The chaotic sounds of traffic on a Monday morning, the impatient scooter honks of office workers who was running late, the warm offering voice of the street vendors, etc. all blending in perfectly like a harmonic symphony, vividly engraved in my mind just like how I imagined what a morning in Hanoi would be like. There’s just something incredible about Hanoi and its constant modernization while simultaneously retaining the antiqueness of a long-historical capital of Vietnam.
It was my first-time visiting Hanoi. I arrived in Hanoi on a humid summer afternoon, almost fainted from the heat and the packed crowd of people in the airport. I quickly made my way out of the airport and got on a cab, heading towards Hanoi’s downtown, where my hotel was located. It was a quick but interesting ride from the airport to the hotel. The closer I got to downtown, the more people I saw, even though it was a Monday. I saw street vendors full of people circling around, patiently waiting for their orders. An insane amount of little plastic stools scattered across what seemed to be the pavement (I barely recognized the pavement since it was extremely narrow).
Even though I’ve lived in Vietnam for most of my life and knew what things would be like, I couldn’t help but think how astonishingly different things have been in the span of three years (I couldn’t get back to Vietnam for 3 years because of COVID). For instance, while I was hanging out with my friends, we suddenly decided to go to the lakeshore and have a picnic there. Since it was a spontaneous decision, I wondered how we could get any picnic stuff like a picnic mat or snacks/food. To my surprise, my friends took me to a nearby rental store where you can get any gear you need. It was so convenient, and everything was even automatic and self-served, so there wasn’t any staff in the store except for a security guy. Right next to the rental shop was a convenience store, which sold a wide variety of snacks and food. The store even had a section just for instant noodles. After stopping by literally two stores within 15 minutes, we’d had everything we needed for the picnic.
It also amazed me how the culture in the South differs from the North. I was born and raised in the South, so it was quite an experience for me to visit Hanoi and nearby Northern cities. One time when I was ordering food from a street vendor, it took me a solid minute to explain what a spoon was because apparently there’s a difference for “spoon” in the North. Or when I had Phở, I asked for a small bowl, and they gave me a big bowl because they were confused with me using a different word for “bowl”. Another Northern culture I thought was interesting and also quite controversial was the hierarchical order of a party. Apparently, in a party, the elders (usually the men) would sit in the big table, also known as the upper table, while children and others (usually the women) would sit in a smaller table, also known as the lower table. Obviously, the upper table would get better and more food than the lower table, and they also get served while the lower table had to serve themself. I did a little research into this, and I found out that it resulted from a long history of hierarchy and favoring male over female. This mindset dates back to the monarchical period and still exists in the majority of Northern extended families.
I found it quite fun and fascinating to be shocked by my own culture, something that I thought I would know best since I grew up within it. This trip has taught me a great deal of knowledge and definitely changed my mind set on how important one’s culture and roots are. With that being said, I encourage you to learn more about your own roots and background, and you’re sure to be amazed at how incredible it is.
