Hanoi has so much to offer. When you are in Hanoi, you can choose to stay in a five-star hotel with great facilities, visit glorious shopping malls, and witness Rolls Royce cars stuck in the middle of congested traffic.
Hanoi is perfect for a trip of cultural exploration. Its culture is expressed in many of the remarkable attractions of the city. The culture, too, is in every activity that you see on the street. In this article, I will go through several casual cultural spotlights of Hanoi. A random cultural experience of the city, an idea of what to expect when you set foot in town, this is what you will explore after reading this article.
Buddhism & Confucianism in Hanoi Culture
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| Photo by HaiRobe |
If you have noticed how the young lower their heads when greeting their elders, you will have observed that there are certain sets of etiquette that need to be considered when you talk to a true Hanoi-an. Since 1009, Hanoi has been the capital of Vietnam. King Ly Thai To grew up in a pagoda, so Buddhism became the national religion, greatly influencing people’s lifestyle since. You will likely find that the people of the North have a deep faith in Buddha and the Above. Hence, be respectful when you mention Buddha and God in your conversations.
During the feudal time, the Vietnamese followed Confucius’ teachings which placed a high importance on the social hierarchy. In life today, this influence is echoed in the way that elders show great love toward the younger generation, and the younger generation returns this love with true respect. I believe that if you go shopping and show such respectful manners to the elder vendors, you’re doing yourself a big favor! You should also respect the distance between a man and a lady in recognition of the cultural beauty.
Nonetheless, due to the side effects of Confucian thought, the self-esteem of many people from the North of Vietnam is a bit high. Some still dwell on facial beauty and at times, they might boast about themselves. This is only a very small minority!
Com Lang Vong – The Specialty of Hanoi
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| Photo by collect on the internet |
Hanoi may not be the Hanoi of the past without its authentic traditional handicraft villages, and unique century-old culinary culture, among which Com Lang Vong is of the most well-known. Once you try this dish, Hanoi’s rich past may suddenly flood your senses. The Hanoians call it the Gift of Young Rice. This specialty dish is made of yellow-flower sticky rice. Although this type of rice can only be harvested twice a year, its best taste is during the Autumn harvest, when the weather turns cold.
While Hanoi is not the only region that produces Com (rice), the most elegantly flavored Com is from Vong village – today it is in Dich Vong Hau Ward, Cau Giay district, Hanoi. Here, villagers retain a dedicated process of making Com. First, the rice must be harvested before it gets fully ripe (at which point the seed is still a bit milky). Second, people do not thresh but slip their hand along the rice stem to collect its seeds. Seeds are roasted, then skillfully husked immediately. During the husking process, seeds are hand stirred upside down to ensure that the whole batch is equally processed and the softness is right. Husked seeds are wrapped with lotus leaves. And if you ever notice, lotus leaves contribute a more delicate flavor to Com than other types of wrapping leaves.
If you are in Hanoi, you should head to Dich Vong Hau Ward to buy Com Lang Vong. To enjoy this Com, it is best to eat with a particular Vietnamese type of banana called Chuoi Tieu, or to eat it with persimmon. People also enjoy cracking Com while having a morning tea.
Iced-Tea on the Sidewalk – Tra Da Via He
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| Photo by collect on the internet |
Sidewalk iced-tea (Tra Da Via He) will take you on an authentic experience to discover the casual lifestyle of the capital people. Like many other big cities in Vietnam, Hanoi has many glorious restaurants where you can spend some hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese dong on one drink. Hanoi also has sidewalk stalls everywhere where you only have to pay ten thousand VND to watch the street change from morning till night. Sidewalk cafe stalls are the norm of Vietnam. But in the North, people tend to order a tea rather than a coffee. Tea has been with this country throughout its thousand-year-old history.
However, before the 90s of last century, northern people tended to drink either hot or warm tea. The tea is brewed from green or dried tea leaves. During the 90s of the last century, the younger generations started to add ice to their tea. Now, the tea is often enjoyed with ice as a result of the younger generations!
When you enjoy tra da via he, you are not enjoying the Vietnamese Art of Tea, surely! You are enjoying an Art of Casualty. Men play chess on the sidewalk with an iced-tea beside them, men crack sunflower seeds and chew the day away with an iced-tea placed on a child-like stool in front of them, men chat politics with an iced-tea in their hands. You will barely see ladies hanging out with a Tra Da Via He, except for groups of school girls. That is the culture of the city! Ideally, ladies are supposed to be at home managing the housework after work. Other ladies are busy in cafés with AC.
To feel what it’s like to enjoy a tra da via he in Hanoi, I recommend taking a local friend to accompany you. You will feel the atmosphere, and your friend can explain the stories around you. Here are several places to enjoy Tra Da and sightseeing: Hoan Kiem Lake (usually referred to as “Tra Da Ho Guom”), West Lake, and anywhere in the Hanoi Old Quarter. If you don’t know where to go and how to get to these places, check out my previous article on Getting Around Hanoi. You can enjoy tra da via he either in a no-name stall or in one of these Hanoi’s oldest and most authentic cafes.
Shopping in the Market
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| Photo by 9636137 |
Although supermarkets and grocery stores are growing constantly in town with great shopping conditions, the habit of shopping in markets is still a beautiful cultural part in Hanoi. In such markets, you will enjoy bargaining with small traders, discovering bunches of local foods, and once in a while, you may happen to spot the rustic beauty of a flower stall on the sidewalk.
Nevertheless, if you happen to be tailed by some street vendors trying to sell you trinkets, and your effort of refusal seems hopeless, don’t freak out.