Bun Cha Combo Obama

Back in 2016, then-President Barack Obama visited Hanoi on his historic tour of Vietnam. While he was in the city, he was treated to lunch by food writer and TV host, Anthony Bourdain (who picked up the $6 tab for the meal). Mr. Bourdain took Mr. Obama out for lunch at what was, in his opinion, the best Bun Cha restaurant in the city. Pinky and I paid a visit ourselves, to see if this bun cha place lives up to its hype.

 

We arrived at Bun Cha Huong Lien around lunchtime, and it was already crowded. I guess word really gets around. Pinky and I were led to the second floor of the narrow "tube house" restaurant, and we were seated directly behind President Obama's table (which has been preserved behind a glass case, along with all of the plates and silverware he and Anthony Bourdain used).

We ordered the "Combo Obama", the meal that the two men shared. It comes with one order of Bun Cha, one seafood roll, and one Hanoi Beer. Truly a lunch fit for a president.

Egg Coffee

Cafe Giang

In 1946, a bartender at the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Giang opened a small cafe. At the time, Vietnam was suffering a shortage of milk. Improvising, Mr. Giang whipped up some egg yolks and mixed them into his coffee as a dairy substitute. The result became a Hanoi legend. Cafe Giang is where egg coffee was born! It may sound strange, but egg coffee is actually delicious - hot or cold!

Cafe Giang can be a little hard to find if you don't know where to look. It's tucked away in a tiny alley between two tall tube houses. Just enter the alley and keep walking. You'll walk right into the first floor of the cafe!

We ordered two different drinks to try: egg with coffee and egg with chocolate. The egg drinks were served in layers with a few cubes of ice. You have to stir and mix it up until the ice  has melted and chilled your drink, and then enjoy your smooth delicious egg coffee or egg chocolate. The creamy and buttery taste of this egg coffee, reminds me of a milkshake or melting ice cream. There is no egg smell or taste at all, just rich, creamy, vanilla-ey coffee.

Cafe Giang has a wide variety of menu items that you can choose to order. There are other drinks that I am really interested in trying next time, like egg with cinnamon, egg with matcha, and egg with beer or rum (???). It's a nice cafe that conserves the old-fashioned feel of a local Vietnamese coffee shop with tiny stools and plain decor. The cafe doesn't need to be fancy when it is so famous for its drinks! It's a Hanoi icon, and popular with students, businessmen, and tourists alike, who cram onto tiny wooden stools on the top floor of a narrow building to enjoy their iced egg coffee and escape the summer heat of Hanoi.

The Note Cafe

The first egg coffee we tried, however, was at The Note Cafe. It was an early morning, and on a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake, we were approached by a red-aproned cafe employee who gave us a 10% discount coupon for an egg coffee. Everyone at the cafe was super friendly and made us feel very welcomed on our first full day in Hanoi.

We ordered a few hot egg coffees. Even though it would be hot outside that day, it was early enough in the morning that the weather was still quite pleasant. We sat by an open window to read, work, and enjoy an egg coffee.

Every surface in the cafe is covered in post-it notes, and everyone is welcome to add their own. When our coffee arrived, it came with a note as well. It read, "in life, it doesn't matter where you go, but who you are with."

Café Việt

Let's get away from the temples and monuments of old Hanoi for a while while I tell you about some of the amazing coffee that I've had in Vietnam's crazy capital.

Coffee is HUGE in Vietnam, and its capital has a cafe on every corner, it seems. Sometimes, it feels like the cafes are stacked on top of each other. In a city like Hanoi, where tiny, narrow "tube houses" are crammed together in tight rows, sometimes this is literally the case!

Coffee is also super cheap in Hanoi, so we often go to a cafe every day. The first time I visited Vietnam four years ago, it was early spring and Hanoi was freezing cold. Back then, I wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but I did try a cup of hot coffee. In the past few years, I've grown to like it more and more. Now, however, it's much too hot outside for hot coffee. We will be sticking to iced while we are here!

A really good Vietnamese iced coffee should come in three layers: thick, sweet condensed milk; dark, rich coffee; and light foam on top. Stir it up, and take a sip!

Hanoi is sometimes called the "Paris of the East". Sometimes it's hard to see why, but on occasion, the city does have a bit of a European feel, especially when you are in the old French Quarter. I think the country's cafe culture is somewhat a holdover of the nation's French colonial history.

After a long, hot, sweaty day walking through the dusty and humid city, sometimes it feels hard to take another step. When we get to that point, Pinky and I know that we need to find a cafe STAT! After a half-hour sitting down with a cold drink (and a little caffeine), we are feeling good again and ready to continue our adventures!

We haven't taken a single taxi or rickshaw the entire time we've been in Hanoi. We have gone everywhere in the city on food, so this happens to us a lot!

The Presidential Palace

The Vietnamese Presidential Palace, located just outside of Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, is open to the public for visits most days. On the day we visited the mausoleum and the One Pillar Pagoda, we also paid a visit to the Presidential Palace, which is now an open-air museum dedicated to the life of Uncle Ho.

The first thing you see after buying your ticket and entering the site is the Presidential Palace itself. This beautiful old yellow-painted colonial building was once the mansion of the French Governor-General of Indochina. When Ho Chi Minh became president, it was offered to him as an official state residence, but he declined. He was used to living a much more modest and simple life, and opted instead to live in a much smaller house built on the property. Nowadays, the Presidential Palace is used for official government meetings and state functions.

The grounds of the palace are beautiful and shady. Tall old mango trees grow throughout the grounds, keeping it fairly cool even in the hottest part of the year.

One of the most fascinating parts on display is Ho Chi Minh's original wooden stilt house. It was where he used to live before he became the president, and it was moved to the grounds of the Presidential Palace Museum to be put on display.

The stilt house is very simple - just two spartan rooms - but surprisingly it looks quite cozy and comfortable.

In the center of the compound is a big fish pond, swimming with big koi. I can see why the French governors built this place. Even in the brutal summer heat of Hanoi, it's a lot cooler within the walls of the Presidential Palace compound than it is outside.

Dinh Bach Ma - Temple of the White Horse

It was another hot Vietnamese afternoon, and Pinky and I set out to discover some of the city's tiny ancient shrines and temples. Our first destination was the ancient Bach Ma Temple, believed to be the oldest in Hanoi!

Temple days require special planning, since women are not allowed to wear shorts or have their shoulders exposed once inside. We need to decide in advance and prepare if we are going out to visit temples. We had passed this one a few times, and as it's one of the city's top historical sites, we couldn't miss it!

Dinh Bach Ma means "Temple of the White Horse". It's dedicated to the spirit of a legendary magical white horse, who is said to have helped the Vietnamese emperor find the spot to found Hanoi over a thousand years ago.

Dinh, I learned, refers to a Daoist or Confucian temple. Actually, in Vietnam, there isn't much distinction between the two. Although a temple may be specifically consecrated as Daoist or Confucian, there is so much overlap between the two in common practice that they really serve the function of both. It's a big part of traditional Vietnamese folk religion too. It's quite complicated, and not nearly as clear-cut as things are back in Thailand.

We don't really know what to do in a Daoist or Confucian temple. To be honest, I know little beyond the basics of either religion. What I do know is that the temple is beautiful. It's one of the city's most important historical landmarks, and it's survived the city's long and tumultuous history.

And of course, any good temple should have a temple cat hanging out and being lazy in the afternoon heat!

St. Joseph's Cathedral

St. Joseph's Cathedral is the seat of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Hanoi, and one of the major sights in the city's Old Quarter. In a plaza just off of Hoan Kiem Lake, this beautiful Gothic cathedral is one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Vietnam has a relatively large Roman Catholic population, and the Archdiocese of Hanoi is one of three archdiocese in the country.

Constructed in 1886, the cathedral was one of the first buildings built by the French during their colonization of Indochina. It's a beautiful old European-style church, and holds weekly Mass in both Vietnamese and French. Before leaving Hanoi, I think I would like to attend the French Mass at the cathedral.

We stepped inside the cool, quiet cathedral early one morning. The hot Vietnamese sun was already blaring down on the city, and it was good to get indoors. Beautiful stained-glass windows let plenty of light into the tall cathedral.

Although Vietnam has a relatively high Roman Catholic population, priests, many of whom resisted the spread of Communism and were viewed by some as French sympathizers, were arrested when the Communist government came to power in the north. The cathedral was closed for many years, but was opened again on Christmas Eve 1990 with the celebration of a Christmas Mass.

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum

Curious and wanting to learn more about the Father of Modern Vietnam, Pinky and I went to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum in Hanoi.

Though he lived a simple and modest life, the poet and revolutionary leader received the Soviet treatment upon his death, with an imposing and impressive mausoleum à la Lenin and Mao.

If you arrive in the morning, you can actually enter the tomb to view the body of Ho Chi Minh, which is preserved behind glass. We didn't do this, though. On the day when we visited the mausoleum, we arrived a bit late, so just viewed it from the outside before visiting the Presidential Palace.

Quan Su Temple: The Ambassador's Pagoda

Quán Sứ Pagoda, a 15th century Buddhist temple and headquarters to the Sangha of Vietnam, is an island of calm in the sea of chaos that is Hanoi's Old Quarter.

We set out from Hoan Kiem Lake on a hot and sunny Hanoi morning. The narrow streets of the Old Quarter don't offer any space for parking, so the city's millions of motorbikes are forced to park on the sidewalk, leaving pedestrians to fend for themselves dodging traffic along the road. By the time we arrived at Quan Su Temple, Pinky and I were already hot and tired. Stepping through the tall yellow gates, though, we entered an oasis of tranquility.

Ancient trees cast a cooling shadow over the small courtyard, and the air was thick with incense, curling upwards in twisting fragrant plumes. A small stone statue of Guanyin stood at the entrance to the temple hall, flanked by two small orange trees bearing perfectly ripe fruit. Overhead, bright red lanterns hung from the temple's walls. All of the honking and noise from outside disappeared behind the thick stone walls, and everything was calm.

Quan Su means "The Ambassador's Pagoda". It was originally constructed in the 15th century to serve ambassadors and visiting diplomats from nearby Buddhist countries including China and Siam. Nowadays, the temple is the headquarters of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha.

A "Sangha" is a Buddhist community and governing body, somewhat analogous to "church" (the institution, not the building). In Thailand, for example, the Sangha is led by the Supreme Patriarch and is based out of Nakhon Pathom. Here in Vietnam, the country's Buddhist leadership meets here at Quan Su Temple.

Vietnamese Buddhism follows the Mahayana School, which has greater Chinese and Taoist influence rather than the more Hindu-influenced Theravada Buddhism of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. The temples are different as well - darker, quieter, with more red and gold and much more veneration of Bodhisattvas.

The temple was interesting to visit, mostly because of its history. It's also one of the few Buddhist temples we've visited so far in Vietnam, and by far the most active. I've read that central Vietnam, where we will be heading in a few weeks, is the most Buddhist part of the country, whereas the north is more Chinese-influenced. In any case, though I'm not Buddhist myself, I enjoy visiting temples for the peaceful atmosphere, and the colorful and beautiful sights.

Ho Chi Minh Day

The 19th of May was Ho Chi Minh's birthday, a national holiday in Vietnam. In the evening, we went for a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. It was a muggy night with a bit of a cool breeze. Lightening flashed regularly, threatening storms to come later in the night. We set out to explore the lake by dark.

 It had been too hot to do much during the day, but from the short time that we had been outside, it seemed that the Hanoians were all staying indoors too. In the evening, however, the area around the lake was full of families walking and playing in the cooler night air.

 The Ngoc Son Temple was lit up in gold, with its Morning Sunlight Bridge lit in red.

The temple was closed for the night, but we could walk up to the gates on the outside of the bridge and look across to the Jade Islet.

I'm not sure what sort of festivities there are commemorating Ho Chi Minh Day. I'm sure that the government and military must mark the occasion, possibly at Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, which we visited the day before (I'll write about that soon). In the Old Quarter, though, it seemed to be a day for families to enjoy their time together.

Walking around the lake, we passed a man giving a traditional Vietnamese singing performance at a shrine to one of the historical emperors.

The One Pillar Pagoda

the One Pillar Pagoda

The One Pillar Pagoda is one of the oldest temples in Hanoi, and is the symbol of the city. The pagoda dates back nearly 1000 years to the rule of Lý Thái Tông, the Vietnamese Emperor between 1028 and 1054.

the pagoda resembles a lotus

The pagoda, which sits in the middle of a small square pond, is meant to resemble a blooming lotus flower, which is a Buddhist symbol of purity. Long ago, a legend tells, the emperor of Vietnam was lonely and childless. One night, a Bodhisattva (essentially a Buddhist saint) appeared to him in a dream, presenting him with a white lotus upon which a baby boy was sitting. Shortly thereafter, the emperor fell in love with a peasant girl, whom he married. Soon, they had a son. In thanks, the emperor constructed the One Pillar Pagoda, dedicated to the Bodhisattva, and built to remind him of the lotus from his dream.

the steps to the pagoda

We climbed the short staircase leading to the pagoda and looked inside. There is a small shrine dedicated to the Bodhisattva, and offerings of colorful fruit. Many Vietnamese people were visiting the pagoda to pray

inside the small pagoda

As we climbed back down the steps, we heard quite a cacophony nearby, and curiously walking through the stone gates just next to the pagoda, we entered a small Taoist temple. Wow! I don't know what was going on, but it was loud and festive! The small temple was alive with the sound of bells, drums, and chanting.

small temple

People in white headbands sat on the floor of the temple chanting from big Chinese prayer books. Quietly, Pinky and I approached the temple doors and peered inside.

at the temple

A Taoist priest clad in a blue and red robe was sitting in front of an elaborate golden shrine, singing and chanting. It was amazing! Thai Buddhism is serene and calm, monks chanting in monotone and meditating to the sound of rhythmic bells, but this was so loud and exciting. It was quite different from what I'm used to seeing and experiencing.

Taoist priest

After five years in Thailand I like to think that I know quite a bit about Thai Buddhism. Thais generally follow Theravada Buddhism, an older branch that is more heavily influenced by Hinduism. Vietnamese Buddhism is generally in the Chinese-influenced Mahayana school. I know less about Mahayana Buddhism, and almost nothing about Taoism.

a Taoist ceremony

Surprisingly, we've seen very few Buddhist temples so far in Hanoi. Taoism and Confucianism seem to be even more prevalent. Maybe that's because in Hanoi we are quite close to China. I wonder if we will see more Buddhist temples as we move further south in the next few months.

a quiet shrine inside the temple

It seems as if the temple was holding some sort of festival. There were paper prayer flags hanging from the ceiling, and so many people in those white headbands sitting and singing along. In front of the temple, a serene statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Mercy, sits in front of an offering of oranges.

Guanyin

This reminds me once again that Vietnam, like Thailand, is a land of syncretism. Many people would consider themselves to be Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian. The Chinese "Triple Teaching" suggests that the three paths are not in conflict, but rather compliment each other.

beautiful white flowers