. They’ll have a conversation with you, they’ll top up your glass without you noticing, they provide a bit of entertainment, they pump up the conversation that’s already happening. Douglas: So does the street vendor; I go for bun dau and the woman’s going to give me some chat while I’m there. Why would I go to you when I can go to them? Thao: If you eat outside, firstly you can’t be sure about the hygiene. When you come to Pots ‘n Pans, you come for the experience — it’s a unique dining experience, in a comfortable environment. Joel: I’m not saying we’re trying to be a Michelin-star restaurant, but we’re trying to offer something that exists in other cities in the world, but doesn’t exist here.

Fabiola: Is Hanoi’s street-food culture,a unique challenge for someone who has a restaurant? Dan: It depends what you call competition. You’re not competing against every single restaurant out there. When Doug wants to go eat his pho, he’s not thinking about coming to Highway4, anyway. Highway4’s competition is not the street guys, we’re in completely different worlds. Just because we both serve food, doesn’t mean we’re competing.

Information P ots ‘ n P ans

57 Bui Thi Xuan, Hai Ba Trung Tel: (04) 3944 0204 www.potsnpans.vn

H ighway 4

Highway 4 has a number of restaurants around Hanoi. For the full list, check out their website. The downtown eateries are at 25 Bat Su, Hoan Kiem Tel: (04) 3926 0639 and 5 Hang Tre, Hoan Kiem Tel: (04) 3926 4200 www.highway4.com

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SOCIETY

WOMAN When itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a female DJ, do we listen more with our eyes than our ears? The answer may well be yes. Words by Kaitlin Rees. Photo by Aaron Joel Santos

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The DJ There are statistical studies that suggest attractive people are more successful. If you are beautiful, says the research, you’ll probably make more money, get more promotions, and generally lead a happier, easier life. Linh aka DJ Link Eva is beautiful, but to say how much this has helped or hindered her success is difficult. As a DJ in residence at Rooftop Bar and Lounge, her work necessitates visibility. The platform where she stands and spins is front and centre, the first thing to catch your eye when you walk into the swanky spot after 9pm. This kind of attention works both for and against her. “I don’t want customers to look at me first and hear my music second,” she says. “I want them to hear my music and then notice me playing it.” Linh has been playing at The Rooftop since its opening two-and-a-half years ago. Even at 27 years old she is comparatively seasoned in her work. She started learning how to DJ on her own at the age of 15 after seeing the way a friend could control the energy of a large group of people, like a conductor of a human symphony. “I wanted that kind of control.” Before Rooptop, Linh was a member of a team of DJs, all male, who played in venues

around the city. “We just played in clubs with strong and hard music. If I wanted to DJ, I had to stand this music, working every night in two or three clubs for an hour each, running to another club after finishing one.” In those early days, and even more so today, Linh has seen what she does and doesn’t want for her own career. “Some women DJs need to dance in bikinis to get people to listen to their music,” she explains. “I can’t even count how many there are. Most want to play music in this very loud, very hard way, with a monotone bass line so that every song sounds the same.” The music that Linh plays is not of the avant-garde type — it would not fall into the ever-widening definition of ‘experimental music’. It is classifiably ‘popular’. But thanks to an awareness of energy and taste, and a good sense of timing, her sets are a success in that they are also classifiably ‘fun’. “The most important thing as a DJ is choosing the track to fit the right point in the night,” she explains. “At this particular moment, what kind of song will match what people want… It’s kind of like riding on waves.” This attunement to energy and sound most likely comes from being surrounded by music from an early age with a family full of musicians, singers and artists. Growing up around performance led her to

naturally pick up traditional instruments. At nine, Linh started playing the t’rung (a bamboo xylophone) and the tam thap luc (a 36-stringed instrument). “DJing is my right hand and these traditional musical instruments are my left hand,” she says. And it was her masterful left hand that brought Linh to Japan in 2005. For six months at the world expo, Linh had the opportunity to bring the sounds of Vietnam to everyone who passed by her pavilion, sometimes performing five times a day. Still keeping the ao dai and the little black dress separate, Linh has yet to merge the sounds of traditional Vietnamese instruments into her sets, but hopes to find some kind of intersection in the future. For now, Link Eva spins every Wednesday and Sunday night at The Rooftop, a place “where people are more polite than the clubs before”, as in, they don’t yell at her to play terrible music. But her current set up also has the inevitable air of a stepping-stone to something else. Though she’s beautiful up there, Linh does not seem like the kind of woman who can stand on the pedestal for long without getting a little restless. The Rooftop Bar and Lounge is located on the 19th floor of Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem. Linh (aka Link Eva) DJs from 9pm to midnight on Wednesdays and Sundays.

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Raleigh Chopper You wanted to be cool so bad at school. You knew what you needed, you needed a chopper, baby. In the late 1970s, early 1980s, the only way to get the girl was the high handlebars and high backed seat of the Raleigh Chopper. In 2013, that classic low ride design is cooler and more prominent than ever on Hanoi’s streets. Keep your dreams burning by following our guide to the low rides bringing sexy, back-to-green transport.

Peugeot 103 This 49cc bad boy is straight out of the sinful 1970s. A big hit in the Gallic community and with all those who sport berets, the only thing cooler and more fun than this 30km/h demon goes up your nose. To look hipper than your neighbour’s granddad, you’ll need to fork out about VND10 million, then convince your big brother to give the paintwork a once over.

Honda Zoomer Like the advert says, “tread ferocious!” Only the Japanese youth know what that means, but we all know it sounds cool. This dune buggy-like beast’s fat tyres know little bounds and are perfect for traversing Hanoi’s pot-holed alleys and highways. At 40km to the litre, they’re not nearly as fuel-efficient as their predecessors, but you can reach the dizzy speeds of 40km/h. Fuel injected and ready to go for VND84 million, this xe choi is for the big boys.

Squeaky Shoes The squeaky shoe commonly thought of as childhood training for the complex sonar system that allows Hanoi streets to function is expanding to the adult market. The ‘squeak’, thought of as an ‘early beep’ for future soundmakers of Vietnam, has recently been demonstrating its benefits beyond sonic global positioning. Squeaking toddlers, with their evident

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happy-go-lucky nature, have recently been turning the heads of a more mature and occasionally disgruntled walking population. Whether used as a substitute for antidepressants or given as gifts to habitually cranky friends, the adult squeaky shoe is catching on quickly. Because how can you seriously stay in a bad mood if you go through the world making that noise? — Kaitlin Rees

Trendspotter

Living The Dream Douglas Pyper yearns for simpler times and old school cool. Illustrations by Claire Driscoll. Plus, trends spotted on the city streets Giant Momentum 2012 has seen the birth of the new skool. Anyone naughty enough to be in detention leaves on one of these hogs. You can get 45km of burnt rubber out of a Momentum before you have to be back at your mum’s to recharge the battery. The best thing is, at VND12 million a pop, dad’s not going to be too pissed when you scratch up the paintwork doing wheelies. Keep your eyes peeled and you’ll notice that every second school kid in Hanoi rolls with Momentum.

Honda Chaly The Honda Chaly is the true symbol of old Hanoi. These puppies are a real favourite among go-faster grannies and can be seen in abundance in the early morning as they tear up and down Hanoi’s wet markets. About VND7 million will be necessary to prise a Chaly from a Hanoctogenarian’s vice-like grip, plus a couple more for the tune-up.

Summer Chic There’s a certain type of older Vietnamese gentleman who wouldn’t be seen dead sporting the ‘belly cooler’ — rolled up t-shirt, tummy exposed — favoured by many of the male population. No, these dapper gents have a much more stylish way of dealing with the heat; the going out pyjama. Not to be confused with the more casual, crumpled ‘leaving-the-housein-your-jimjams’ style of clothing, these pyjamas are immaculate, made of silk and come in rich shades of gold and bronze. Subtle stripes are a popular take on the trend, discrete diamonds can be worn for a stylish twist. To complete the look don large shades, a beret or fedora plus cane. Ong dep lao, we salute you. — Rose Arnold

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The Many Faces of Hanoi

The Belly Dancer As unlikely as it seems, belly dancing has taken Vietnam by storm. Matt Dworzanczyk meets one of the country’s leading dancers, Do Thi Hong Hanh

hen thinking of belly dance, Vietnam is probably not the first place that comes to mind. Yet in the last decade, this Middle Eastern style of dance has exploded in popularity across the country; from Hanoi to Saigon and everywhere in between. Do Thi Hong Hanh, arguably the most accomplished and recognised belly dance teacher and performer in Vietnam, began her belly dance adventures in Hai Phong. “I heard about belly dance from the press, I was curious,” she recalls. “So I researched the history of the dance, the music. I found costume photos and very soon I had my first belly dance costume and my own belly dance choreography.” Colourful, with a silk dress, a shelldecorated bra-top, diamond bracelets around her wrists and glitter decorating the big smile on her face, the metamorphosis from a traditional business student to a Middle Eastern princess was complete and impossible to miss. “My costume was too sexy. My parents were very worried, they thought it was not fitting for Vietnamese culture.”

Start of a Craze But Hanh continued on with her passion regardless. After studying with a well-known American belly dancer in Singapore, she returned to Vietnam and connected with other women interested in the art. Hoping to organise a free, community dance class, she was overwhelmed as nearly 100 people showed up for the first meeting. Word spread quickly and Hanh was invited to teach belly dance at the Culture and Sports Centre in Hai Phong. She worked with students, children, charity and government workers as well as business people. It wasn’t long before she felt ready to do her first public performance. “After the dance, my parents showed up and despite their initial concerns, they were overwhelmed with the audience’s positive feedback. Since then, they’ve always supported me.”

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Destiny led Hanh to meet some powerful people who helped her turn her passion into a business. With strong support from her entire community, she began teaching private classes all over Vietnam. An art form that used to be a niche in the country rapidly began to turn mainstream, with Hanh at the centre of it all. From over 2,000 of her students, Hanh selected the strongest 10. Together she began preparations for a major international belly dance competition. “Competition judges look for inspiration,” she says, “for sharp technique and truly artistic performances. Being graceful is not enough. The dancer needs to discover themselves through this art to really shine.”

Changing Perceptions And discover herself she did. While many others might lose their authenticity once in the spotlight, Hanh worked hard to make her performances truly stand out and represent her country. “I don’t just imitate. I want to learn through my dance and I want to show off Vietnamese culture.” Through uniquely designed costumes, characteristic music and Vietnamese culture-inspired choreography, Hanh created a fresh and original fusion resulting in her own vibrant and feisty style. Aside from the judges, however, Hanh’s primary audience were still often traditionallyminded Vietnamese. Some simply didn’t want to accept the sexy dancing and revealing costumes as a norm. But Hanh believes people’s ideas are quickly changing. “Many of my students’ parents initially

worry about their kids performing, sometimes they’re critical of belly dancing, yet they end up falling in love with it after seeing their first show,” she explains. “It’s not the style of dance that’s an issue, it’s what message you want to convey to your audience and how you communicate it. When people see me dance, they understand it’s an art and not just a girl showing off.”

Refreshes Parts Other Dances Can’t Reach Hanh is evangelical about the benefits of belly dancing; she says she feels changed by her dancing career. “I feel healthier physically and spiritually. My skin is brighter, smoother, I feel younger. I feel more confident and I feel I have a bigger purpose and a closer relationship with society.” In Vietnam today, belly dance is no longer considered an exotic art. It’s become a part of the culture, an activity enjoyed by many next to fitness, yoga or jogging in the park. “People of any age or level can practice belly dance and when they do, they get to train their body, refresh their mind, release the stress after a heavy work day. Their memory improves, they feel happier and they feel empowered.” Hanh’s youngest student is a mere oneand-a-half years old. She might not yet be able to walk properly, but apparently she’s already showing passion for belly dancing. The oldest student is a 73-year-old grandmother. Hanh laughs. “She tells me dance makes her feel and look 10 years younger.” Hanh’s studio is at 1A Yet Kieu, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi. You can contact her on vietnambellydance@gmail.com

“It’s not the style of dance that’s an issue, it’s what message you want to convey to your audience and how you communicate it. When people see me dance, they understand it’s an art and not just a girl showing off”

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Hidden Bangkok g The Chinatown area of Bangkok is a maze of fascinating streets that are changing, both over the years and by the hour. Words by Kaitlin Rees, photos by Aaron Joel Santos May 2013 Word | 57

“An apparent side effect of the area’s collected wealth is the flight of internationally educated young professionals away from the local family business”

hop for watches by day, eat fish intestine soup by night. Bangkok’s Chinatown shifts its focus from the wrist and wallet to the mouth and stomach over the course of 24 hours. Yet it is the nighttime offerings that are bringing in the visitors. “Best food in all of Bangkok,” is the modest claim of one 58-year-old native Bangkokian who is carrying a shopping bag full of produce for the next day. “You can find everything here, depending on what you want,” is the cryptic yet somehow convincing follow up. His bold statement about the food refers to any number of delicious things: the aforementioned fish intestine soup (ca por pra), the squid/pork noodles outside the old Chinatown Rama cinema (qued theo lot) or the rolled-up-like-a-bugle fat noodle

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loaded with pork skin and black pepper (cuay chap). Though cuisine is the decided draw for this area of an already food-obsessed city, it wasn’t always. Bangkok’s Chinatown is one of the oldest parts of this metropolis, first established as a trading point from the Chao Phraya River between Siam and China in the late 18th century. The winding streets — constructed about 100 years later, during the reign of Rama V — resemble a dragon’s curving body, and were the beginnings of a business aesthetic that until recently predominated the area.

All that Glitters Yaowarat Road, with Sam Peng Market in the centre, is the main thoroughfare of what is a historically wealthy part of Bangkok. Because of the limited amount of

land space, the real estate around Yaowarat Road is some of the most expensive in not just the city, but Thailand, too. Upper class Thai-Chinese families have traditionally inhabited the area, controlling businesses that are noteworthy even in the late night street food eating frenzy. Gold, jewellery, and watch shops flood the main road and the surrounding streets that include Charoen Krung Road, Mongkon Road and Song Sawat Road. But an apparent side effect of the area’s collected wealth is the flight of internationally educated young professionals away from the local family business. According to one young man who was raised in Chinatown but studied photography abroad, it can be difficult to return to the family jewel shop. He recently relocated to the city centre, as many of

his generation have, leaving their home neighbourhood in the hands of street food vendors and out-of-towners. However, this is not the whole story. Some of the younger generation sense the new opportunity resting just beneath the surface of this historic area. One business that sticks out for not being a delicious street food stall nor an abandoned bank is called Double Dogs Tea Room.

Body and Mind Though you may just wander in because it looks like one of the few places in Chinatown that offers a clean bathroom at night, you’ll want to stay once you realise the gem you’ve stumbled upon. If your tour of the tea room starts in the back (by the bathrooms), you’ll notice the second half of the building is an open calligraphy

workshop, where the owner and his friends practice their hobby to break up the evening. The large tables, paper, ink, and swaying curtains set the relaxed vibe for the front of the house, which serves drinks and dessert. ‘Serving’ in the sense of providing nourishment, but also in providing an education. The menu doubles as a teaching text that could be entitled An Armchair Expert’s Guide to Tea of Thailand, with a breakdown of region, ideal oxidation level and a how-to-pour-it for each of the dozen blue, green, red and black teas available. In addition to all this smartness, ‘hip’ is written into the menu with the list of tea and coffee cocktails and traditional treats. From business to food, over the years Chinatown has seen a shift in the nature of its magnetic pull. But if Double Dogs Tea Room and the young guys behind its

counter are any indictors, a shift back to a new generation of innovative business owners may be in store. If you’re interested in checking it out, Double Dogs Tea Room is at 406 Yaowarat Road between Mongkon Road and Yaowa Pahnit Road and like everything in this world, you can find them on Facebook

Information Getting to Bangkok is one of the easiest journeys available out of Vietnam. So, when you’re in the Thai capital, to get to the Chinatown area go to Hua Lamphong Railway Station. Charoen Krung Road runs directly to the station.

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ying just some 40km west of downtown Hanoi, Binh Yen Village in Thach That District is well suited to its name; Peace. There is the green of rural scenery, old houses and lush gardens. But this is not the only attraction that Binh Yen has to offer its visitors — the village is also the site of the traditional craft of making bricks and ornamental objects from laterite. Laterite is the redcoloured compact soil rich in iron and aluminium that is mined in the area. It is soft when underground but hardens in the air. As long as people can remember the village has used laterite in the construction process, the village elders say that they were born and brought up in laterite brick houses. It is a matter of local pride. “Our grandparents and parents all used this wonderful rock to build their houses, which kept them very cool in summer and warm in winter,” says 73-year-old Khuat Thi Hau, who recently finished the construction of her new house, complete with a large laterite brick wall surrounding it. According to Hau, their family and neighbours have also been producing the bricks for a long time. “Laterite mines can be found in many areas in Thach That, but those in Binh Yen are the best quality,” she says. “Because of its quality, Binh Yen also has the greatest number of mines, providing work for many of us.”

Shaped by Hand Along the main village road is a workshop, owned by Pham Van Tuan, which visitors can drop into. Inside a craftsman, Thu, works on making ornamental objects from the rock. Elephants, dogs, lions as well as jars, lamps and vases all made of laterite are displayed nearby. “This is very hard work; we make everything with our hands, with no support from machines,” Thu says. He explains that the material is a soft and porous type of rock. It is pliable when deep underground but hardens after being unearthed and exposed to the air. It therefore requires precise timing to decide when to start working on it. “The work not only requires good health and diligence, but skillful hands,” he continues. “First we have to measure and dig out the rocks with spades and shovels. After leaving it to dry

The Village

A Land Of

Laterite Outside of Hanoi is a village famed for the traditional craft of working with the striking red laterite mined from the land. Lan Ha takes a trip to the ‘brick village’. Photos by Francis Roux for some days, we then start to whittle away at it to make bricks or decorative objects.” Thu says that power-saws or planers can destroy the natural patterns on the rocks, so he uses knives to whittle instead. “Manipulating the decorative objects requires creativity,” he explains. “Not many people can earn money from this work; our workshop is the biggest in the village.” Making the decorative objects is of course a more lucrative endeavor than just producing the raw material. While each brick is sold at about VND25,000, the statues and ornamental works bring in millions. Besides this, Thu and other skilled workers in his village have been invited to create the ornamentation for some building works, including temples, pagoda gates and walls.

“The material is a soft and porous type of rock. It is pliable when deep underground but hardens after being unearthed and exposed to the air. It therefore requires precise timing to decide when to start working on it” End of the Line

However the glory days look like they might be coming to an end. Like all mines, the laterite mine in Binh Yen is finite and has now been almost exhausted, greatly affecting the village’s traditional craft and livelihood. The few remaining artisans eek out the last of their mines and the noise of

industry has grown quiet. “Our mines are now narrowing and we don’t have much work to do,” says Khuat Van Ba who owns a small laterite brick workshop. “We are also being prohibited from exploiting the soil in some areas, especially around the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park.” At the same time the development of modern kinds of construction materials means that demand for laterite brick is falling. However, with its falling usage in general construction work has come a surge in popularity from more specialist buyers interested in traditional designs. According to one elderly artisan, Kieu Duy Tien, there was a time when young people here bypassed laterite in favour of modern materials used to build high-rise houses. Now people have returned to see the beauty of the bricks. “We used to be very sad because our bricks could not compete with modern materials and thus we could not sell our bricks,” he explains. “But now there are more people, many of whom come from faraway places, who want to return to using this traditional material. Now we feel sad because we don’t have enough stock.”

Getting There To get to the village, follow Thang Long Highway out of Hanoi and turn right in the direction of Son Tay at Hoa Lac T-junction. Keep going for about 3km and then turn right to Binh Yen Village.

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DAY TRIPPER

Don’t Go Chasing Citadels Co Loa is the site of one of Vietnam’s most famous citadels. Douglas Pyper went looking for the remains of the historic structure but found something intrinsically more valuable. Photos by Aaron Joel Santos

“A

re we there yet?” it’s not often adults mutter this to each other on a 20km journey out of Hanoi, but this is what springs to mind on arrival in Co Loa. Once the mightiest fortress in the Red River Delta region, little now remains of the 2,000-yearold citadel which archaeologists predict required the mobilisation of over two million cubic meters of earth and rock. What little survives stands in stark contrast to the site’s reputation and

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significance. Even before the existence of Co Loa, the area was a Dong Son era settlement. Excavations here unearthed one of the fabled Dong Son bronze drums whose geometric patterns, scenes of daily life, war, animals and birds, represent the crowning achievement of early Red River Delta civilizations. Originating between 500BCE and the start of the Gregorian calendar, the motifs which top the drum represent the symbiosis between man, animal and field in the culture in which they were made.

Today, Co Loa is a place where this relationship of culture and people being close to the earth is still tangible. It’s not the place to go looking for impressive ruins, but a site where something less tangible is easily felt between tortoise sculptures and egret murals.

Mythical History Co Loa Citadel itself is practically a myth. Said to have been founded by An Duong Vuong in 257BCE after he defeated the last

“Today’s Co Loa is a place where this relationship of culture and people being close to the earth is still tangible” of the Hung Kings (whose holiday you’ll have celebrated in April), the plan was to build a massive fortification to establish the kingdom of Au Lac. Unfortunately, the decision to build an earthen kingdom in a swampy delta region wasn’t a great one, particularly as evil spirits allied to the son of a previous king were tearing down the walls at night. These spirits were apparently led by a 1000-year-old white chicken who lived on a mountain top. Nothing could be done until the arrival of a golden tortoise which defeated the chicken in an epic battle. With the citadel’s fortifications now free from the tyranny of evil spirits, work on the citadel was able to be completed — with a little help from stone foundations to support the earthen walls. His work done, the golden tortoise left the citadel leaving behind one of his claws to act as the trigger on a great and powerful crossbow. With the magic tortoise

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“Scattered around are a number of revered temples and pagodas for princesses, kings and Buddhas. Within each are the recurring motifs of tortoise, stork, egret, buddhas, crossbows and kings which represent folk stories, myths, history, culture and religion intertwined” crossbow in his grasp, An Duong Vuong was free to rule with no fear of invasion. In antiquity, this myth-history served the important function of cementing An Duong Vuong’s right to rule as both the most powerful and the most favoured leader. Today, it’s one of many potent cocktails of history and myth that are the jumping off point for enjoying what does and doesn’t remain of ancient Vietnam’s most powerful citadel. In Co Loa some faint earthen walls

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remain, slithers compared to what they once were. Within the walls is a town, but a town that is inseparable from the fields. Lakes and wells take on almost holy significance, and fields of rice or vegetables, each one thick with tombstones, come to within a foot of the benches where modern lovers sit to kiss. Scattered around are a number of revered temples and pagodas for princesses, kings and Buddha. Within each are the recurring motifs of tortoise, stork, egret, Buddhas, crossbows and kings which represent folk

stories, myths, history, culture and religion intertwined.

Water from a Common Well These relationships are by no means limited to the site of Co Loa, they are ever present in the culture that originated in the Red River Delta, but spread out over all of modern day Vietnam. Vietnamese art historian Kerry Nguyen-Long cited this relationship in her book Art of Vietnam: 1009 – 1945 noting that Vietnam’s “structures — palaces, pagodas,

“Excavations here unearthed one of the fabled Dong Son bronze drums whose geometric patterns, scenes of daily life, war, animals and birds, represent the crowning achievement of early Red River Delta civilizations” temples, and dinh — press close to the earth and embrace the landscape; they are on a human scale, intimate and personal.” And they are evidenced again in the music of folk musicians like the late Ha Thi Cau. Widely regarded as the country’s finest hat xam musician, her hobo-esque narratives were yet another expression of the inseparability of the land and the people. When she spits out rhymes like: “All come to the nightingale and say how mad the world is / A chicken and a bottle of liquor swallow down the

drunkard” in between riffs on her dan nhi while chewing beetle nut, she’s following timeless folk traditions of placing man in relation to the other animals that they share the land with. And where better to see these motifs in action than the slim traces of a citadel which represent the historical apex of a culture fundamentally much more humble than palaces and kings; a citadel which has been reclaimed by the fields, ponds and rivers that preceded it.

Getting There Head north over Thang Long Bridge and immediately turn right on QL3. Follow the signs for Truong Quay Co Loa, then keep going until you find Duong Co Loa. You’re already slap bang in the middle of the citadel — you just don’t know it yet. Once the Nhat Tan Bridge is complete, daytrippers will be able to take this road directly to Co Loa.

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MYSTERY DINER

Wood Fired Up In the mood for pizza? But where should you go? Our mystery reviewer eats at Da Paolo and judges it to be pretty damn fine. Photos by Francis Roux

ontroversy has long simmered over where one can find the best pizza in Hanoi. I won’t risk stoking that fire by declaring a winner. I will, however, venture to place Da Paolo among the top contenders. Paolo De Piaggi spent several years as part of the team at Luna d’Autunno before opening this three-storey bistro on West Lake in 2010. Here, as at Luna’s, you’ll find a blistered crust flat enough to placate thin-crust advocates but thick enough to satisfy those in favour of a thicker, fluffier crust. Each pie comes with a flask of chilli-infused olive oil. Pro tip: drizzle with caution. Born in a small town near Venice, De Piaggi learned his trade in the kitchen of a local pizzeria. On the menu, you’ll find traditional dishes like gnocchi, handmade potato dumplings and anolini, stuffed round pasta served in broth, doing time among better-known offerings like pasta, risotto and grilled meat.

surface, draped with thin slices of aromatic roast pork. But the meat would have been better on a crusty baguette. Too delicate to match the hefty pizza, it felt a bit like an awkward interloper. Porchetta aside, the pizza stood up solidly on its own, with a thick blanket of mozzarella and a slightly sweet tomato sauce that clung to the airy crust. Da Paolo gets an A+ for service. When I called the restaurant to ask for directions, the person who answered the phone actually sent someone to pick me up. During my meal, servers were friendly and prompt. They even offered more bread when I finished the contents of my bread basket. This is all too easy to do at Da Paolo, where the house-baked sourdough is everything one wants in a loaf — a soft, airy crumb with a dense crust. Alongside the thickcut slices pile crunchy rosemary breadsticks, ideal for dipping in the olive oil provided.

Taste of Italy

All the Extras

Reading the list of pizza toppings feels like rummaging through the contents of an Italian deli. You’ll find everything from artichokes and mortadella to Brie and olive tapenade. I ordered the porchetta (VND195,000). Mushrooms were strewn across the

If your appetite is limited, try not to enjoy the bread basket as much as I did. Portions here are generous — you feel you’re actually getting what you’re paying for. When I ordered a warm appetizer of grilled vegetables (VND200,000), I was expecting an

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THE VERDICT

14 Food

Service

13 Décor

Food, Decor and Service are each rated on a scale of 0 to 15. 13 — 15 extraordinary to perfection 10 — 12.5 very good to excellent 8 — 9.5 good to very good 5 — 7.5 fair to good 0 — 4.5 poor to fair The Word reviews anonymously and pays for all meals

orderly salad. But what arrived was a colourful platter heaped with delicately charred ovals of eggplant and zucchini, creamy feta crumbled with sweet nuggets of sundried tomato and broad folds of radicchio. Garnished with shreds of basil, the ample spread illustrated the fresh flavours of Italy as well as any pizza. The wine list, understandably, reflects Italian sensibilities. Sorted into careful segments by body and flavour, it also makes a helpful primer for those less familiar with wine. For instance, one category is ‘medium to full bodied dry red wines with no oak’ while at the other end of the spectrum, one finds ‘Tuscany wine legends’ (priced accordingly). The atmosphere in Da Paolo’s reflects the restaurateur’s breezy, unpretentious sensibilities. Bottles of wine and rustic bread baskets line the soft yellow-ochre walls, the breeze drifts in from West Lake. Is this Hanoi’s answer to The Mediterranean? Finish with a jolting espresso (VND35,000) and a square of dense chocolate-coffee cake (VND80,000). There isn’t much coffee flavour — although it would be hard to top the power of the Lavazza espresso — but the cake has the intensity of pure cocoa, drizzled with a vanilla sauce that tastes exactly like warm ice cream might taste. Like the rest of the meal, it’s a satisfying taste of Italy in Hanoi. Da Paolo is at #18, Lane 50/59/17 Dang Thai Mai. Tel: (04) 3718 6317

f Naples is known as the capital of pasta, Mumbai is regarded as the land of curry, and it seems a ‘must’ to have doner kebab if you travel to Istanbul, then life in Hanoi quite simply cannot survive without pho. And there’s so many different ways to enjoy it; there’s pho bo or beef noodle soup, pho ga or chicken noodle soup, hot pho, cooled pho, dried pho, pho xao or sautéed pho, and also, pho chien or fried pho. And of course there’s pho cuon — soft rolled sheets of noodles with strips of beef and herbs stuffed inside — stir fried pho and fried pho. But what about pho chien gion, crispy fried pho? Have you ever tasted that? A dish made up of crispy fried rice sticks and hot sauce with herbs and vegetables, you can try it at Restaurant 206 Kham Thien, an eatery opened and run by three generations of a Hanoi-born family.

Pho With Another Twist

Street Snacker

Any Way You Want It In the capital city there is no end to the number of ways you can eat pho noodles. Huyen Tran discovers yet another variation available on Kham Thien. Photos by Francis Roux

When you order pho chien gion you’ll get a plate of crispy fried pho noodles, cut into sections like a pizza crust served with a bowl of hot beef or pork sauce made with intestines, herbs and vegetables. The sauce is for dipping the crispy fried noodles in. What makes this dish special is not only the blend of the ingredients in the sauce, but also the magical noodles that despite the crisp outer layer, are soft inside. Add some vinegar, chilli or some of the vegetable pickles on the side, and pho chien gion tastes amazing. When asked how they thought up the dish, the shop owner told us that the initial inspiration came from a customer’s request, but that they have experimented and refined the process over many years. The family tried many different ways to make the noodles crispy. In the 1990s they finally realised that the only way

to do it was to fry them twice. The first time they are sautéed on a low heat, the second fried on a high heat on an industrial gas cooker. “This pho chien gion originated from a customer’s suggestion, but has now become our main business”. The other secret lies in the sauce. Whether you opt for beef or pork it is essential to add herbs and vegetables to reduce the fat and achieve a good balance on the palate. “One important thing to take note of is you have to put each ingredient in the correct order, or it will lose the taste and smell of some ingredients,” says the owner’s son.

By Heart The family has been asked many times for the recipe, but they claim that there isn’t one. “When mum passed away, we three siblings continued the shop with our cooking experience. We adapt our cooking to meet the tastes of customers, which is changing and is somehow different from the past. Maybe today people like our pho chien gion, but in the coming years, when Hanoi tastes change, we will have to change the way we cook it,” says the mother. Every single member of the family is a cook and all are involved with the business. When asked about his future plans, the son says, “I am graduating this May. However, instead of working for a company I want to continue our family business and think up more dishes with pho, ones for all seasons.” The eatery is at 206 Kham Thien, Dong Da. They are open from 7am until late. The price of pho chien gion is VND45,000. Other dishes are around VND25,000 to VND45,000. Note: they also serve fried noodles with eggs, but it is not on the menu.

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City Guide BUSINESS 070 / bars 072 / Cafes 073 / Eat 074 / Leisure 075 / fashion 081 / home 082 / medical 083 / travel 085 Photo by Matt Dworzanczyk

ADDITIONAL FEAT URE S

Business Buff 071 Medical Buff 078 Book Buff 079 Cinema Buff 080 The Alchemist 081 The Therapist 093 Travel Promos 086 68 | Word May 2013

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BUSINE$$ * *

* *

From accounting to advertising to serviced apartments, our selection of some of the city's top businesses

Accounting & Audit KPMG

16th Floor, Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3946 1600 www.kpmg.com.vn Worldwide firm specialising in auditing, accounting, tax and management consulting services. Also does executive search and selection.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

7th Floor, Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3946 2246 www.pwc.com Provides business services including auditing, business and technology solutions and tax and legal consulting. Has more than ten years experience in Vietnam and works in all major industry sectors throughout the country.

business groups Icham

Sofitel Plaza, Ground floor, 1 Thanh nien, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 2393 www.icham.org The Chamber has the main purpose of undertaking activities to support commercial exchanges with Italy and to assist economic agents, as well as to foster the development of economic relations and cooperation among entrepreneurs of the various countries. The Chamber will not engage in commercial activities with the aim of producing profits.

CCIFV

Sofitel Plaza, No 1 Thanh Nien, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 222 www.ccifv.org A business group with over 240 members that supports the French business community in Vietnam by listening to their members’ needs and expectations. Also promotes Vietnam to French companies and helps them in developing their businesses here.

EuroCham

G/F, Sofitel Plaza Hanoi, 1 Thanh Nien, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 2228 www.eurochamvn.org

A confederate organisation with strong ties to national business associations in its member countries, Eurocham looks after and provides advice and support for the business interests of European Union members in Vietnam.

Singapore Business Association Vietnam Business Center, Ground Floor, Fortuna Hotel, 6B Lang Ha, Dong Da, Tel: 4772 0833 www.sbav-hanoi.org An association that actively fosters business relations with other business communities while promoting social, cultural, recreational, educational and charitable activities.

housing & real estate CB Richard Ellis (Vietnam) Co., Ltd

6 Floor, BIDV Tower,194 Tran Quang Khai, Hoan Kiem Tel: 2220 0220 www.cbrevietnam.com Finding the perfect accommodation to meet your various demands in Hanoi is made simple thanks to CBRE’s residential leasing team. Our services are inclusive of site finding, travelling fees, contract negotiation and resolving any other issues which arise during the term of the lease, all of which are free of charge for the tenant.

Colliers International Vietnam

9th floor, Vinaplast, Tai Tam Building, 39A Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 2220 5888 www.colliersmn.com/vietnam Represent property investors, developers and occupiers in all matters related to commercial and residential property. Services include leasing and sales, valuation and research, property management and support services. Attempt to accelerate the success of their clients by making their knowledge your property.

Daluva Home

33 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho www.daluva.com/apartment Thoughtfully appointed and decorated, Daluva Home features a cosy bedroom for true rest, plus open living, dining, and work

areas. Extras include two LCD TVs, iPod dock, and outdoor patio. Housekeeping, and daily breakfast from the Daluva Breakfast Menu are also included. Private car and tour booking service available.

Savills Vietnam

6th floor, Sentinel Place, 41A Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3946 1300 www.savills.com.vn A leading global real estate service provider listed on the London Stock Exchange with over 200 offices worldwide. Provides consultancy services, property management, space planning, facilities management, corporate real estate services, leasing, valuation and sales to the key segments of commercial, industrial, retail, residential and investment property.

insurance AIG

Suite 5-01, Hanoi Towers, 49 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3936 1455 www.aig.com Offers a range of insurance products and services including property, casualty and marine exposure insurance. Also has comprehensive travel and accident coverage, as well as healthcare packages for expats residing in Vietnam.

IF Consulting

CCIFV/Eurocham, Sofitel Plaza, 1 Thanh Nien, Ba Dinh, Tel: 3936 5370 Emergency: 0903 732365 www.insuranceinvietnam. com Specialises in medical, employee benefits and personal lines insurance advice to expatriates. The company has been operational in Vietnam since 1994 and offers free advice and comparative quotes.

international schools Concordia International School Hanoi

CMC Tower, Duy Tan, Cau Giay Tel: 3795 8878 www.concordiahanoi.org International brand, Con-

cordia, has highly performing schools in both Hong Kong and Shanghai at the top tier of the educational system. All instructors and teachers are native English speakers and admission applications are accepted throughout the year.

Hanoi International School 48 Lieu Giai Boulevard, Ba Dinh www.hisvietnam.com With schooling available for students studying at the elementary through to secondary levels of education, HIS is one of the few private, international education options in the capital. The institution offers Cambridge IGCSE and IB Diploma for students at the secondary level. Located near the Japanese Embassy.

KinderWorld International Kindergarten

Unit 9 – 10, Shophouse CT17, Ciputra Tel: 3743 0306 3rd Floor, 49 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 7243 Classes are kept small with a foreign teacher leading the class with the assistance of a Vietnamese

I n t e r n at i o n a l School of Vietnam

6-7 Nguyen Cong Thai, Dai Kim Urban Area, Dinh Cong, Hoang Mai Tel: 3540 9183 www.isvietnam.org The International School of Vietnam (ISV) is a notfor-profit, Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 school serving the international and local community of Hanoi. ISV accepts students of any nationality aged 3 and up. ISV offers an international education experience. Highly qualified and experienced international educators are supported by a 21st-century campus with the latest in educational technology plus excellent resources for learning. Class sizes are small.

Want to be in touch with what’s happening in this city? Check us out online at

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teacher according to the teacher-student ratio. KinderWorld provides pre school education for children from 18 months to below 6 years.

QSI International School of Hanoi

#17 Lane, 67 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 6418 www.hanoi.qsi.org With nearly four decades of experience in international education, QSI International School of Hanoi is next in the long line of ‘quality schools’ that have been established by the Quality Schools International. The institution specialises in instructing pre-school and lower elementary age students.

Singapore International school

2D Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound, 46 Van Bao, 726 1601, Block C3, Ciputra Tel: 3758 2664 An international school with an excellent record in a host of countries around the world, now available to those in Hanoi within its salubrious surrounds in Ciputra.

United Nations International School (UNIS)

Ciputra International Village, Tay Ho Tel: 3758 1551 www.unishanoi.org With more than 800 students from 50 different countries, UNIS is a nonprofit IB World School that instructs students from as young as three years old through to grade 12. Established in 1988 by agencies representing the United Nations, the pristine campus has a broad range of facilities and is located in the gated community of Ciputra.

language schools Apollo

67 Le Van Huu, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3943 2051 www.apolloedutrain.com Established in 1994, Apollo offers high-quality and cost-effective English language classes including

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Hanoi Websites hanoigrapevine. com

The place to go for all things related to the arts in a city that is developing its own, vibrant contemporary arts scene. Has event calendars, event postings, blogs, addresses and contact details, and covers anything from classical music through to installations, rock concerts and more.

infosharehanoi. com

Provides the expat community with essential information for living and working in Hanoi including comprehensive and up-to-date events listings as well as address lists of galleries, cinemas, theatres, hotels, housing agencies, embassies and much more. Subscribe to receive their weekly newsletter.

linkhanoi.com

Event photos, a what’s on calendar, restaurant and bar listings and in fact, pretty much everything you want to know about nightlife in Hanoi can be found on this popular website. Also organize regular events and parties.

newhanoian.com

The city’s best known website, The New Hanoian provides usergenerated listings, reviews and event information on pretty much anything and everything in the capital. Register, create your profile, write a review and receive frequent newsletters.

wordhanoi.com

The online extension of The Word, contains both content from the print edition as well as blogs, events, news, a what’s on calendar, party photos and much more. Also has downloadable PDF versions of the whole publication.

general English, English for teens, English for business communication and a pronunciation clinic. One of the country’s leading language centres.

British Council

20 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho Tel: 3728 1922 www.britishcouncil.org The cultural arm of the British government’s presence in Vietnam, the BC offers a variety of English language courses – business writing, corporate training and general English – in a large learning centre close to West Lake.

Language Link Vietnam 62 Yen Phu, Tay Ho Tel: 3733 8402 www.languagelink.edu.vn With four schools around Hanoi, Language Link runs international English language courses endorsed by Cambridge University. One of the top language centres in the capital.

legal services Baker & Mckenzie

13th Floor, Vietcombank Tower, 198 Tran Quang Khai, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3825 1428 www.bakernet.com One of the first international law firms to establish representative offices in Vietnam, Baker & McKenzie provide on-the-ground liaison and support services to clients interested in investigating, negotiating and implementing projects in the country.

management training G&H Management Services

HKC Building, Suite 701, 285 Doi Can, Ba Dinh Tel: 3762 3805 www.ghmsglobal.com A 100% foreign-invested company focusing on management services and consulting with in-house programs to meet the particular requirements of its clients. Offers teambuilding and academic-based business and management programmes.

RMIT

Hanoi Resco Building, 521 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh Tel: 3726 1460 www.rmit.edu.vn A leading international provider of skills training and professional staff development, RMIT offers both short and long-term courses, customised courses, and can provide for either on or off-campus clients. Known for its Business MBA which is open to both Vietnamese and overseas students.

market research Cimigo

142 Le Duan, Dong Da Tel: 3518 6696 vietnam@cimigo.com www.cimigo.com Independent marketing and brand research specialist operating in Hanoi and the Asia Pacific region in general. Services include auditing and optimising research programs, knowledge management, developing marketing plans and business models, and assessing market opportunities.

relocation & tracking agents Allied Pickfords

8 Cat Linh, Dong Da Tel: 6275 2824 vn.alliedpickfords.com The international home moving company helps make the burden of moving a lot easier. As the largest home moving company in the world, Allied Pickfords moves over 1,000 families in over 175 countries every day. Available with a full range of services — domestic moves, office moves and storage — whether you are moving within Vietnam or across the world.

Asian Tigers Transpo

Inland Customs Depot Area (ICD), Pham Hung, My Dinh, Tu Liem Tel: 3768 5882 www.asiantigersgroup.com Asian Tigers Group is committed to its mission of moving households without disruption to family life. They also offer pre-move advice regarding customs and shipping.

JVK Indochina Movers

6 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 3826 0334 www.jvkasia.com Focused primarily on the international and local movement of household goods, JVK is currently a leader in the field. Has offices in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Santa Fe Relocation Services

Suite 821, Vietnam Trade Hotel, 14 Tran Binh Trong, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3941 0805 www.santaferelo.com With over 150 offices around the world, Santa Fe offers local and international moving, pet transportation, relocation services including home search, orientation, cultural training, immigration services and records management. For more information email info@ santaferelo.com.vn.

serviced apartments Atlanta Residences

{business Buff}

49 Hang Chuoi, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 0912 239085 www.atlanta.com.vn Atlanta Residences fully serviced apartments have been created to provide a space where you can ‘feel at home’. Within walking distance from Hanoi’s Opera House and Hoan Kiem Lake, this building offers a panel of 51 spacious apartments for you to choose from. The serviced apartments here offer the luxury of a hotel mixed with the peaceful comfort and privacy of your home, under one roof of course.

** Vietnam Savings

What?

By Shane Dillon Photo by: kenteegardin

Daluva Home

33 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 5831 Whether traveling or on a temporary stay, Daluva can provide space & comfort. Thoughtfully appointed Daluva Homes feature a cozy bedroom for true rest, and an open living area that opens up to a terrace with plants.

Fraser Suites

51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 8877 http://hanoi.frasershospitality.com Great location in Syrena Tower on West Lake, Fraser Suites offer a tranquil repose from the busy city. Has several apartments with excellent views and provides gold-standard service.

Sedona Suites

No. 96 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 0888 www.sedonahotels.com.sg 175 well-designed, furnished apartments and villas combining the comforts of home with the conveniences of a fine hotel.

Somerset Grand Hanoi

49, Hai Ba Trung, Ba Dinh Tel: 3934 2342 www.somerset.com Internationally-managed accommodation with personalised services and extensive facilities. 185 fully furnished apartments, car park, 24-hour reception and central location. Word tries to keep its listings as accurate as possible, but we can’t do this without yourself. So, if you see anything which needs updating or revising, please email us on listings@wordhanoi.com

he common definition of a savings rate is ‘current income minus spending’. When it’s given in percentage terms, a negative number means that you are spending more money than you are earning. The national average savings rate is often determined by how a particular culture views debt, the financial institutions available to that culture, and how it values possessions. This is the same for an individual, household or country. In Vietnam the savings rate is much higher than in many western nations including the US. For example in 2005, the US average household saving rate was negative (fueling a property bubble) and stayed that way until the global financial crisis. At the same time in Vietnam it was estimated to be around 14 percent. This trend was also true for the national savings rate, which in 2005 was 15 percent for the US compared with 36 percent for Vietnam.

Informal Means In Vietnamese households, the savings are often held through informal means and this raises the question of the efficient use of this capital for investment purposes, which is a common issue in growing economies. Savings held by rural households, with low access to or trust in financial institutions, or living in traditional societies, can be

held in local saving groups or held in the form of physical assets such as agricultural assets, land or jewellery (gold). It is used for insurance against adverse harvests, medical costs, emergencies, marriages and education for children. One traditional method of savings is called so hui (a hui group), where several people gather together (often monthly), each contributing an equal amount of money, thus creating a pot of cash that one member of the group can borrow. In countries like Vietnam with low bank and insurance penetration, social cohesion affects savings rates where members of community groups are likely to save and borrow this way. The question currently faced by policy makers is that capital kept at home, where it is not available for wide spread borrowers and investors, is not the most efficient use of that resource. Household savings are considered an important financial resource for any country and as Vietnam continues to grow, how this capital can be incorporated into wider investments will be important to greater banking and financial services development. It will also be a key resource for the future of the country’s economic growth story. Shane studies and works in financial services. He welcomes your comments or questions at shanedillon@bluecross.com.vn

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DROPS] [ BARS * THE TOP * OF

Drink and be done by, or as the t-shirt tells us, khong say, khong ve. Our pick of the best drinking haunts in Hanoi Think we've missed somewhere? Email us on editor@wordhanoi.com

Bars & Nightclubs Cama ATK

MUSIC & ARTS BAR 73A Mai Hac De, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 01262 054970 With well-poured drinks, a foosball table, no smoking and a midnight closing time, CAMA ATK knows exactly what it wants to be — and that’s refreshing. The space is a part time venue for smaller acts and DJs. The venue is hip, comfortable and will likely provide the serious drinker with a reliable place to pull up a stool and take pulls in a relaxed haven.

Cheeky Quarter

LATE NIGHT LOCAL 1 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 0904 032829 Last building on the right before Hang Buom, this popular with the French (and everyone else) watering hole is a classic. Has the same Old Quarter vibe; small, cosy and personal with funky twists – and an awesome logo. Spread over two floors with good tunes, drinks specials and a foosball table, Cheeky is open till late. Also does tasty paninis into the early hours.

Chime Bar

Level 1, Sheraton Hanoi Hotel K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 9000 restaurant.hanoi@sheraton.com sheraton.com/hanoi Chime bar is the perfect spot for a refreshing glass of wine and a bite to eat. Offering a wide selection of tapas dishes in a lounge atmosphere, this is a great space to unwind, while listening to some soothing jazz to wash your blues away.

DRAGONFLY

DANCEHALL LOUNGE 15 Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem 93 Phung Hung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 4926 2177 One of the better venues in the Old Quarter for dancing on the weekends. Although crammed into a small space, cheap drinks and a mix of chart chits makes Dragonfly the regular go-to for younger Vietnamese crowds, tourists and the foreign resident looking to get up on the dance floor. If you don’t feel like dancing, relax upstairs with shisha and friends with one of the two lounges on the second floor. The sister venue on Phung Hung has a bigger menu and an earlier opening hour (11am instead of 6pm) but still keeps with the shisha, pool table and dance floor combo so popular on Hang Buom.

FatCat Bar

DJ / LATE NIGHT JOINT 25 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 5333 6087 www.linkhanoi.com Straddling Bia Hoi Corner and the

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cobblestoned end of Ta Hien, FatCat Bar is a small establishment from the minds behind the party and event organisers, LinkHanoi. The bar has tables filling the first floor and spilling onto the sidewalk as well as a small loft area for lounging. Nightly cocktail specials, reasonable bottles deals starting at VND500,000 and a DJ on the decks make up the mix.

Funky Buddha

ELECTRO LOUNGE 2 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem Owned by the people behind Face Club, the low, LED-lit venue has the feel of a VIP room situated in a larger club, only it's not. While techno and trance are the genre's of choice spun in the establishment by live DJs, patrons treat the space more like a lounge than a dancehall and typically order bottle service and cocktails. One of the Ta Hien mainstays.

Does regular events on the first floor and also has a creative Vietnamese food menu based on cuisine sold at other restaurants in the chain.

Irish Wolfhound

IRISH PUB 4 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 2212 6821 www.irishwolfhoundpub.com The open-air watering hole with seating on the pavement is a great spot to enjoy a tall dark stout or light pilsner at anytime, day or night. What it lacks in gaudy decorations, it makes up for with a constant stream of regulars, occasional live Irish music and billiards on the third floor. Has a decent food menu and even better pizzas.

La Fée Verte

Guinness, Jameson’s and a surprising amount of draught beer flowing from the taps, since its inauguration the tiny Spy Bar has managed to create a dedicated following despite its tiny size. With pictures of spies dotting the wall (both Vietnamese and international) and food delivery available from three restaurants, this is a great place to chill and shoot some well-deserved, Chuong Duong Bridge breeze.

Summit Lounge

ROOFTOP LOUNGE BAR 20th Floor, Sofitel Plaza, 1 Thanh Nien, Ba Dinh Tel: 3823 8888 ext. 5314 While there are a few ‘rooftop bars’ in the capital, few hold a candle to the view on offer at the Summit Lounge. With a chilled but lively ambience, top shelf cocktails, and a Southeast Asian fusion bar menu, the Summit Lounge is a great place to pitch yourself above the madness and peer down at the chaos below in peace. Sunsets are particularly special.

Tadioto

12 Truong Han Sieu, Ba Trieu Leftfield, Indochine, contemporary and artsy, all thrown into one, the latest incarnation of Tadioto rolls together café, bar and gallery. Always with an attractive ambience and friendly service, a garden out back adds a nice touch to the space inside.

Tay Tap

LATE NIGHT LOCAL / LOUNGE 32 Ma May, Hoan Kiem In the same building as the old Bucket Bar, Hair of the Dog, the first floor offers a large drinking space, graphic artwork, sidewalk seating and a dance floor. Up the spiral staircase, there’s the late-night bar and shisha lounge complete with beanbags. Drawing in a mix of expats, backpackers and locals, when the bars across the street shut down, the mayhem continues in ‘The Dog’.

FRENCH-STYLE CONTEMPORARY Hotel de l’Opera, 29 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 6282 5555 lafeeverte@hoteldelopera.com Meaning the green fairy — an allusion to the hallucinatory effects of absinthe which was drunk extensively in colonial Vietnam — understated lighting, a laid-back lounge atmosphere, a good music selection and ultra-contemporary interior design make up the mix at this downstairs bar in Hotel de l’Opera. Expect a good selection of creative cocktails and an extensive wine list. Opens late with a DJ taking to the decks on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Half Man Half Noodle

Late Delivery Service (LSD)

The Spot

Hair of the Dog

LATE DIVE BAR 62 Dao Duy Tu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3926 1943 Often a bit dark and somewhat gloomy, “The Noodle” is still a hit with long term residents. With its all-hour eating options — ranging from cheese toasties and pizzas to grilled cod and bun cha — and its popular happy hour, this Old Quarter old-timer is still up there with the options. Between 11pm and 12.30am, local beers go for VND15,000 and mixers go for VND30,000. Friendly staff and talkative patrons included.

Hanoi Rock City

LIVE MUSIC VENUE 27/52 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 01887 487 426 www.hanoirockcity.com With a downstairs, English-style pub garden area and an upstairs space dedicated to live music and live production, Hanoi Rock City is the only venue in the capital of its kind. Has weekly live events featuring bands both from Vietnam and overseas — established and up and coming. Email jimihendrix@hanoirockcity.com for more information or check out their page on Facebook.

House of Son Tinh

Liquor Lounge 31 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 6377 www.sontinh.com As part of the Highway 4 group, which now has its offices in the establishment’s upstairs areas, this bar-cum-restaurant outfitted with comfortable, stylish furnishings is famed for its luxurious rice wine liquors and newly created cocktail class.

Tel : (04) 6290 7907 www.lsd.vn The only beverage delivery service in Hanoi operating throughout the night (6pm to 4am). This unique delivery service runs every day and offers a wide variety of spirits, beers and other non-alcoholic drinks for you to order from your home. Affordable prices with delivery available within the six main districts of the city. Product origin and quality guaranteed.

Model Club

CATWALK BAR 45 Hang Bai, Hoan Kiem Lasers, pulsating trance, bottle service and nightly model shows. This venue is largely filled with flashy Vietnamese youngsters or older business types flashing their wads. Bottle service is a must, which is a little pricey, so if you ain't got enough money then you probably won't be sticking around to see the honeys.

Polite Pub

LONG BAR 5 Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3825 0959 A bit musty and jaded, despite being one of the oldest pubs in the city, this staple watering hole on Bao Khanh continues to be a hit. Probably the closest thing Hanoi has to an authentic English-style pub, Polite is frequented by a steady mix of locals and expats who find solace in the nightly conversations at the long bar, billiards and live football matches.

Spy Bar

HOLE IN THE WALL / IRISH 12A Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem Tel: 2269 1107 Fronted by the affable Sean, and with

Meet-up spot 100 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 6917 www.taytap.com Filled with wooden furnishings and a downstairs bar with two beers on tap — as well as wine, cocktails and spirits on the shelves — this newcomer venue has a grill menu catering to the tastes of both East and West. For those in search of a good old-fashioned Sloppy Joe or grilled cheese, you’ll be glad to know the kitchen is stocked to the ceiling with comfort foods. LOUNGE BAR / TERRACE 47 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem. Tel: 3935 1874 A stone's throw from Ta Hien, this barcum-lounge-cum-restaurant has all of the atmosphere present in bars scattered throughout the Old Quarter without being a dive. Enjoy a mixed drink, tacos or a Vietnamese staple starter with the occasional live DJ breaking out classic funk, soul and hip hop in the comfortable furnishings or on the back patio.

Tracy’s Pub and Grill

SPORTS BAR/GRILL 40 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 6675 9838 www.tracyspub.com This Canadian-run, miniscule sports bar on the main drag of Xuan Dieu is perpetually crowded with regulars drinking out front on plastic stools. Notorious for its mouth-watering burgers, cooked fresh to order, Tracy’s is most famous for their draft beers, claiming to serve the coldest draft beer in Hanoi, and always in a frosted mug. For those missing their dose of North American sports, they play all day via satellite on two plasmas.

Tunnel Bar

INTERNATIONAL / FRENCH 11B Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem Tel: 0936 063303 www.tunnel-bar-hanoi.com Slim but stylish two-storey bar located just at the bend on Bao Khanh. The friendly staff can make a range of well-made and colourful cocktails. Frequent DJ nights and parties are commonplace at this watering hole that caters to both foreign and Vietnamese. Does an excellent happy hour with specials on Ricard.

[ ] CAFES COFFEE *

CUP

If there's any industry where Hanoi excels, it's the industry that is all things coffee. Here is our list of some of the best places to drink coffee, tea and everything else non-alcoholic in this city.

Cafes Ciao Café

RESTO LOUNGE 2 Hang Bai, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 1494 A stone’s throw from the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake, this Saigonese franchise tries it’s hand with a variety of different western dishes at reasonable prices, especially considering the location. Loaded with booths and a steady, young Vietnamese crowd, the establishment is a great place to squash a sandwich or bowl of pasta and people watch. Oh, and they also do coffee, too.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

INTERNATIONAL COFFEE HOUSE 28 Thanh Nien, Tay Ho Tel: 3715 4240 www.coffeebean.com Finally the newest addition to the Hanoi coffee scene has opened a little closer to town than the first outlet in Pico Mall. Famous for the exceptional quality of the coffee and tea, the latest Coffee Bean is a multilevel, indoor/outdoor café overlooking Westlake. With its LA coffee and office feel, when you walk in you might just forget that you’re in Westlake.

Cong Caphe

LEFTIST ARTSY CAFE 152D Trieu Viet Vuong, Hai Ba Trung 32 Dien Bien Phu, Ba Dinh Tel: 6686 0344 With a kitsch, communist-driven theme saturating this quaint cafe, most patrons are young Vietnamese bohemians and artsy expats. Sip on a blended cup of joe with beans from the Central Highlands, knock back one of the many different types of tea available or sip on freshly squeezed juice from the Spartan cups in one of the hippest cafes on 'cafe street'. If you like pre-doi moi nostalgia, here is the place to go. And if you like more space and an outdoor terrace, hit Cong Caphe take two on Dien Bien Phu.

Highlands Coffee

CONTEMPORARY / COFFEE CHAIN 6 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 0444 www.highlandscoffee.com.vn As with any chain that attempts selfreplication, there is a tried and tested formula. At Highlands it is comfortable seating, good Wi-Fi, unobtrusive music and a mid-range, generic atmosphere. It works, too. The Starbucks of Vietnam, a French-influenced, international and pan-Asian food menu sits alongside the teas, coffee and cakes. Has other locations at 49 Hai Ba Trung, The Opera House, The Syrena Centre, Pacific Place and more.

Joma

COFFEE/BAKERY 22 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3747 33 88 54 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho, Tel: 3718 6071 www.joma.biz With two branches, Joma has brought a

little slice of “home” to Hanoi for expatriates with a contemporary western feel to the counter-style service and atmosphere. The food is all there too: breakfasts, salads, soups, ice cream, muffins, cakes, cereals and bagels. Starting in Laos in 1996, Joma moved to Hanoi in 2010 and is looking to open in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011. Has a play area for kids up in the West Lake café and bakery.

Kinh Do

PATISSERIE / SIMPLE CAFE 252 Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3825 0216 A must-go-to place on a lazy day, Mr Chi’s long-standing patisserie is somewhat famous for its honest, home-cooked food, no frills-but-relaxing environment and sour yoghurt fit for celebrities — Catherine Deneuve ate here daily during her time shooting Indochine. Hot fresh milk, exclusive coffee, awesome croque madames and local dishes, too. Replace WiFi with a book and aircon with ceiling fans; eat in, take away, the pastries are great and the price is always right.

Moca Cafe

CAFE / INTERNATIONAL 14-16 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3825 6334 moca@netnam.vn Set in a deliciously attractive slightly run down colonial villa, the tourist friendly location gives Moca a large amount of guidebook-driven clientele. But don't let this put you off. The faded but charmingly run down French-styled retro interior, good WiFi and some of the best coffee in town makes this a great spot to while away a couple of hours. The food menu mixes Vietnamese fare with sandwiches, western and pan-Asian mains.

Paris Deli

CAFÉ / BOULANGERIE 6 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 5269 Time has been good to this airy, bistro-style café and patisserie opposite the Opera House. One of the original international-style establishments to hit the capital, despite its prime location prices remain reasonable — espresso-style coffees cost around VND40,000 — and the cakes and croissants are moreish. Also does filled baguettes and a larger café-cum-restaurant menu. Has a second establishment at 13 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem.

Saint Honore

CAFE / BOULANGERIE 5 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3933 2355 st.honorehn@gmail.com Decked out in maroon, dark browns and cream, this cafe and French-style boulangerie is best visited in the morning when that Gallic, fresh-cooked aroma of bread, croissants and patisseries hits you as you walk through the door. Serving all day long, the downstairs space is split into the bakery on one side with a small

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non-smoking dining space on the other. The homely upstairs lounge area has standard tables as well as sofa seating. Simple but tasty French and international fare is served at meal times.

Segafredo

ITALIAN CAFE 36 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 1476 www.segafredo.com.vn Names of some of the world's greatest cities cover the front wall of Segafredo, an Italian cafe and eatery serving up some of the best espresso-based coffee in town. Red and white decor, lifestyle black and white coffee drinking images and an open plan space make up the mix. Besides the caffeine-based drinks, also does granita, teas, shakes and modern Italian fare ranging from panini and focaccia through to pizza, pasta, salads and desserts.

THE CART

SANDWICH SHOP/CAFÉ 18 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem (entrance on street behind Au Trieu) 8B, Lane 1, Au Co, Nghi Tam Village, Tay Ho Tel: 3928 7715 www.thecartfood.com Small a cozy café hidden on the quietest of Hanoian streets, with a new outlet on Nghi Tam, which is more like the big-windowed coffee shops you expect to see in Europe. The Cart serves and delivers tasty baguettes, homemade juices, quiches, pies, muffins and cakes. The delivery service is quick and reliable, which makes this lunchtime favourite ideal for when you need to eat at the desk.

The Hanoi Bicycle Collective (THBC)

44, Ngo 31, Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 8246 www.thbc.vn Tucked down an alleyway just off West Lake, The Hanoi Bicycle Collective is not just a place for all bicycle lovers, but a café that also sells Spanish tapas served up with gin & tonic, if the mood so takes you. Organising bicycle tours, running yoga sessions and holding music concerts in their upstairs cafe area, they also sell, rent and fix bikes and are an official supplier of TREK and SURLY cycling equipment. Eclectic? Not a chance!

The Hanoi Social Club

6 Hoi Vu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 2117 Situated on one of the quieter Old Quarter streets just off Hang Bong, The Hanoi Social Club is a cozy midsize café/restaurant where you can forget the heat and bustle of Hanoi. The atmosphere is relaxed and you can imagine, for a second, that you’re sitting in a European café. The food is fresh and internationally inspired, and the design is complimented by the work of Tadioto’s Nguyen Qui Duc. To top it off, the coffee here is said to be up there with the best in the country.

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[ EAT

]

THE 100 * * TOP RESTAURANTS

Want to know the best places to eat or drink in this city? Here is our pick of the top 100 restaurants

French Green Tangerine

high class customers with quality Vietnamese-French fusion cuisine.

48 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3825 1286 www.greentangerinehanoi. com A leafy, cobblestone courtyard with dark green castiron backed chairs greets you as you walk into this French era-built villa that houses the main section of this Indochina-styled restaurant. Serving up an enticing mix of classic and contemporary French cuisine, blended in with Vietnamese ingredients and cooking styles, the resultant fare has had customers coming back again and again. A traditional Vietnamese and kids menu is also available, as is a wine list focusing mainly on French wines.

Le Beaulieu

La Badiane

CASUAL FRENCH FUSION 59A Nam Ngu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3941 1959 A well-appointed lounge bar downstairs and a more typical bistro on the first floor, this Vietnamese-run French eatery is known for is extensive wine list and excellent, but well-priced fusion lunches. The work of French-trained sommelier Hai Ha, Le Paul Conti has so far proved quite a hit. A great addition to the capital.

10 Nam Ngu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3942 4509 labadiane.hanoi@yahoo.fr A white-washed, colonial era villa replete with period wooden shutters greets you as you enter this contemporary French restaurant. Guests can either dine indoors in aircon comfort or take to the leafy covered terrace out back with its walls lined with art and photography from 21st century Hanoi. The menu here mixes modern Gallic cuisine with a touch of Mediterranean and Vietnam thrown in, all creating an innovative and evocative selection of fare. Has an extensive wine list and an excellent, well-priced three-course lunch menu.

La Verticale

19 Ngo Van So, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3944 6317 www.verticale-hanoi.com Situated in an art-deco villa that was once owned by a Vietnamese mandarin, this establishment is now owned and run by perhaps the most famous French chef in the country. With modestly priced set lunches and subtle Vietnamese touches on the dishes, which primarily come from carefully selected domestic spices, the up market establishment lures in its

Sofitel Metropole Legend, 15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 6919 Classic French Indochine décor and subtle lighting give the Sofitel Metropole Legend’s signature restaurant an elegance rarely found in Vietnam’s capital. The a la carte menu pits classic French cuisine against contemporary Vietnamese cooking with dishes like Nha Trang lobster with saffron pot au feu, the pan fried veal tenderloin on a lemongrass skewer and the calisson parfait marinated with orange, pomelo and lemon balm. Has an extensive wine list.

Le Paul Conti

indian Foodshop 45

INTERNATIONAL INDIAN 59 Truc Bach, Ba Dinh Tel: 3716 2959 32 Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3993 1399 info@foodshop45.com Lakeside location, low bamboo seating and a history that screams empathy make this eatery one of the most popular Indians in town. Selling an international version of the mighty curry — they even sell pork and beef here — the menu keeps to the northern part of the subcontinent with masala, dopiaza, korma and the more Goan vindaloo taking centre stage. Also has a good range of breads and

47 Lo Su, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3935 2400 www.namastehanoi.com The latest newcomer to the Indian restaurants family, Namaste specializes in dishes from both northern and southern India — using Halal meat throughout. A meal will cost you between VND150,000 and VND300,000 and everything is there, from curries and breads to soups and desserts. Available to dine in or out with a free delivery

Service at this “slow food café” is seriously snail paced, but that is part of the charm of this modest eatery with only a few tables and small stools. Popular as a weekend hangover mainstay for the greasy eggs with cheese, the café is best known for its not-quite Mexican food. But hey, when there’s guacamole, salsa fresca, beans and cheese, what can go wrong? Be sure to try the fresh juices, like the super-booster with beetroot, and the coffee with whipped egg.

Spice

Al Fresco’s

tandoor-cooked kebabs.

Namaste Hanoi

CONTEMPORARY INDIAN RESTAURANT First Floor, 80 Ma May, Hoan Kiem Tel : 3926 0580 Located in the upstairs portion of its sister restaurant, Tamarind, Spice is an impressive extension to the Indian food choices in the city, providing quality non-vegetarian dishes and a comfortable seating area. Includes lounge seating and a colourful dining area with thoughtful artwork and photographs along its walls. Spice is a tropical, artistic, cultural, and attractive addition to the Old Quarter’s dining options. Specializes in seafood and classic Indian dishes.

Tandoor

24 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem. Tel: 3824 5359 tandoor@hn.vnn.vn A long-popular, Indianfood enclave specialising in Northern Indian cuisine. Has an indoor and upstairs, white tablecloth aircon area with a more casual dining and bar space out front. Does excellent kebabs served from an authentic tandoor oven as well as the full range of mainly North Indian curries. Also has a branch in Saigon and does excellent set lunches.

international Café 129

MEXICAN/COMFORT FOOD 129 Mai Hac De, Hai Ba Trung. Tel: 3821 5342

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74 | Word May 2013

AUSTRALIAN / INTERNATIONAL 19A Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 1155 98 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 5322 www.alfrescogroup.com With a real ‘diner’ kind of feel, Al Fresco’s serves up munchies-busting Aussie inspired food from a number of locations across the city including their original restaurant at 23L Hai Ba Trung. Topping the menu are the jumbo ribs at VND395,000, with generous helpings of pizzas, pastas, burgers, Tex-Mex, soups and salads going for less. The set business lunch is three courses for VND155,000. See the website for delivery numbers and don’t forget to ask for delivery deals. Have an efficient delivery service, but make sure you ask for knives and forks.

Kitchen

INTERNATIONAL CAFE FARE Ngo 40, Nha 7A Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 2679 hungskitchen@gmail.com Despite a two-storey indoor dining space, Kitchen is all about its leafy, terracotta-tiled terrace out front, a great space for eating the decent breakfasts (check out the breakfast burrito), the creatively titled sandwiches and the selection of international salads. Also does a range of Mexican dishes (available after 5pm) and an innovative smattering of healthy, smoothie-style drinks. Has amiable knowyour-name staff and a

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good delivery service.

speak English and French.

Koto on Van Mieu

Little Hanoi

La Restaurant

Matchbox

RESTAURANT / CAFÉ / BAR 59 Van Mieu, Dong Da Tel: 3747 0337 www.koto.com.au All profit is invested back into the cause at Koto, which is a school and workplace for disadvantaged students opposite the Temple of Literature. Authentic Asian and European cuisine comes out of a visible and frenetic kitchen and is served over four big floors of restaurant space. It’s cushioned, comfortable and has a rooftop terrace, too. Wrap it yourself nem, bun bo Nam bo, Koto burgers, pastas, fish and chips, chicken Kievs and sandwiches all under one homely roof.

VIETNAMESE / INTERNATIONAL 25 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3928 8933 The complimentary warm bread with rosemary is reason enough to visit this homely spot featuring hearty lentil and black bean soups, along with a range of international and Vietnamese options like New Zealand beef tenderloin or tofu with chilli and mushrooms. We aren’t quite sure why the Miele Guide nominated it as one of Asia’s finest restaurants as service is lackadaisical and tables could use candles to improve the lackluster ambience, but the immaculately tasty dishes more than make up for any quips.

La Salsa

IBERIAN / MEDITERANEAN 25 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3828 9052 lasalsa@fpt.vn A small but eternally popular Spanish-themed café and bar with an extensive list of reliable cuisine. Tapas are available, as well as full courses such as veal, and duck with currant sauce. Known for its good, European-style coffee and fantastic first-floor terrace area with views over the cathedral. Western staff

VIETNAMESE / INTERNATIONAL 21 – 23 Hang Gai Street, Hoan Kiem Dist Tel: 3828 5333 littlehanoi@orientalstars. com.vn A tourist hotspot and one for locals, too, Little Hanoi near Hoan Kiem Lake has been going sturdy since 1994 — mainly for its central location, range of sandwiches, pastas and Vietnamese cuisine. Baguettes go from VND95,000 and mango salads VND99,000, not to mention the coffee at around VND50,000, wines and fresh fruit juices. With Indochina-inspired art on the walls and jazz in the background, Little Hanoi is a little escape from the chaos of the central lake. INTERNATIONAL / VIETNAMESE 40 Cao Ba Quat, Ba Dinh Tel: 3734 3098 tmbhanoi@gmail.com Located in the grounds of the Fine Arts Museum, this classy restaurant and wine bar mixes attractive décor with western cuisine, all cooked up by a New Zealand-trained Vietnamese chef. Famed for its salads, good cuts of steak, lamb shank and its various pasta fare, the menu here also incorporates a number of well-known Vietnamese dishes.

Provecho

TEX-MEX / BURGERS / INTERNATIONAL 18 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem Tel: 0912 223966 provechohanoi@gmail.com The successor of My Burger My, this American-run, self-styled burger bar and restaurant fits a lot into a tiny, multi-storey space. Specializing in tasty, American-style, chargrilled burgers from around VND50,000 with a range of additional toppings including jalapeno peppers, smoked bacon, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and avocado, the creative menu also has a good range of Tex-Mex

fare, a number of panAsian dishes and a decent delivery service.

Tamarind

CONTEMPORARY VEGETARIAN 80 Ma May, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3926 0580 tamarind_cafe@yahoo.com Perhaps the only restaurant in Hanoi to cater to vegetarians that doesn’t focus on faux meat, Tamarind features a wide range of juices and shakes in a crunchy granola backpacker atmosphere. Breakfast is served all day and with Asian favourites, like vegetarian pho, Ma-Po tofu and Thai glass noodle salad, along with some falafel and western influences, vegetarians and carnivores alike will find something to try on this menu.

The Bistro

French flair 2/2c Van Phuc, Ba Dinh Tel: 3726 4782 www.thebistro.com.vn A modern eatery offering western cuisine with shades of French influence in a comfortable setting. Think gardens in a courtyard, drink and food deals and a warm indoor atmosphere — you know, just how the French do it.

Green Mango

WESTERN / VIETNAMESE 18 Hang Quat, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3928 9916 www.greenmango.vn Sophisticated restaurant set inside an Old Quarter boutique hotel. Formerly a school, and now also on Cat Ba Island, Green Mango serves Vietnamese and western food, ranging from sandwiches and pasta to lamb chops and VND700,000 Angus rib-eyes. Buy-one-get-one-free deals on cocktails and beers every day from 4pm to 6pm and Lavazza coffee at all hours. With comfy seats and a soft setting, the function room at the back often hosts charity events and semi-formal get-togethers.

Jaspa’s

INTERNATIONAL / AUSTRALIAN Hanoi Towers, 49 Hai Ba Trung (4th Floor), Hoan Kiem. Tel: 3934 8325 www.alfrescosgroup.com Recently refurbished, the Australian-influenced Jaspa's is known for its attentive service, tasty food and large portions. A place with something for everyone, it has proved itself to be popular with both the western and Asian expat communities who come back again and again. The comprehen-

sive menu is a fusion of western and Asian cooking. The cocktails come large. The wine is mainly New World. Also has a spacious bar and lounge area that stays open late for all the live sport.

Au Lac do Brazil

6A Cao Ba Quat, Ba Dinh Tel: 3845 5224 www.aulacdobrazil.com A nicely themed Brazilian churrascaria steakhouse offering all you can eat grilled meat and seafood on the skewer, Au Lac do Brazil is not for the feint of stomach. In typical Brazilian rodízio fashion, waiters bring cuts of meat to the table for patrons to pick and choose, all for a set price. They also offer wine pairings, a salad bar and an a la carte menu, with a creative selection of fruit caipirinhas on hand to wash it all down. The prices aren’t for anyone on a budget, but the amount and quality of meat is more than worth cost.

Café Lautrec

MEDITERRANEAN / INTERNATIONAL Hotel de l’Opera, 29 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 6282 5555 cafelautrec@hoteldelopera. com Featuring both à-la-carte and buffet dining as well as an innovative Sunday brunch, this namesake of the French artist ToulouseLautrec provides an exotic ambience for diners to enjoy a mixture of international and Mediterraneanstyle fare. Has an extensive wine list to match the cuisine, which is all served up in a contemporary yet colonial-inspired environment.

Don’s Tay Ho

CONTEMPORARY NORTH AMERICAN 16/27 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 3719 www.donviet.vn A bakery, bistro, restaurant, wine retailer, oyster bar and top floor lounge bar all in one, this lakefacing venue is the work of charismatic Canadian restaurateur and wine connoisseur Donald Berger. Focusing on comfort food done well, the main restaurant menu includes anything from wood-grilled rare tuna steak with fragrant Chinese black bean beurre noir to gourmet pizza and pasta dishes such as the likes of Iberian pata negra ham egg pasta served with crushed roasted garlic and manchego. Does an excellent range of imported oysters and has an extensive wine list.

El Gaucho Steakhouse

99 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 6991 www.elgaucho.com.vn This welcomed eatery combines traditional Argentinian recipes and preparation with great service in a contemporary and thoughtfully designed space over three floors. Already with two venues in Saigon — one near the Opera House and the other in Saigon South — the essence of this popular chain is quality top grade meats off the grill. Steak is the mainstay, but everything from chicken, pork and seafood is also up for grabs. Add to this a backdrop of low Latin music, low, subtle lighting and an extensive wine list and that’s another reason to head to El Gaucho.

Halia Hanoi

SINGAPOREAN / CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3946 0121 www.halia.com.sg A secluded courtyard in the heart of Pacific Place plays host to one of the capital’s best restaurants. A two-floored venue split into a downstairs tapas and bar area,with a refined dining space located on the level above, the menu includes Singaporean specialities such as the shrimp satay salad and the chilli crab spaghetti. A panEuropean classical menu mixed in with light Asian flavours is also on offer, with dishes such as panbraised Alaskan cod with sea winkle crust and the braised pork belly in shoyu and sweet mirin making an appearance. Has an extensive wine list.

Hemispheres steak & seafood grill

Sheraton Hotel, K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 9000 restaurant.hanoi@sheraton. com www.sheraton.com/hanoi The newest Steak & Seafood dining experience in Hanoi. Hemispheres Steak & Seafood Grill offers a wonderful menu covering both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Choose from Black Angus, US Prime Sirloin, Rib Eye, Rump and Tenderloin grilled to perfection. Prefer Seafood – no problem, Lobster, Oysters, Prawns, Fresh Fish, Clams and Crabs are all available for your dining pleasure, as well as an impressive array of wines by the glass & bottle from our “Wines of the World” selection.

May 2013 Word | 75

* * * TOP 100

Want to know the best places to eat or drink in this city? Here is our pick of the top 100 restaurants in Hanoi. Feel we're missing something or have included the wrong places? Simply email editor@wordhanoi.com

Nineteen 11 Jackson’s Steakhouse

23J Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3938 8388 www.alfrescogroup.com Then newest venture from the team behind Jaspa’s and Pepperoni’s is an all-day eating and drinking lounge fit for all occasions. It has three floors for different vibes – lounge bar, restaurant and “boardroom” – but fine imported steads can be found on each, as well as seafood and a huge wine list. A popular venue.

May Man Chinese Cuisine

PAN-CHINESE 2nd Level, Fortuna Hotel, 6B Lang Ha, Ba Dinh Tel: 3831 3333 www.fortuna.vn Elegant and luxurious, May Man has long been regarded as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Hanoi. Showcasing a selection of authentic Chinese culinary delights and Yum Cha at its finest, with seven private dining rooms this is a place to get dressed up for. Has extensive a la carte menus, dim sum menus and set menus. Reservations recommended.

Millenium

PAN-FRENCH / INTERNATIONAL 11B Ngo Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3828 7207 Clean and fresh with a fine-dining vibe, the Millennium restaurant is the minimal and chic result of a Café Des Arts makeover. The street’s new go-to for a high standard of eating and drinking goes over two floors and has a welcome and inviting three-level outdoor terrace high up amid the concrete and cables of the Old Quarter.

Ming Palace

PAN-CHINESE Sofitel Plaza, 1 Thanh Nien, Ba Dinh Tel: 3823 8888 A fine dining destination at the Sofitel Plaza serving Cantonese and pan-Chinese cuisine in a sleek modern setting with private dining rooms. With more than 80 dim sum selections available along with Chinese entrees, Ming’s is an ideal eatery for those hungry for higher end Chinese fare.

76 | Word May 2013

INTERNATIONAL / ASIAN The Opera House, 1 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3933 4801 www.nineteen11.com.vn Named after the completion date of the Opera House under which it is located, walk inside and a labyrinthine-like, bare-brick wall hallway leads you through to the main dining area. With dark browns, deep yellow tablecloths and a refined ambience aided by background classical music, the menu takes in western, panAsian and seafood fare and even has its own section dedicated entirely to foie gras. Has a 100-strong old and new world wine list that includes Bordeaux vintages and also boasts a cheaper, outdoor garden space next to Highlands Coffee.

PRESS CLUB

CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL 3rd Floor, 59A Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 0888 www.hanoi-pressclub.com 11.30am to 2pm and 6pm to 10.30pm. Closed Sunday lunch Wooden flooring, paneling and bold but subtle colours pervade this traditional but contemporary, fine-dining 70-seater venue close to the Opera House. Serving up quality cuisine for over a decade, Press Club boasts a bar area, two private dining rooms, including a wine room, a library and a vast selection of cigars, all in an elegant atmosphere. Does four excellent wine pairing menus, put together through the aid of the Press Club’s extensive new and old world wine list. Also hosts a popular firstFriday-of-the-month party.

italian Da Paolo

CLASSIC ITALIAN 18 Lane 50/59/17 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho Tel: 8585 1443 This airy, contemporary looking Italian restaurant next to the famed lawn chair and coconut café on West Lake has all the right ingredients to become a classic. Run by the long time former manager of Luna D’Autunno, it features

scrumptious woodfired oven pizzas from VND120,000 and other Italian delicacies. Open every day for lunch and dinner, delivery is also available.

Luno d’Autunno

CLASSIC ITALIAN 78 Tho Nhuom, Hoan Kiem. Tel: 3823 73338 lunadautunno@gmail.com This old-favourite Italian restaurant has been going for 10 years. It uses traditional wood ovens to prepare some of the city’s finest pizzas, which range from VND60,000 to build-your-own-skies-thelimit. Set inside a large, thoughtful space with over 35 covers and an outside courtyard, seasoned chefs also make fresh pastas, soups and cheeses — the latter often bought by other restaurants. Monthly photo exhibitions and opera nights make it well worth a visit, as does the large wine list and choice of desserts.

Mediterraneo

PAN-ITALIAN 23 Nha To, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 6288 leo@mediterraneo-hanoi. com This long-running, cozy restaurant near the cathedral serves all the traditional Italian fare you could need — homemade mozzarella and fresh pasta, spinach and ricotta ravioli, cold cut boards, soups, salads and fish. Throw in an extensive wine list, a traditional wood fire oven and a balcony spot looking over Hanoi’s trendy café scene and you’re onto a winner.

Pane e Vino

Pan-Italian 3 Nguyen Khac Can, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 9080 www.panevino.com Just a stroll away from the Hanoi Opera House and Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of Hanoi, Pane e Vino serves up authentic Italian food and has done for as long as anyone can remember. Renowned for the highly rated, oven fresh pizzas and large variety of pasta and salad dishes — look forward to fine food done well at this eatery that has the feel of Europe. Huge wine lists, friendly staff and a loveable owner.

Angelina

CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN Sofitel Metopole Legend Hotel 15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 6919 There are only two truly top-end, contemporary Italians in Vietnam and Angelina claims pride of place in this elite group. This doesn't mean that prices here are off limits — take a similar eatery in Europe and here you are paying a third, which all makes a meal here a special affair. The carpaccios are to die for, the pastas are all home made, the pizzas are woodfired and the steaks are chargrilled. Does a great three-course set lunch for VND520,000++.

Japanese & Korean Ky Y

JAPANESE RICE EATERY 166 Trieu Viet Vuong, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3978 1386 Sushi, soba, sake. Buy a big bottle of sake and the staff will put your name on it and keep it until next time. Dine at the downstairs bar or in one of the private rooms with sliding doors for an authentic Japanese experience. Although Ky Y specialises in rice-style working man’s fare, it’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, but the Japanese omelets, tempura and saucy eggplant dishes are perennial crowd pleasers.

Singaporean Rasa Singapura

SINGAPORE PERANAKAN CUISINE 63 Truc Bach, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 2992 www.rasasingapura-hanoi. com By the shores of Truc Bach Lake is the newly opened Singapore Peranakan Restaurant with its authentic, Straits fusion fare emanating from Singapore, Malacca and Penang. Boasting the mouthwatering nasi lemak as its signature dish, all the fare here is home-cooked by the owner / partner who spent five years living and studying

in Singapore. This is tasty, home-cooked, well-priced fare in a pleasant but tranquil setting.

Vietnamese Highway 4

Vietnamese / Ethnic 5 Hang Tre, hoan Kiem Tel: 3926 4200 575 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh Tel: 3771 6372 54 Mai Hac De, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3796 2647 25 Bat Su, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3926 0639 31 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 6377 Always busy, often hectic, this multi-floored restaurant is for diners who don’t mind loud noises and sitting on the floor. It’s best for groups so you can order an array of dishes ranging from the more exotic frog legs, buffalo and ostrich, to the trusted standbys; catfish spring rolls, papaya salad and fried tofu. But it’s the exclusive Highway 4 flavoured rice wines that can be taken as shots or mixed into cocktails that keep this place crowded.

Old Hanoi

GOURMET VIETNAMESE 4 Ton That Thiep, Hoan Kiem Tel: 1355 9096 Gordon Ramsay once filmed a show at this restaurant in a renovated French villa and now the ribs carry his namesake. But it’s the twist on old world favourites, think fried snail spring rolls and miniature vegetarian banh xeo, in a casually elegant setting that make this spot near the train tracks standout. Be sure to try the roll-your-own cha ca spring rolls and check the schedule for live traditional music.

Pots ‘N Pans

57 Bui Thi Xuan Street, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3944 0204 www.potsnpans.vn Brought to you by a group of former disadvantaged youth from Hanoi’s own KOTO, this unique fine dining restaurant, bar and lounge blends the old with the new. Vietnamese fusion cuisine, like profiteroles with green tea and café fillings, a private chef’s table with a kitchen view, and an extensive wine list combined with

modern formal styling bring a unique experience to Hanoi.

Satine

29 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 6282 5555 ext. 6414 satine@hoteldelopera.com Situated in the heart of Hotel de l’Opera’s 8 storey central atrium, Satine offers a high class dining experience. Signature Vietnamese dishes from around the country will be presented to guests including some of the country’s best kept culinary secrets passed down by generations.

Restobars Daluva

CLASSY FUSION 33 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 5831 www.daluva.com A popular hang-out for expats and trendy Vietnamese in the Xuan Dieu area on West Lake. This bar and restaurant offers casual dining with a classy twist, as well as wine, tapas, events and attractive décor. Additional services include catering, BBQ rentals, playroom, kids menu, takeaway and local delivery.

Ete Bar

FRENCH LOUNGE 95 Giang Van Minh, Ba Dinh Tel: 0976 751331 www.etehanoi.com A favourite among those who roam further west of the city centre, this multistorey restobar has been going strong for more than two years. It has balconies, mezzanine seating and a long bar guarding exactly 50 different cocktails. For many the Ete burger is right on the mark as are the sandwiches, tartines and salads. It’s always crowded — especially during the weekends. Amiable staff, pleasant vibes.

Word tries to keep its listings as accurate as possible, but we can’t do this without yourself. So, if you see anything which needs updating or revising, please email us on listings@wordhanoi.com

J.A.F.A.

be complete without a large wine list to match.

INTERNATIONAL The Clubhouse, Ciputra Tel: 3758 2400 One of the larger and more comfortable bars in Hanoi, J.A.F.A. is a great place for drinking cocktails by the pool. The beverages are not the cheapest, but this is made up for by service and ambiance. They also have a full menu featuring familiar western dishes such as pizza and cheeseburgers and cater for large parties or dinner functions. Periodic buffets and drink specials are also offered.

imported beer, Tiger draft, a decent international cum Vietnamese food menu, happy hour specials and live sport make up the comfortable mix. The venue also gets involved in the local community through regular events. Has a second Le Pub at Third Floor, 9 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho.

La Petit Tonkinoise

ART DECO / INTERNATIONAL 58A Tran Quoc Toan, Hai Ba Trung Located on the corner of Quang Trung, this large new cafe, restaurant and bar is housed in a restored colonial building. The beautiful courtyard is liberally decorated with plants, fans, blowlight jets of water, and shade is provided by tasteful cream parasols. Inside, a non-smoking, air-conditioned room is the perfect place to escape the heat. Western and Vietnamese fare is on offer, they have a huge range of wine, beer and coffee and they serve excellent fries too.

JACKSONS STEAKHOUSE

23J Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 8388 www.Jackson_steakhouse.com This new addition to the city from the Alfresco’s Group is definitely the meatiest yet. In the shape of a four floor, chic restobar — which has a bar lounge on the ground, a restaurant vibe on the second and third, and a “boardroom” on the fourth — Jacksons Steakhouse serves of well presented plates of imported Oz and New Zealand steaks as well as seafood. Of course, the large restaurant wouldn’t

Ola de Tapas

SPANISH 26 Lan Ong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 8585 2563 Nestled just off the main Old Quarter drag, this bar and restaurant daubed in the colours of the Spanish flag is the first genuine Iberian tapas bar in town. Sells a range of fare from paella through to tapas, a selection of tortilla and Spanish mains, and also serves lethal but tasty sangria. Spanish tempanillos and reds make up the enigmatic mix.

Le Pub

BRITISH / INTERNATIONAL 25 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3926 2104 www.lepub.org Dark red walls and even darker brown seating run through the homely and casual Le Pub, one of the few bars in town with a regular stream of clientele. A long list of

Puku

INTERNATIONAL / CAFE 16-18 Tong Duy Tan, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 1745 This spacious spot on food street is open around the

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clock, offering Aussie-inspired comfort food along with more eclectic Irish nachos, cottage pies and pan-Asian fare. Upstairs is fit for social gatherings and live music while the nosmoking downstairs space is filled with people working and socialising. Serves as community centre, catering both to ravenous backpackers who’ve just arrived off the night train from Sapa and locals looking to meet up.

R&R Tavern

BAR, CAFÉ AND MUSIC VENUE 256 Nghi Tam, Tay Ho www.rockandrolltavernhanoi.com Come grab a drink at the newly revamped R &R to enjoy a taste of American style brew and their comforting Western dishes. The pub still lives up to its old name, providing an array of drinks, buzzing chatter, and of course, some quality live rock music. Its upstairs area is equipped with a sound system and stage setup for weekly shows and events while the downstairs area houses a classic bar that

gives a finishing touch to the friendly community environment.

Rooftop

SKYLINE LOUNGE 19th Floor, Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3946 1901 therooftop@vnn.vn If location counts for anything, then here it is spectacular. With a 270-degree view over the whole of the city, the up-on-high theme of the Rooftop is used to its full. The bar is pretty cool, too, with bare brick, sofa-style seating, glass fronted wine displays and a private room out back for more intimate drinking. Also does day-time office lunches, coffee and decent bar food.

Southgate

CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL 28 Tong Duy Tan, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3398 1979 www.southgatehanoi.com An American-run casual yet sophisticated restobar on Food Street with a great outdoor terrace area, a shared indoor bar space, a chef’s table and upstairs seating. Matched by con-

temporary décor, the creative food menu focuses on doing comfort food well, while a decent new and old world wine list and innovative cocktails make up the mix. Popular with the media and artsy set.

TADIOTO LOUNGE BAR AND CAFE

12 Truong Han Sieu, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 6680 9124 www.tadioto.com Alternative and nostalgic restaurant bar with a dim lit conversational ambience. This French-style villa is adorned with old-world architectural styles and hints of engaging contemporary artwork along its walls. Enjoy a glass of wine to complement a variety of succulent light dishes in this combination café, bar, and gallery. Includes lounge seating, two bars, an outdoor patio, and two multi-purpose rooms for small gatherings. Tadioto is an exciting, intimate venue for live music, literary readings, and art showcases.

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The Cart

L’s Place

St. Honore; Vine

Oasis; Red Apron

Segafredo; Tracy’s; Kitchen

Vine Cellar Door

Mandarin; India Palace

Yuki’s

Al Fresco’s; Tay Tap

Kitchen Art

House of Son Tinh

Santal Spa; Bamboo Village

Don’s Tay Ho

City Zoo; Better Day

Da Paolo; Coconut Cafes

Collective Concepts

La Salsa

Binh’s Salon

White Cloud

L’Atelier

Cielo

Pure Heaven

Bobby Chinn

International SOS

Le Marrakech

Ham Long Mini Market

Daluva

Module 17

Joma

George’s Fashion

Hanoi Rock City

Veggie’s

Love Chocolate Cafe

Zenith Yoga

El Gaucho

May 2013 Word | 77

{Medical Buff} ** Hand Foot and Mouth Disease * *

LEISURE Time to release all that pent up energy - it’s not all work and propping up the bar, you know. Here are some ideas for better ways to spend that free time

book shops Bookworm

44 Chau Long, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 3711 Bookworm has been the cornerstone of Hanoi’s literary scene since 2001. It has been around the block quite a bit and now shares a space with Hanoi Cooking Centre. With over 15,000 new and secondhand fiction and nonfiction titles in stock, the shop also buys used books and offers free travel advice.

Cinemas Cinematheque

and Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) usually occurs as a mild viral illness. It is common in children under five although it can affect adults. The cause of the disease is the enterovirus Coxsackievirus A6. Symptoms include a fever, sore throat, rash and red spots, and sores in the mouth. The rash is typically on the palms of hands and the soles of the feet. It is usually not too serious; it is a selflimiting disease which means it ‘cures’ itself so no treatment is necessary. Medicines can be taken to relieve the symptoms, for example paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever, or oral gel for mouth ulcers HFMD is spread through contact, including any bodily fluids, and is most contagious during the first week of illness. Good personal hygiene, including frequent hand washing and using a tissue for coughing, should be observed. Children should be kept home until they have been without fever for 24 hours and until all skin lesions are dry.

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Symptoms and Complications Complications such as meningitis and encephalitis are rare. Symptoms to look for include headaches, neck stiffness, back pain, photophobia (light sensitivity) and convulsions. Contact your doctor immediately if any of the symptoms arise and if there are any signs of dehydration. Atypical rashes can also occur which are more widespread, and can appear on the backs of hands, tops of feet, around the outside of the mouth and anus. They can be raised, flat, blister or scab-forming rashes. Skin and nails might also peel. Again, consult your doctor immediately if the rash seems to be more extensive. It can sometimes be mistaken for chicken pox, impetigo, herpes simplex or Kawasaki disease because of the rash. There are no particular dangers associated with pregnancy unless infection occurs shortly before delivery. There is a risk of more serious complications if the infant is under two weeks old. Dr. Cynthia Dacanay is a paediatrician at Family Medical Practice, 298 I Kim Ma, Ba Dinh

22A Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3936 2648 Not a movie theater per se, but a private film club that charges a membership fee in return for entrance to a wide selection of movies, new and old. The management has an eclectic taste and shows films from all over the world.

Clubs & Societies American Club

21 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3824 1850 www.americanclubhanoi. com A bit worn around the edges, but the facilities are still useful and the grounds pleasant. They host frequent events that are open to the public. Wide lawn, volleyball and basketball courts may make the place worth a visit.

Cooking Classes Hanoi Cooking Centre

44 Chau Long, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 0088. www.hanoicookingcentre. com Hanoi Cooking Centre

Word tries to keep its listings as accurate as possible, but we can’t do this without yourself. So, if you see anything which needs updating or revising, please email us on listings@wordhanoi.com

is a school, retail outlet and café, where you can find classes on not just Vietnamese cooking, but international cuisine, held in a beautiful setting. They also offer culinary tours.

Hidden Hanoi

137 Nghi Tam, Tay Ho Tel: 0912 254045 www.hiddenhanoi.com.vn A wide range of Vietnamese culinary classes are offered in these well-appointed and clean facilities. The knowledgeable staff will guide you through the secrets of Vietnamese cooking in an open air courtyard.

Highway4 Cooking Class

31 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3715 0577 The well-known restaurant also offers one-off cooking courses in the kitchens at their Truc Bach location. Don’t worry if you forget some of the tricks, as the class includes a recipe booklet.

KOTO

Lane 52/28, House 9, To Ngoc Van Tel: 3747 0377 www.koto.com.vn This charitable organisation, which helps street kids gain the skills to succeed in the hospitality industry, also offers cooking classes to the public on Tuesdays at their training centre. Learn how to make some of the items on their menu at home. Pick up is also available at their Van Mieu location.

swimming pools Army Hotel

33C Pham Ngu Lao, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3825 2896

Four Seasons

14 Dang Tien Dong, Dong Da Tel: 3537 6250

Hanoi Club

76 Yen Phu, Tay Ho Tel: 3823 8115 www.hanoi-club.com

Horison Fitness Center 40 Cat Linh, Ba Dinh Tel: 3733 0808

Melia Hotel

44B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 3343

Olympia

4 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3933 1049

Sao Mai

10 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 3161

Sofitel Plaza Fitness Center 1 Thanh Nien, Tay Ho Tel: 3823 8888

Than Nhan

Vo Thi Sau, Hai Ba Trung, (Inside the park)

Thang Loi Hotel 200 Yen Phu, Tay Ho

Cycling The Hanoi Bicycle Collective (THBC)

44, Ngo 31, Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 8246 www.thbc.vn Tucked down an alleyway just off West Lake, The Hanoi Bicycle Collective is a place for all bicycle lovers! An official supplier of TREK and SURLY cycling equipment, the joint not only sells but also rents and fixes bicycles. To add to the eclectic, community spirit they also organise bicycle tours, run yoga sessions, hold music concerts in their upstairs cafe area and run a great menu of

Spanish tapas served up, if you so wish, with gin & tonic. Quite a mix!

Fitness Elite Fitness

51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 6281 www.elitefitness.com.vn The luxury gym features top-of-the-line fitness equipment, separate cardio and spinning areas and an

{ book Buff }

indoor swimming pool with a retractable roof. The spacious studios and natural light make it a welcoming place to squeeze in a work out, but be prepared to pay. This place is top of the range.

** Books of the Month * *

Vietclimb

So 40 Ngo 76 An Duong, Tay Ho Tel: 5321 9235 www.vietclimb.vn Although a little hard to find, VietClimb is a French-owned, 200-meter climbing gym with stateof-the-art courses. There are 100 different climbing routes within the gym that are changed every few months. They offer clinics, classes and children’s events. Membership and group rates are available, but be sure to check out the three-month pass.

Hairdressers & Salons Dinh Hair Salon

2A Cua Bac, Ba Dinh Tel: 09877 18899 A small but popular hair salon that serves both expats and locals. The many repeat customers go back because of Dinh’s willingness to both follow instructions, or to be creative when asked. Services include scalp massage, shampooing, colouring and styling.

TA Salon

Hanoi Club, 76 Yen Phu, Tay Ho Tel: 3716 1754 / 3758 2940 (Ciputra). Hotline: 0912 267613 Multi-functional hair and body salon with a range of treatments running from haircut, highlights, shampoo, straightening and perm to hot stone foot and body massages, a range of facials, waxing, bikini lines and body scrub. With a first salon in Ciputra, TA number two is at the Hanoi club. Popular with both western and Asian expats as well as A-class Vietnamese.

Yoga & Meditation Zenith Yoga

Floor 3, 111 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 0904 356561 A premier studio offering some of the best yoga, pilates and tai chi in town. Kids’ yoga, prenatal yoga and meditation are also available. Professional instruction along with a peaceful atmosphere creates one of the most zen places in Hanoi. Drop in classes are available for VND200,000 and a month unlimited class pass costs VND1.8 million.

Bookworm’s Truong recommends some self-help books for readers who don’t take themselves too seriously

t Bookworm we’re longtime fans of Benrik, authors Ben Carey and Henrik Delahag. Anarchists of the world of self-help they gained cult status worldwide with the publication of their first book, This Diary Will Change Your Life, in 2004. Diary users had life changing tasks suggested for every day: Jan. 25, eat part of a loved one; Jan. 11, boycott something that’s never been boycotted before; Feb. 5, threaten a foreign country. The diary has been updated with new challenges each year since the first edition. Later editions included weekly tasks and items such as sell extremely minor sexual favours, volunteer for a medical experiment and embark on the task of eating a piece of furniture. The authors built on their success with This Book Will Change Your Life which included the ‘best’ as voted for by readers’ tasks from six years worth of the diaries; then a sequel, This Book Will Change Your Life Again: 365 More Daily Tasks For Hysterical Living. It is described as part instruction manual, part religious cult, part sheer anarchy. A few tasks verge on borderline illegality — defy a hierarchy, collapse a currency, stalk a well-known writer and try to become their muse — and are undertaken by readers, if at all, with a liberal handful of salt.

reverse psychology to make kids love awful vegetables, and lots more. Somewhat surprisingly we didn’t get a single complaint, instead we received a stream of orders for upcoming parental birthdays. Either recipients all had a great sense of humour, or perhaps they pulled the common, anarchic, mumand-dad trick of putting the book in a conspicuous place for a week or two before disposing of it unread. Our latest Benrik find is A Book For People Who Want to Become Stinking Rich But Aren’t Quite Sure How, a nice little parody on those self-help books from the 1980s and 1990s that promised to show readers how to make squillions by being totally greedy and selfish. This treasure is aimed at people who want to break out of the shackles of the Humour or Disposal? middle class, and who realise that the Bookworm’s first association only way to stop worrying about money with Benrik was suitably, but is to make lots of it. 150 deranged but unintentionally anarchic. We plausible ideas are outlined. Readers obtained small, beautifully covered, are encouraged to grab hold of one and excellently illustrated books for go for it or, at least be inspired to dream Mother’s and Fathers’ Day presents; up their own way out idea that might a pink one titled The Mother’s Book appeal to a gullible public. Three typical and a corresponding blue one for proposals are: how to make Chinese fathers, which went on the shelves people shift to using knives and forks; unvetted. These sold like hotcakes judgment day interview training for to undiscerning children, who persuasive talks with St Peter; talking then presented their parents with umbrellas for people who don’t realise it instructions on how to rank their has stopped raining. children in order of preference; the Fans and Launches ten best excuses to use when they Benrik have an enthusiastic fan base forget a child’s birthday; how to and following. A successful website decipher teenage grunting; using

— benrik.co.uk — and Facebook page encouraged more anarchical books with catchy titles like Lose Weight! Get Laid! Find God! The All in One Life Planner and The Couple’s Book, in which successful — or less so — pairs could record important occasions such as vintage orgasms, plan trial separations and so on. Benrik book launches are now eagerly awaited public occasions. At the last launch 100 participants volunteered for on-the-spot speed life changes, which included a spanking from a dominatrix, being given a quote by a qualified doctor for essential plastic surgery, getting blessed by a voodoo priest, chanted at by a Hare Krishna, and having an instant tattoo by a tattoo artist. At times the suggested tasks are apparently just too much for the publishers who refuse to print them. These are gleefully outlined on the Benrik website which also includes a very funny blogsite for readers approved as being suitably anarchistic to appreciate the advice. For more information on Bookworm go to bookwormhanoi.com. Besides their original store on Chau Long, Bookworm have a second, smaller shop in Nghi Tam Village in the West Lake area. Located behind the Sheraton and in the same alley as VilaTom Coffee, it can be found at Lane 1/28 Au Co, Lang Nghi Tam, Tay Ho

May 2013 Word | 79

{ CINEMA Buff } ** THE YEAR IN FILM * *

back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a warzone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Trance Director: Danny Boyle Stars: James McAvoy, Vincent Cassel, Rosario Dawson Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller Simon, a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars, but after suffering a blow to the head during the heist he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting. When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang’s leader Frank hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb to delve into the darkest recesses of Simon’s psyche. As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon’s broken subconscious, the lines between truth, suggestion and deceit begin to blur. Trance hits the screens on May 3 at MegaStar cinema complexes in Vincom Tower (191 Ba Trieu, Hai Ba Trung), Mipec Tower(229 Tay Son, Dong Da, and Lotte Landmark Cinema (Keangnam Towers, My Dinh)

Star Trek: Into the Darkness (3D) Director: J.J. Abrams Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi When the crew of The Enterprise is called

80 | Word May 2013

stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again. Will screen from May 24 at MegaStar, Lotte Landmark Cinema and Platinum Cineplex

The Women on the Six Floor (2010) (Les femmes du 6ème étage) Director: Philippe Le Guay Stars: Fabrice Luchini, Sandrine Kiberlain, Natalia Verbeke Genre: Comedy

Hits the screens on May 17 at MegaStar cinema complexes, Lotte Landmark Cinema, and Platinum Cineplex (in The Garden Shopping Mall, My Dinh and Vincom Long Bien, Long Bien)

Fast & Furious 6 Director: Justin Lin Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller Since Dom and Brian’s Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with US$100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and live forever on their ungainly earnings have left their lives incomplete. Meanwhile, Hobbs has been tracking an organisation of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind is aided by a ruthless secondin-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty. The only way to

Paris, 1960. Jean-Louis lives a bourgeois existence absorbed in his work, cohabitating peacefully with his neurotic socialite wife Suzanne while their children are away at boarding school. The couple’s world is turned upside down when they hire a Spanish maid Maria. Through Maria, Jean-Louis is introduced to an alternative reality just a few floors up on the building’s sixth floor, the servants’ quarters. He befriends a group of sassy Spanish maids, refugees of the Franco regime, who teach him there’s more to life than stocks and bonds. The women’s influence on the house brings change... muy rápido! Screening starts at 8pm on May 10 at the French Cultural Centre (L’Espace). The movie will be shown in French with Vietnamese subtitles

{ the Alchemist}

FASHION Looking good and dressing even better is big in this image-conscious metropolis. So, here are some of the fashion options available to you in Hanoi

Do you think you should be listed on these pages? If so, simply email us on listings@wordhanoi.com and we’ll see what we can do. We can’t promise but we’ll try our best

Supermarkets Big C Supermarket

222 Tran Duy Hung, Cau Giay

Citimart Hanoi Towers

49 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem

Citimart Vincom Towers

191 Ba Trieu, Hai Ba Trung

Fivimart

210 Tran Quang Khai, Hoan Kiem 10 Tran Vu, Ba Dinh 671 Hoàng Hoa Tham, Ba Dinh 71 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Dong Da 51 Xuân Dieu, Tay Ho 93 Lo Duc, Hai Ba Trung Online shopping: www. fivimart.com.vn

Hanoi Star Supermarket 36 Cat Linh, Dong Da

Intimex

22 & 23 Le Thai To, Hoan Kiem 131-135 Hao Nam, Dong Da 17 Lac Trung, Hai Ba Trung 27 Huynh Thuc Khang, Dong Da

Metro

126 Tam Trinh, Yen So, Hoang Mai Pham Van Dong, Co Nhue, Tu Liem

Accessories & Footwear Boo Skateshop

84 Hang Dieu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3923 1147 This skateshop offers a variety of clothes, shoes and skateboarding equipment. Most of the T-shirts are made and designed in Vietnam, while the shoes and other equipment are made for export, often rejected due to minor defects. Staff is knowledgeable about Hanoi’s best skateboarding spots.

Three Trees

15 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3928 8725 The jewellery on offer, designed by a Belgian expat, often features chunkier gold shapes with small, well-placed diamonds. Hidden in the back of the store there is also a display case featuring less-expensive costume jewelry.

Clothing Contraband

23 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3928 9891 Launched in Hanoi in 2007, Contraband targets young hip working women. Garments are made from versatile fabrics that are comfortable to wear and easy to look after – making them ideal for work and travel. New styles are introduced each month with limited production runs, offering a sense of exclusivity.

Metiseko

40-42 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem www.metiseko.com A lifestyle brand that started out life in Hoi An, Metiseko’s move to the capital will see them bring us their creative, poetic prints designed for an eco-chic lifestyle. The products — clothing, accessories and furniture — are made from natural silk and organic cotton certified to global organic standards. Metiseko is also certified by the fair-trade, Textile Exchange.

Photo by: new 1lluminati

** Labels * *

Song

5 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3828 6965 This boutique, whose name comes from the Vietnamese word for “life”, stocks high-end linen and silk clothes in a serene store awash with the fresh scent of mint. Located just across the street from the cathedral, prices are on par with its higher-end neighbours.

Tan My Design

61 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3938 1154 800sqm of elegant, modern space that offers one-ofa-kind pieces to add to your home furnishings or wardrobe. Located across the street from the other Tan My, one of the oldest silk and embroidery stores in Hanoi.

Things of Substance

5 Nha Tho, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3828 6965 This shop’s motto “Western sizes, Vietnamese prices”, says it all. While mostly retailing women’s separates in soft cotton jersey and linen, the store also carries a range of accessories like embroidered canvas totes and printed tees. Has a good selection of unique men’s shirts.

Sole 21

21 Nha Chung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 1968 A distinctly designed boutique around the corner from the cathedral, bringing the latest from European and American Designers. Think Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade and Top Shop. Mark-up seems high on some pieces, but all designers are authentic. No fakes here.

Do you think you should be listed on these pages? If so, simply email us on listings@wordhanoi.com and we’ll see what we can do. We can’t promise but we’ll try our best

This month, Karen Gay, holistic health practitioner, talks about letting yourself, and every different dimension of yourself, shine through

rom the moment we are born we are given labels; male, female, and as we age we attract more and more labels, all of which come with societal expectations. Many people rebel against being boxed into a certain role, they don’t like to be defined by a title which they find limiting. But society is quick to stick these labels on us; mother, teacher, artist, etc. It can be a struggle to find ourselves amidst of all of these different titles. Conversely, it is hard for others to see beyond the label they have constructed for you. When I was teaching physical education, colleagues would have a hard time when they saw me in non-athletic clothing — it didn’t match the assigned label. Now that I’ve been bestowed with a ‘Zen’ label in certain circles, it is hard for some to imagine me in an athletic role. Nonetheless, I switch caps back and forth from my energy healing practice to boot camp instruction.

Multiple Identities and Multi-Dimensional Beings According to philosopher and psychologist, William James, “a person has as many social selves as there are individuals that recognise him.” One could stop and think about the number of people they know and reflect on the number of roles they are expected to play. As we grow and evolve as a person, so our roles change and evolve. In spiritual circles we are

encouraged to recognise the multi-dimensional aspects of our being, to put aside our preconceived ideas of who we are. We’re asked to widen our vision in order to see our full potential. This means detaching ourselves from some of our labels. This can be a challenge for us as well as those around us who may not be ready to let go of the person they ‘know’. How can we be true to our multi-dimensional self and also fit with society’s expectations? Do these labels prevent or inhibit us from realising our full potential as a multi-dimensional being?

Beyond Labels We are asked to ‘think beyond the label’ when it comes to people with disabilities or ‘disadvantages’ and move past conventional expectations. Why are we not encouraged to do so with all human beings regardless of profession, gender, race, age, and so on? A question to ask oneself is: “Who would I be without these labels that I have given myself; that society has given me?” “Who am I really, deep down?” With some investigation, our self-perceptions may expand. We may begin to glimpse other realities of our being. We all interpret our reality according to our culture, socialisation, beliefs and insights. Allowing our consciousness to attune to the other dimensional aspects of ourselves, we can tune into our higher being, our totality and that goes beyond any label given to us.

May 2013 Word | 81

HOME

From catering services through to the growing number of bakeries - and we’re not just talking banh my. Here are places to stock up on wine, liquor, imported cheeses and freshly baked bread

Do you think you should be listed on these pages? If so, simply email us on listings@wordhanoi.com and we’ll see what we can do. We can’t promise but we’ll try our best

Metiseko

Groceries L’s Place

Bakeries Kinh Do

252 Hang Bong, Hoan Kiem One of the oldest and most well-established bakeries in the city, maybe best known as Catherine Deneuve’s former haunt, Kinh Do has been around much longer than any expat. But their breads, pastries and quiches keep foreigners and Vietnamese coming back. Extensive Western and Vietnamese menu as well.

Paris Deli

6 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3928 6697 With two locations, one by the Opera House and the other by St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the Paris Deli makes a good job of their breads, tarts and pastries. Both are sit-down restaurants, but are happy to sell you their baked goods over the counter, to go.

Crafts Mekong Quilts

58 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem; 9 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 0473063682 Community development non-profit quilt shop featuring handmade quilts and accessories. Styles vary from traditional to patterned and Asian-inspired. Founded in 2001 and with outposts in several locations around the region, the shop employs women in rural areas, enabling them to make an income and care for their families.

Furniture La Casa

Syrena Tower, 51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 4084 www.lacasavietnam.com.vn A shop whose speciality is designing furniture and other household objects, this spot has everything from beds and bookshelves, to tableware and silverware. The items are all locally made by skilled artisans from Hanoi and the surrounding regions.

3 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho; 34 A Phan Boi Chau, Hoan Kiem Cramped and crammed to the bursting point with imported food products, making your way around the maze that is L’s Place can often be a tight affair, but it’s worth it. The canned and packaged goods together with fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy products and more can provide the dietary solution for anyone craving for a change from pho ga or bun cha.

Punto Italia

62 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 6258 3510 www.puntoitalia.asia Punto Italia is an authentic Italian supplier importing the finest espresso coffee as well as Italian coffee machines for professional, home and office use. Real Italian granita, ice-cream and much more is now available in Vietnam with the support of a professional and friendly service.

The Oasis

24 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 1196 A great place to get all kinds of imported groceries and home-made foods. All of the breads and pastas are made in the in-house kitchen. A great variety of fresh sauces, a limited, but well-chosen selection of wines and a fantastic deli and cheese case. Free delivery.

Kitchen Products Kitchen Art

38/27 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 6680 2770 www.kitchenart.vn Kitchen Art is a little haven for all foodies, cooks and bakers to grow their love and passion for cooking and baking. Come to Kitchen Art Store to buy restaurant-grade tools and ingredients to cook like a chef, take part in regular demonstrations and workshops at the Studio, or simply read and relax at the cookbook cafe corner while enjoying the peaceful West Lake view.

Punto Italia

62 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho Tel: 6258 3510 info@puntoitalia.asia www.puntoitalia.asia Trendy, reliable and stylish coffee

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machines for the workplace or home, specialising in authentic Italian coffee. Also sells their own brand coffee in capsules, ready ground or as the original roasted mix of beans.

Liquor & Wine Bacchus Corner

1C Tong Dan, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3935 1393 Part of the Tan Khoa chain, the largest liquor and wine distributor in the country, the walls here are lined with a decent selection of wines, pleasantly arrayed and back lit. Besides their selection of new and old world wines Helpful staff and free delivery.

Da Loc

96 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem; 94 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 1325 This wine importer and distributor has over 250 different types of wine in its portfolio and is doing its part to bring a culture of fine wine to Hanoi. The main office and showroom is on Hai Ba Trung and an upscale outlet is located within the grounds of the Mercure Hanoi hotel on Ly Thoung Kiet.

Hanoi Gourmet

1B Ham Long, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 3943 1009 Not just a wine shop, the long-running Hanoi Gourmet specialises in imported cheeses, meats and artisan breads. After browsing the mainly French selection of wines, you can take a look at the deli and sit down for a light snack.

Late Delivery Service (LSD)

Tel : (04) 6290 7907 www.lsd.vn The only beverage delivery service in Hanoi operating throughout the night (6pm to 4am). This unique delivery service runs every day and offers a wide variety of spirits, beers and other nonalcoholic drinks for you to order from your home. Affordable prices with delivery available within the six main districts of the city. Product origin and quality guaranteed.

Pane E Vino Wine Shop

3 Nguyen Khac Can, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 9080 This Italian favourite with a huge food menu also has a huge for-retail wine list that is 100 percent focused on fine wines and liquors from Italy. Owner Hoang has great knowledge of Italian wine and a passion to match, which is sure to land you with the best wine for any occasion.

THE WAREHOUSE

59 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Tel: 0439 287666 www.warehouse-asia.com The Warehouse is Vietnam's ultimate premium wine importer, distributor, and retailer, representing many of the greatest wines from the best wine-growing regions on the planet. The portfolio mixes the best of both old and new world wines.

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Electronics Cameras

A Dong Photo Co 128 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 0732 This camera shop retails a wide range of cameras, including both analogue and DSLR models, as well as film and accessories like flashes and lenses.

Alpha Laptop

95D Ly Nam De, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3747 4418 This laptop retail and repair shop also carries camera accessories and cases.

Fuong May Anh

5 Trang Thi, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3213 1568 This small store has a wide selection of Viet Nam-produced Pentax cameras. Also has a selection of imported lenses.

Nguyen Cau

1 Ba Trieu, Hoan Kiem This camera shop overlooking the lake develops both digital and film prints. Services include photo mounting and passport photos.

Computers and Electronics DK Computer 29 Ngoc Kha, Ba Dinh Tel: 3772 4772 This large electronics retailer deals in computers, printers, as well as external storage devices.

Hi-Tech USA

23 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 6261 A small, but good all-around electronics store, selling all kinds of electronics. Speakers, I-Pods, headphones, cables and phone accessories. Many name-brands.

Pico Plaza

35 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem This is a super-sized electronics shop with each floor devoted to a specific kind of electronics. You’ll be able to find pretty much anything you’re looking for here, from a phone to a computer to a washing machine.

Professional Computer Care and IT Services

No 3, Alley 8, Hoa Lu, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 0983 011081 This service company can help with a just about any computer-related task. Computer repairs, set up, Wi-Fi, design, networking and development. On-site and off-site service, and free quotes.

Vietsad

34B Ly Nam De, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3747 8771 Located on bustling “computer street”, this shop offers a range of computer accessories including keyboards and USB drives. They also do computer and laptop repair.

MEDICAL From counselling through to that once-a-year medical check, here are some the medical options available in town

Counselling International SOS Vietnam, Ltd.

51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3934 0666 www.internationalsos.com In addition to emergency healthcare, the clinic also offers consultations by in-house specialists, full counselling and psychotherapy services. Call to make an appointment.

Family Medical Practice

Van Phuc Compound, 298 I Kim Ma Road, Ba Dinh Tel: 3843 0748 (24 hours) www.vietnammedicalpractice.com Family Medical Practice provides psychotherapy and nutrition counselling services by in-house specialists. For more information or to book an appointment, please call the clinic.

Dental International SOS 1 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho Tel: 3934 0666 24-hour emergency service with pricey, but

international quality emergency and routine dental services. If your wisdom tooth needs pulling in the middle of the night, or you break a tooth, there are competent doctors and fast service.

Westcoast International Dental Clinic

2nd Fl, Syrena Center, 51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho District, Hanoi Tel: 3710 0555 www.westcoastinternational The Westcoast International Dental Clinic is composed of dental professionals who deliver modern, high-level dental services throughout Vietnam. The clinic provides the highest quality technology, comfort and after-service care to patients.

Medical Family Medical Practice

298 I Kim Ma, Ba Dinh Tel: 3843 0748 www.vietnammedicalpractice.com On the little street directly below Kim Ma, with all

sorts of specialists including OB/GYN, Pediatricians and ENT. A Medium-sized practice with both Vietnamese and international doctors, but they are used to treating expats. Also a 24-hour emergency service.

French Hospital

1 Phuong Mai, Dong Da Tel: 3577 1100 The first international hospital created in Hanoi, and still viewed by some as the gold standard for medical treatment. Offering everything from standard medical and preventative care to surgical procedures. Full-service hospital that has both doctors and staff speaking good French and English.

International SOS 24-hour Clinic

1 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho Tel: 3934 0666 Well-known medical clinic also known for its quality emergency services. Doctors and consultants also provide a range of services from standard GP-style check-ups through to vaccinations, paediatrics and specialist care.

Bloodsugar Politik, Myanmar's representatives at the ASEAN music festival on May 12 at the American Club

{ the Therapist } ** Troublesome Teenagers * *

Douglas Holwerda, an American trained and licensed mental health counsellor, answers your questions and offers advice Dear Douglas, My son is in year 11 of High School here in Hanoi. He and I have been butting heads for the past six months over his amazing ability to procrastinate. He chats online or is writing on Facebook and is then trying to finish assignments at 1am or 2am on a week night. I am really tired of checking on him, cleaning up after him and hearing his excuses. I find it almost impossible to get him up for school in the morning. His father and I have tried everything we can think of to motivate him to take responsibility for himself. We are at a loss. He hasn’t always been like this. Does my son need counselling? What can we do? — Frustrated Mother Dear Frustrated Mother, From the time your son was a toddler you have been giving him responsibilities that have been commensurate with his age and development. There was the age when he first poured his own juice, tied his own shoes, made his own bed, cleaned up after he got food from the fridge and stayed out until midnight. It has been an ongoing process of giving and receiving. The parents, and other adults, give responsibility and the child receives it. Ideally this continues until the child reaches the point when they are ready for adulthood and the ability to function independently. More often it hits some snags. As the age of independence becomes closer, the fears and tensions surrounding the process become more intense. Beneath your frustration you might feel fear; that he will not be ready, that he will fail, that

you will have failed as parents and that when he leaves there will be bad feelings between you and him. You may find yourself in a power struggle. The more unhappy you are with him, the more he tends to resist your efforts to influence him. It becomes a vicious circle. My advice to you is that you consider coming into counselling, before you ask your son, in order to reclaim a less emotionally charged perspective, to assess what is inside and outside of your control. It might help you to develop strategies for communication that prevent, or diminish, the likeliness for power struggles and frustrating outcomes. The fears and frustrations belong to you and the more that you can own those, the greater the likeliness that you can discover how to be effective in communicating to influence change. It is always difficult to stand by someone who is not doing well, whether it be with a physical illness, a depression or when they may be performing below their potential or avoiding responsibility. This transitional period is normally quite difficult for both the teenager and parents. We are almost always better off when we can tame our own fears and frustrations and recognise the limits of our control. Sometimes it takes some outside perspective and a few new tools to know how we can effectively support the ones we love. — Douglas Do you have a question you would like Douglas’s help with? You can email him at douglasholwerda@ hotmail.com Personal details will not be printed

May 2013 Word | 83

After five-and-a-half years in Ho Chi Minh City and almost four years in Hanoi, we've decided to reinvent the... well, not the wheel. But we're certainly going to give ourselves a revamp. So, watch this space. Exciting times lie ahead. And if you have any personal comments on how we can improve Word, please let us know. We are always ready to hear what you think. Simply email editor@wordhanoi.com. We would love to hear from you.

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TRAVEL

People travel thousands of miles to get a whiff of exotic Vietnam. From travel agencies though to resorts, here are a few suggestions on where to stay and how to get there in and around Vietnam

halong & cat ba

BIKE RENTALS

Bhaya Cruises, Halong Bay

47 Phan Chu Trinh Street, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3944 6777 (Sales Office) www.bhayacruises.com Bhaya combines oriental style with contemporary luxury, offering tours of beautiful Halong Bay aboard reproduction wooden junks. Two or threenight tours are available and customers have a wide range of cabin styles to choose from: standard, deluxe or royal.

Emeraude Classic Cruises

Mr Cao Motorbike Rental 106 Hang Bac, Hoan Kiem Tel: 0912 094464

Phung Motorbike Rental & Sales

4 Luong Ngoc Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 0904 253491 phungmoto@ovi.com Well-maintained motorbikes for hire at reasonable rates, plus servicing and repairs for modern and vintage bikes.

Quan’s Motorbike & Bicycle Rentals 70 Hang Bac, Hoan Kiem Tel: 0904 244941 Standard rental shop doing hire by the day and by the month.

Vietnam Motorcycle Adventures

36 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem (down alley in between No. 34 & No. 36) Tel: 3904 5049 Bespoke motorbike tours, rental of automatic and manual bikes plus repairs.

VIP Bike Rentals

64, Alley 71 Tan Ap, Tay Ho (off Tan Ap Street, close to Sofitel Plaza) Tel: 0914 931390 Bike rentals and repairs. Good reputation. Formerly part of the Blue Dragon Foundation.

Tel: 04 3934 0888 www.emeraude-cruises.com This reproduction of a 19thcentury paddle steamer trawls around Halong Bay in colonial style, with onboard overnight accommodation in impeccably maintained cabins. The great food and service adds to the already beautiful setting. They also offer transfers directly from Hanoi.

hanoi – international Crowne Plaza West Hanoi

financial district has a variety of rooms on offer, a “capital lounge” and three restaurants that serve Japanese, Chinese and international cuisine. And like you’d expect, there’s a fitness centre, night club and swimming pool, too, and even a separate spa and treatment facility for men and women. Set to the west of town, Fortuna often offers business deals on rooms and spaces to hold meetings, presentations and celebrations.

Golden Silk Boutique Hotel

109-111 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi Tel: 3928 6969 www.goldensilkhotel.com With 55 rooms and suites, the four-star Golden Silk Boutique Hotel, which is located in the centre of the Old Quarter, is the only hotel offering a complimentary (free!) and daily replenished minibar and snacks service in every room. Facilities include a spa with Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms, a comprehensive range of business amenities, the Orient restaurant, serving international and Vietnamese fare, and the Rendezvous Piano Bar with wines and cocktails.

Lot X7, Le Duc Tho, My Dinh, Tu Liem Tel: 6270 6688 www.crowneplaza.com My Dinh’s first five-star property. This 24-storey mixed-use complex lies next to My Dinh National Stadium and close to the National Convention Centre. Boasting 393 guest rooms (including 40 suites), two swimming pools and a spa and fitness centre, Crowne Plaza also has some of the best meetings and conference facilities in town.

Hanoi Hilton

Daewoo Hotel

29 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 6282 5555 contact@hoteldelopera.com Resting just a step away from the Opera House, the hotel mixes colonial architectural accents and theatrical interior design to create a contemporary space. The first boutique five star in the heart of Hanoi, the lavish, uniquely designed 107 rooms and suites contain all the mod cons and are complimented by two restaurants, a bar and complimentary Wi-Fi.

360 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh Tel: 3831 5555 www.hanoi-daewoohotel.com This enormous structure offers the most modern of amenities, and with four restaurants and two bars, the events staff is well equipped to handle any occasion. Close to the National Convention Center, and a favourite of the business traveller, Daewoo even boasts an outdoor driving range. Shortly to become a Marriot property.

Fortuna Hotel Hanoi 6B Lang Ha, Ba Dinh Tel: 3831 3333 www.fortuna.vn This 350-room four-star set up in the heart of Hanoi’s

1 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3933 0500 www.hilton.com Located next to the Opera House, this five-star is not to be confused with the famed “Hanoi Hilton” that housed American POWs. Reproduction colonial architecture is matched by an elegant and spacious inside area. Has all the standard facilities of a top-end hotel as well as an attractive, courtyard pool area.

Hotel de l’Opera

InterContinental Hanoi Westlake

1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho Tel: 6270 8888 www.hanoi.intercontinental.com This stunning property

built over West Lake falls in between a hotel and a resort. Beautiful views, great balcony areas, comfortable, top-end accommodation and all the mod-cons make up the mix here together with the resort’s three in-house restaurants and the Sunset Bar, a watering hole located on a thoroughfare over the lake. Great gym and health club.

Melia Hanoi

44B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3934 3343 www.meliahanoi.com Excellently located in central Hanoi, Melia Hanoi draws plenty of business travellers and is also a popular venue for conferences and wedding receptions. State-of-the-art rooms, elegant restaurants, stylish bars, fully equipped fitness centre with sophisticated service always make in-house guests satisfied.

Mercure Hanoi La Gare 94 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3944 7766 When your train arrives from Sapa at 5am, you will be overjoyed if your bed is just across the street from the station in one of the 102 spacious rooms at this smart hotel. A stone’s throw from both the Old Quarter and the Temple of Literature, Mercure Hanoi boasts a French brasserie, an internal courtyard, a fitness centre and a retail outlet of wine importer and distributor Da Loc.

Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi 83A Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3822 2800 www.moevenpick-hanoi.com With its distinctive French architecture and top end service, Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi is aimed squarely at corporate travellers. An all-day restaurant and a lounge bar are available to satiate their clientele while the kinetic gym and wellness studio offer an excellent range of equipment. Massage and sauna facilities are available for guests seeking to rejuvenate. Of the 154 well-appointed rooms and suites, 93 are non-smoking.

Sheraton

K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 9000 www.sheraton.com/hanoi Surrounded by lush gardens, sweeping lawns and tranquil courtyards, this peaceful property features picturesque views of West Lake and is less than 10 minutes from downtown. In addition to the luxuri-

{Travel Promos} **

PROMOTIONS OF THE MONTH

Mango Bay Resort

mangobayphuquoc.com A low-density eco-resort driven by its passion for the environment, Mango Bay Phu Quoc still tries to keep it natural. 40 bungalows without aircon or telephones are spread along 1km of beach and surrounded by 20 hectares of forest and garden. With the low season now hitting the island, every room is almost half-price, and from May 5 through September, the third night of your stay is free when you stay two nights. A perfect reason to travel to Phu Quoc.

Fusion Maia Danang fusion-resorts.com Feel like a king for US$140++ at the five-star luxury resort Fusion Maia Danang, Asia’s first resort with all spa treatments included in the regular room rate. For the above price you get a villa with private pool, breakfast at any time and in any place and all-inclusive spa treatments, which include massage therapy, body care and beauty care services. Furthermore the rate includes an optional breakfast or spa experience at the Fusion Lounge in nearby Hoi An. The deal is valid from May to August 2013.

Emeralda Resort Ninh Binh emeraldaresort.com Planning a family trip between May 2 and Sep. 30? Emeralda Resort might be just the right choice! The Getaway Packages in one of the most stunning parts of Northern Vietnam offer three tailored options for your family. Starting from VND7,777,000 per family, the resort offers a relaxing break with a two day, one night stay in a superior room with mountain view, breakfast for the whole family, a foot massage for the parents, a set lunch and dinner at Sen, free

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access to the newly-opened kids’ club, movie, mini-golf and more.

Hyatt Regency Danang danang.regency.hyatt.com Summer is coming to Danang, courtesy of the Pool House at Hyatt Regency Danang. Every Friday — weather allowing — take in a tidy outdoor barbecue poolside between 6.30pm and 10pm. Entry is VND780,000, including soft drinks and two bottles of La Rue beer for those of age. Saturday at Green House, the hotel’s talented chefs will serve a decadent Italian buffet for VND750,000 net per person, including either a half-bottle of wine or two Peroni beers. And later that night, circle back around to the Pool House Bar for ladies’ night with DJ Furioso and a different unlimited supply free cocktail, from 8pm to 11pm. The Hyatt’s largesse extends into the rainy season and beyond, with an extra night free offered on stays of two nights or more. This deal goes until Dec. 19, so put in some thought and book ahead. Pristine beaches and a full stomach awaits.

Local Lang Co banyantree.com angsana.com Banyan Tree Lang Co and Angsana Lang Co — both parts of Vietnam’s first world-class integrated resort, Laguna Lang Co — are offering prime rates for the local Vietnamese market. Enjoy the shared 18-hole, par-71 golf course designed by Sir Nick Faldo and lots and lots of water — in Banyan Tree’s case, the pools of 32 lagoon pool villas or the villas on Canh Duong beach; or in Angsana’s case more than 100 private pools and a snaking, 300-metre pool that winds throughout the property. These special

rates for Banyan Tree start at VND5,145,000++ a night, while Ansana’s special rates start at VND3,150,000++ per night. Certain restrictions apply, the most salient of which is the offer’s expiry on June 30.

Six Senses and Evason Resorts sixsenses.com evasonresorts.com Make your family’s summer getaway an unforgettable one in the beach destinations of Con Dao, Ninh Van Bay and Nha Trang. At Six Senses Con Dao, sample Mediterranean delicacies on the main street of the communal heart of the resort, The Market Place, go on a Turtle Discovery Tour at the only national park in Vietnam that actively protects turtles, learn some tricks from visiting DJ Leon, giving classes until May 5, and stargaze with visiting astronomer Dr. Parag, going villa to villa for private sessions from Aug. 14 to Aug. 24. If you end up missing Dr. Parag in Con Dao, you can always catch up with him at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay from Aug. 25 to Sep. 3. Or send your kids to the newly-built Pirate’s Lair while you hit hiking trails or swim, snorkel and dive in the beautiful bay waters of outlying islands and caves of the bay. Gecko, bird and monkey spotting is also on the menu. Just across the bay is Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang, Vietnam’s first and only beachfront resort in Nha Trang. Sail the resort’s trimaran or take a family excursion to a rural village and learn how incense sticks and conical hats are made. There’s also an onsite, PADIcertified dive centre, if you’re itching for a closer look through Nha Trang’s crystal clear waters.

ous rooms, the hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool and great relaxation and fitness facilities, including a tennis court and spa. There are well equipped conference rooms and a newly refurbished Executive Club Lounge.

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 6919 ww.sofitel.com The finest hotel of the French colonial period is probably still the finest in today’s Hanoi. Anyone who is (or was) anyone has stayed at this elegant oasis of charm, where the service is impeccable and the luxurious facilities complement the ambiance of a bygone era. Definitely the place to put the Comtessa up for a night.

Sofitel Plaza Hanoi

1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh Tel: 3823 8888 Boasting Hanoi’s best views of West Lake, Truc Bach Lake and the Red River, Sofitel Plaza Hanoi soars 20 storeys above the city skyline. The 5-star hotel features 317 luxurious, comfortable guestrooms with spectacular lake view or river view ranking in 7 types from Classic Room to Imperial Suite.

hanoi – mid-range 6 on Sixteen

16 Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem www.sixonsixteen.com Another boutique hotel to grace Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the six rooms here mix contemporary and fresh with handicrafts and antique. Breakfast is included and in the long, lounge restaurant on the second floor, home-style Vietnamese fare is served up with fresh fruit juices and Lavazza coffee.

Joseph’s Hotel

5 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3938 1048 info@josephshotel.com www.josephshotel.com Just to the side of St. Joseph’s Cathedral, this is a well-appointed, comfortable boutique hotel. Brightly decorated, the property’s 10 rooms have Wi-Fi, flatscreen TV and a mini bar. Prices start at VND650,000 a night. No smoking except for on the upstairs balconies.

Maison D’Hanoi Hanova Hotel

35-37 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem Tel: 04 3938 0999 www.hanovahotel.com Just a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, this boutique hotel is fitted with 33 comfortable guest rooms, 18 deluxe, and four luxurious suites. All rooms

have wi-fi access, and the cozy lobby has both a gallery and a piano bar. Prices range from VND2.5 million for a guest room to VND4.5 million for a suite.

May de Ville

24 Han Thuyen, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 2222 9988 Set in the old French Quarter a short walk from the Opera House, May de Ville City Centre is a welcome new addition to the capital. Combining contemporary architecture with traditional Vietnamese style and materials, this elegant property has 81 well-appointed rooms including four suites.

Thang Long Opera Hotel

1C Tong Dan Street, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3824 4775 www.thanglongopera.com This hotel houses 71 spacious, comfortable rooms all equipped with high speed internet, bath tub and room service. They have a meeting room, which can accommodate up to 60 people, as well as a restaurant and bar downstairs.

hanoi – Budget Hanoi Backbacker’s Hostel

48 Ngo Huyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3828 5372 www.hanoibackpackershostel.com Probably the cheapest, European-style hostel in town, with bunk-style beds mixed or single-sex dorms starting at VND150,000, plus a couple of double suites from VND250,000. A place to meet like-minded fold in the Old Quarter.

travel services Buffalo Tours Agency (BTA)

94 Ma May, Hoan Kiem Dist., Ha Noi Tel: (84-4) 3 828 0702 travelagency.hn@buffalotours.com www.buffalotours.com.vn A boutique Travel Agency at the service of all Vietnamese and expatriate residents in Vietnam offering easy, hassle-free travel around the world and in Vietnam, with the highest standards of customer care. This premium Travel Agency has been created to help travelers select their destinations and organize their trips, take care of the time-consuming procedures and ensure that all journeys are enjoyable and successful. BTA customizes leisure and corporate travel plans while offering a selected range of small group tours.

AIRLINES Air Asia

25 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 2220 5351 www.airasia.com

Air France

First Floor, 1 Ba Trieu, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3825 3484 www.airfrance.com.vn

Air Mekong

51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 37186 399 www.airmekong.com.vn

Exotissimo

26, Tran Nhat Duat, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3828 2150 9 XuanDieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3718 5555 www.exotissimo.com A one-stop, all-in-one travel agency with an extensive operational track record in the Indochina region and beyond. Providing up-market services, Exotissimo brings their clients close to culture through personalised tours. Also find travel desks at the Hilton, Sofitel Plaza and Intercontinental hotels, which are open on weekends and holidays.

Handspan Travel

G/F, Hanoi Tower, 49 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 7298 www.cathaypacific.com/vn

80 Ma May, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3926 2828 www.handspan.com Established in 1997, Handspan provides customers with safe, high quality, diverse, small-group adventure tours to both popular and isolated locations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Has a focus on off-the-beaten-track sustainable and responsible tourism initiatives. Also provides to excursions to more well-worn destinations.

China Airlines

HG Travel

American Airlines 99 Ba Trieu, Hai Ba Trung Tel: 3933 0330 www.aa.com

Cathay Pacific

4th Floor, Opera Business Center, 6B Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3936 6364 www.china-airlines.com

EVA Air

2nd Floor,17 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3936 1600 www.evaair.com

Japan Airlines

5th Floor, 63 Ly Thai To, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 6693 www.vn.jal.com

Jetstar Pacific www.jetstar.com/vn

Korean Air

2nd Floor, VIT, 519 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh Tel: 3934 7247 www.koreanair.com

Lao Airlines

40 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3942 5362 www.laoairlines.com

LOT AIRLINES

R402, 4th floor, Dao Duy Anh Tower, 9 Dao Duy Anh, Dong Da Tel: 3577 2202 www.lot.com

Malaysia Airlines

Somerset Grand Hanoi, 49 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 8820 www.malaysiaairlines.com

Singapore Airlines

International Centre, 17 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 8888 www.singaporeair.com

Thai Airways

44B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3826 7921 www.thaiair.com

Tiger Airways

www.tigerairways.com

Vietnam Airlines

47 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem Tel: 3944 8844 www.hgtravel.com Travel company specialising in small-group tours around Vietnam and further afield in Indochina. Is also the sole representative agent for Kenya Airways (for 40 cities in Africa — www.kenya-airways.com), American Airlines (www.aa.com) and Turkish Airlines (www.thy.com).

Indochina Land

61 Cua Bac, Ba Dinh Tel: 3715 2852 www.indochina-land.com Indochina Land is a French local travel agency for expatriates and tourists who want to see northern Vietnam in a personal and tailored way. Think small knowledgeable teams of Vietnamese and French who share their passion for discovery during varied itineraries, usually focused on freedom, family, health trips and classic home stays. They will show you around Ha Giang, too.

Intrepid Travel Vietnam

57A Nguyen Khac Hieu, Ba Dinh Tel: 0904 193308 www.intrepidtravel.com/vietnamsales Intrepid Travel Vietnam is an international travel company operating in Vietnam since 1992, offering innovative day tours, short breaks and small group adventures. With expert guides and guaranteed departures, Intrepid focuses on real life experiences in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Mekong Delta, Halong Bay, Sapa and beyond to get you up close to Vietnam's people, cuisine, history and culture.

Syrena Cruises

51 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho Tel: 3719 7214 www.syrenacruises.com If you’re thirsty for a Halong Bay experience while enjoying luxury comfort, Syrena Cruises could be the quencher you’re looking for. Forget drinking games and backpackers by relaxing on one of the two wooden boats from the fleet. Alone, as a couple or with a group, 34 luxurious cabins and suites are all ready for action. All you have to do is decide on how long you want to holiday for.

25 Trang Thi, Hoan Kiem Tel: 6270 0200 www.vietnamairlines.com

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Tiêng viêt Nhịp Điệu và Quyền của Nghệ Sỹ

Nhịp Điệu

và Quyền của Nghệ Sỹ Tháng Năm này, một lễ hội âm nhạc mới sẽ xuất hiện tại Hà Nội. Nghệ thuật là Lao động: Lễ hội Âm nhạc ASEAN sẽ tạo ra sự khác biệt mới. Douglas Pyper từ CAMA Vietnam sẽ giải thích cho chúng ta cụ thể hơn.

ăm 2013 sẽ đánh dấu sự ra đời của Nghệ thuật là Tác phẩm: Lễ hội âm nhạc ASEAN, một sự kiện dành để quảng bá nhạc đương đại Đông Nam Á. Thường không được chú ý nhiều trong văn hóa hiện đại hoặc đơn giản là bị lép vế trước những nhà sản xuất quyền lực của Trung Quốc, Nhật, Hàn Quốc và các nơi khác trên thế giới, âm nhạc

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của khối ASEAN ít được biết tới bên ngoài Châu Á, và có lẽ thậm chí còn bị đánh giá không cao ở nước của họ. Vì vậy, trong nỗ lực đáp trả lại những phê bình và lan truyền ngọn lửa tự hào của văn hóa sáng tạo trong lớp trẻ Đông Nam Á, CAMA Việt Nam và Đại sứ quán Mỹ tại Hà Nội sẽ giới thiệu năm ban nhạc xuất sắc đến từ các quốc gia Đông Nam Á

Bloodsugar Politik Myanmar

Đúng vậy, họ tới từ Myanmar. Cùng với việc quốc gia này đang chậm rãi mở cửa, những nghệ sỹ Myanmar đang tìm những sân khấu để họ có thể chia sẻ nền văn hóa của mình với thế giới. Hoạt động âm nhạc của Yangon hoàn toàn là một chữ cái bí ẩn đối với thế giới, vì thế sự xuất hiện của Bloodsugar Politik trong một sự kiện quốc tế thật đúng thời điểm. Hơn một thập kỷ viết nên những nốt nhạc giàu nhiệt huyết, nhóm nhạc – trước đây có tên gọi Cái Túi Lớn ¬ (Big Bag)– thật tuyệt vời và có một lượng fan lớn. Tất cả những sự kiện của Big Bag đều chật cứng sân vận động, sau này từ năm 2010 họ đã chuyển hướng khi biết được nhiều phong cách âm nhạc quốc tế khác nhau qua các ban nhạc trên thế giới. Dự án mới Bloodsugar Politik là một sự hòa trộn táo bạo của thể loại rock, punk, ska và nhạc dân gian với một ít dư âm của nhạc rock cổ điển Burnese.

Molam International Thái Lan

Molam International (Molam Quốc tế) là nhóm đặc biệt có một không hai lập ra bởi hãng đĩa Zudrangma của Thái Lan chơi những bản nhạc mang âm hưởng molam cũ với những âm thanh sáng tạo mới của thế kỷ 21. Sự pha trộn giữa nét nhạc Isan với một trong những giai điệu kỳ lạ nhất của Bangkok được thành lập bởi các tên tuổi đình đám của dòng nhạc molam với Khammao Perdthanon chơi phin, Sawai Kaewsombat chơi khaen và hai ngôi sao nhạc rock Piyanart Jotikasthira (bass) và Phusana Treeburut (trống). Những buổi biểu diễn của họ tại Bangkok là những bữa tiệc của giai điệu mạnh mẽ Isan kết hợp với nhạc truyền thống Thái Lan và rock tạo nên những nhịp điệu nhảy cuồng nhiệt. Không có bất cứ ai hay ban nhạc nào trên thế giới giống như họ cả — đây là lý do họ được chọn làm band nhạc chính thức cho Lễ hội Âm nhạc ASEAN đầu tiên.

MUON

18+

Ban nhạc năm thành viên MUON của Singapore là một nhóm nhạc điện tử thể nghiệm và các nhịp điệu khác nhau, kết hợp giữa IDM, triphop, và những âm thanh mang chất jazz điện ảnh. Với bốn album nhận được nhiều sự quan tâm và có thể tải về trên mạng, MUON có đủ bằng chứng cho tài năng và sự sáng tạo của mình. MUON cũng đã có những bước tiến tới những sự kiện âm nhạc lớn như Lễ hội Âm nhạc Mosaic, The People’s Party, Baybeats và đại diện chọ âm nhạc Singapore tại dự án Musicity toàn cầu của Hội đồng Anh. Ngày 11 tháng 5 này, MUON sẽ một lần nữa là gương mặt đại diện cho nhạc Singapore biểu diễn trước khán giả tới từ khắp nơi trên thế giới.

Rock và metal đang gây bão ở Việt Nam và ban nhạc hàng đầu phải kể đến 18+ với năm thành viên trẻ. Chỉ trong vòng một năm qua, họ đi từ một nhóm ít người biết đến tới một nhóm nhạc làm điên cuồng các fan trên khắp cả nước ở Rockstorm. Đó là một sự phát triển thần tốc, nhưng âm nhạc của những anh hùng nu-mental chủ nhà này không làm phụ công mong đợi của khán giả. Trong các tụ điểm âm nhạc của Hà Nội, nhóm 18+ làm các khán giả trẻ tuổi phát sốt bởi những âm thanh nặng và giọng hát uy quyền của mình. Ở Lễ hội Âm nhạc 2013 lần này, họ sẽ chứng tỏ với khán giả quốc tế những gì nhóm nhạc Việt Nam có thể làm được.

Singapore

Vietnam

Chờ Một Chút…

Pulso

Phi-lip-pin Phi-lip-pin là quốc gia giàu có về các tài năng âm nhạc, rất nhiều ban nhạc của họ đã từng chơi ở Hà Nội như nhóm Caliph8 và Up Dharma Down. Năm nay, đó là nhóm Pulso với âm nhạc thử nghiệm và ambient đã ký hợp đồng với hãng thu âm Terno Recordings nổi tiếng. Pulso tạo ra các âm nhạc và nhịp điệu, các giai điệu lặp lại và trộn lẫn nhiều âm thanh acoustic với nhau, làm họ trở thành một ban nhạc post-rock mộng mơ.

Thêm vào bầu không khí lễ hội, những nhóm thanh niên đa tài khác của Hà Nội đã sẵn sàng tham gia vào sự kiện. Đây là những nhóm đã có nhiều đóng góp cho cộng đồng thủ đô. Nhóm quảng bá phim ảnh và nhạc The Onion Cellar sẽ giới thiệu một trung tâm nghệ thuật thị giác, trong khi Hanoi Flea Market sẽ tạo ra một không gian chợ với những gian hàng đồ thủ công và nghệ thuật được làm bởi những bàn tay tài hoa nhất Hà Nội. Lễ hội với tên gọi Nghệ thuật là Lao động: Lễ hội Âm nhạc ASEAN còn có một mục đích quan trọng nhất là đánh thức ý thức của mọi người về Bản Quyền Sáng Tạo (IPR). Một trong những rào cản lớn nhất đối với những nhạc sỹ, họa sỹ, nhà sản xuất phim và những người lao động sáng tạo khác ở khu vực ASEAN là dự thiếu một hệ thống bảo vệ bản quyền sáng tạo cho nghệ sỹ. Nếu những tác phẩm nghệ thuật vẫn chỉ được coi là một loại hình miễn phí, thì những người hoạt động trong lĩnh vực sáng tạo sẽ khó lòng tâm huyết trọn vẹn với việc tạo ra những đứa con tinh thần của họ, và sẽ không thể cạnh tranh trên thị trường thế giới. Hi vọng rằng lễ hội lần này sẽ đóng góp để thay đổi quan niệm đó, ủng hộ quyền của nghệ sỹ và mang lại một ngày tuyệt vời tràn đầy âm nhạc cho người hâm mộ tại thủ đô.

Thông Tin Nhanh Sự kiện: Nghệ thuật là Tác phẩm: Lễ hội Âm nhạc ASEAN 2013 Địa điểm: 19 Hai Bà Trưng, Hoàn Kiếm Thời gian: Thứ 7, ngày 11/5, từ 14h-23h Vé: 300.000 VNĐ tại cửa; 100.000

cho người có hộ chiếu ASEAN. Nếu bạn không đủ khả năng mua vé, hãy theo dõi website của lễ hội thường xuyên để tìm cơ hội lấy vé miễn phí nhé. Thông tin về sự kiện và nhóm nhạc có thể xem tại www.camavietnam.org May 2013 Word | 89

The Final Say through expat eyes / the last call

Through Expat Eyes There’s much talk of Hanoi being a constantly changing, modernising city but has it really changed that much? Hanoi resident of seven years, Matt Dworzanczyk, ponders the question and chats to some friends. Photos by Anemi Wick

have always felt grateful for the chance to live in Hanoi during such a unique and exciting time. We all know the cost of living is going up; new businesses, new buildings are popping up literally out of nowhere and nearly all bicycles have been replaced by big cars, or at least expensive motorbikes. But is that all that has changed? What about the people? Each expat perceives our constantly changing, adopted home on a certain personal level. Or, perhaps it’s just me. In my eyes, Hanoi, Vietnam and most importantly its residents, both foreigners and locals, have changed so, so much. I see how my Vietnamese friends, once shy and terrified of nightlife even in their mid-20s, now go out more than me. I see how they’ve begun to open up, although reluctantly, to other

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musical, cinematic and artistic tastes. I see how my close friends, once somewhat childlike in my eyes, are now becoming parents and are becoming more mature than myself. Then I see the reflection of all those changes within myself and I wonder if maybe it’s only my perception that has changed. I feel that with every ‘generation’ of new-coming expats I myself have grown. And it scares me, and it comforts me and it humbles me — because while many other expats will settle in Hanoi in the years to come, no one will ever again get to live in the same Hanoi I’ve called ‘home’ for the past seven years. Then again, maybe that’s yet another charm of this city, of this country — that no matter when you come, you can be sure your experience will be personally unique and most likely, life changing.

Anemi Wick Swiss, has lived in Hanoi for four years I can’t say Hanoi has really changed in only four years. I don’t think there could be social changes in such a short amount of time. When I arrived US$1 used to be worth VND16,000, and prices have also gone up. Personally, however, with every year it only becomes clearer to me just how little I know and understand about this country and that I’ve only just scratched the surface. Every time I leave the house I see or learn something new. Maybe this country has been challenging everything I thought I knew. So I keep on marveling and learning, enjoying the up and down ride of extreme emotions and impressions, trying to keep a fresh, open perspective and allowing myself be

surprised again and again. I still get excited about little things just as if it was my first day here, for example, seeing a whole family with three kids and a dog on a motorbike. I think Vietnam never becomes a routine. It’s an amour fou you don’t want to marry. I don’t even know if I myself have changed since I first arrived.

Virginie Bourque Québécois, has lived in Hanoi for three years I went to Mai Chau last weekend with my husband. It was his first visit there but since I have visited three times before, I kept telling him how amazing it was and how despite the increasing tourism to the area, it still remained authentic. I always appreciated that it was not as ‘packed’ with tourists as some other areas such as Sapa. I still remember how calm my last visit, a year ago, was; no motorbikes, no honking or people shouting. This time we had a hard time even passing through the traffic to get to our destination. It was so crowded. Karaoke blasted until eleven at night; loud tourists were everywhere (foreigners and Vietnamese). I felt like we were in the Old Quarter. What had happened? I guess it’s a good thing for the local economy, but I miss the old Mai Chau where I could lie in my

hammock and hear the sounds of nature. I’ll obviously have to find a new spot for my weekend getaways.

Nadia Engelbrecht

Nguyen Qui Duc

When I first arrived in Hanoi in the mid1990s, it was a very grey city. My father always said Hanoi went from rags to Gucci. One minute the majority of the population was dressed in very faded colors, looking quite poor and now, only 17 years later, we see an entirely new population of young Vietnamese dressed up more fashionably than we’d have ever imagined. Believe it or not, but as kids we’d get to school every day by cyclo. It was fun. We felt like little princes and princesses. But the food was terrible back then. There wasn’t much flavour to it. Us kids basically stuck with the banh my, which was much like it is still today just a lot cheaper, and the overly sweet yoghurt. I returned to Hanoi in 2008 and that is when things like the music scene and art scene just started taking off, even though most people would say it’s only starting now. Not all expats know each other these days, there are a lot of circles and groups and events. Hanoi is so much bigger now, so many more people, places to go and things to do. It is incredible to see how much it has changed since I first arrived here.

Viet Kieu, has lived in Hanoi on and off I didn’t grow up in Hanoi but came here for the first time in 1989. Since then I see that people now are less patient and more stressed out. It’s astounding to see young people everywhere. Before, there were more old people and with the old buildings, less shopping malls and such — you had a better sense of history. For expats, it was rare in the old days to find hangout spots and we had more interactions with locals. Now, there are so many places for expats, whole areas like Xuan Dieu: cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, wine shops, it’s like anywhere else. Some parts of Hanoi could be Singapore or even Hong Kong. Mostly, the thing that depresses me is that people seem to have adopted the worst part of capitalism. On the other hand, old Confucian attitudes prevail, if only inside families. I am amazed at how traditional people here can often be. Sexism and the patriarchal culture seem alive and well, as much as I see new attitudes towards independence, sex and social interaction.

American/Belgian, has lived in Hanoi on and off for over 15 years

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the LAST CALL

Line Hoven is an award winning freelance illustrator and comic artist. Based in Hamburg she will be visiting Hanoi as part of the Goethe Institut exhibition Comics, Mangas & Co — The New German Comic Culture. Selfportrait by Line Hoven

Memory... is something that seems to change all the time, especially during the attempt to capture it. In my book Love Looks Away I tried to combine my family memories with historical events. Sometimes it was hard to decide which version of a certain family story I should use for my book. There is a scene where my dad and my mum dance during their first date. My father told me that my mum told him to “come closer”, and in that moment he fell in love with her. My mum, until this day, totally denies that she would have ever said something like that on a first date. When I was a child I... couldn’t make up my mind if I should become either an artist or an author. So I guess I was lucky enough to find the perfect combination of both. Stories... are sometimes hard to find because they love to hide behind something trivial. Love is... really difficult to understand

I first became interested in... making up stories and drawing matching pictures as a little kid since the only [book] I really liked was Where the Wild Things Are. Most of the others were just too happy and cute. The scratchboard technique is... great and almost spectacular. By using sharp tools like x-acto knives you scrape into a layer of black ink that reveals a white layer underneath. It’s a very satisfying technique since just a little white scratch on the black looks very dramatic. I really like to scratch a pattern for days and weeks. Maybe that’s my way of meditating.

92 | Word May 2013

I started using it... on the

sometimes. That was one of my initial thoughts before I started my work on Love Looks Away. I think that when you love someone, you decide to love them despite their past failures. I loved my German grandparents although I knew they met in Hitler Youth and I was always afraid to find out what they did during the Second World War. Maybe love isn’t blind, but sometimes you decide to look away.

recommendation of my professor, Atak (Georg Barber), during my studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg. I always wanted to create this kind of mood in my drawing. I tried out various techniques but nothing ever really worked. But with the scratchboard it worked straight away — it was ‘love at first scratch’.

In future... as the first German comic

I am influenced by... old black and white

The exhibition Comics, mangas & Co — The New German Comic Culture will be on at the Goethe Institut from May 8 to Jun. 2, with several related activities. Line Hoven will give a talk at 6.30pm on May 14

movies, sad but beautiful music or great artists like Edward Gorey, Charles Burns, the painter Balthus and especially by the art and books of Miranda July.

author to receive the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin residential scholarship for literature, I will stay with other authors from German speaking countries in a romantic Berlin villa for three months. During this time I’ll be working on my new book about a haunted house.

May 2013 Word | 3