I’ve had some delays in publishing my normal Constant posts lately. I get a paragraph or two in, and another storm comes along, or our business just consumes a large amount of my time. We have fallen into an incredibly familiar pattern. Rise at dawn to get the girls ready for school—coffee, chores, breakfast, off to the shop to open by 9. Close up around 7 or 8, depending on appointments. Collect the children, home to cook dinner, or pick something up on the way.
I’ve begun developing our advertising program as well. Signage, logos, Google, it is becoming a full-time job here. Something I never imagined would occur. But here I am establishing what is every day looking more and more like a normal life here in Vietnam. In addition, we are in discussions for a restaurant. I am in the process of developing a menu and sourcing product. Diem is negotiating a build-out and the general logistics of a restaurant in Vietnam.
Life here is taking on an increasingly significant role. With air travel continuing to seem impossible, and the increasing need to earn money, what is one to do. The real question becomes how difficult will it be to break away when I am able. Right now that is not even a consideration until probably the end of the first quarter. So for now we will continue to grow, continue to live. All of those questions I am sure will be answered in future posts. For now, I give you “Vietnam – Days in our Lives”.
The Street
I stepped out onto the street in front of the shop. It was narrow, dense, and busy. Across the street, a woman and her husband sold Mi Quang noodles in the morning. In the afternoon they were replaced by another woman selling snacks of Banh Beo, loc, nam, and other tasty treats to enjoy in the afternoon. Every day at some point, I would wander out of the shop and head west towards the wet market a few streets down. Past the coconut vendor, fried banana stand, open-air noodle factory, and countless purveyors selling everything from produce to fermented tofu.
There is a Vinmart+ just this side of the market, and I usually step in for a refreshingly cold Pepsi before perusing the day’s offerings. The piece de resistance. The last item I enjoy regularly from my former life. The bubbly, cold bite, to satiate the remnants of my caffeine fix addiction. This particular market stays pretty busy, and I rather enjoyed the buzzing afternoons a few hours before dusk. The afternoon rush hour so to speak. It never matters what the weather is. Blistering sun, pouring rain, the market is always ready, and almost always busy.
A Stranger in the crowd
I often set up my tripod and camera in front and sometimes around the market. I always hear the random hello, or friendly local trying to ensure a place in the frame. Our first shop is in the older section of the city. Mostly locals, and I don’t see many foreigners other than that guy in the mirror. It’s actually a very refreshing experience. To be among a sea of faces, yet alone in the crowd. By the time of this post we have been in the neighborhood for sometime so many know me. Everyone says hello and I always respond in Vietnamese, and it’s just a very unbelievable time being in this very different world for so long.
The newness of it all has long worn away. Upon waking in the morning, I no longer have that split-second question of where I am. The normalcy of waking in Vietnam has become as usual as anything. I’ve been in Vietnam so much in the past few years that now when I dream of being somewhere else, I immediately become aware it’s a dream. My brain’s litmus is not remembering the flight back to the States. I’m not sure if that speaks to how difficult those long haul flights are, or something else. To be so far from where you started that it literally doesn’t matter which way you head to go back. East or West makes very little difference.
A humble moment
I often enjoy some conversation with our fellow merchants, and wander the streets or hang out in front of the shop. I particularly enjoy talking to the lady next door who runs the duck shop. Especially when she’s cooking. One day I was standing in the doorway when a man, looked to be in his late 20’s or 30’s came sliding up on a round curved pad. The young man appeared to have some sort of muscular dystrophy. He was selling toothpicks—single toothpicks for a donation.
I became almost overwhelmed by the sight. There isn’t much in the way of government programs for the disabled here. Those more mobile will often be found roaming the streets selling trinkets or homemade jewelry. Usually with a card describing their disability. In addition there are also Government backed businesses that specialize in employing the disabled. But here in Vietnam the general consensus is you must work for what you get no matter how bad a hand you were dealt.
The plight of the poor
Beggars are heavily frowned upon and often face criminal charges. As long as you are offering a good or service your plight is considered noble. And most often people will donate to your cause without taking what you are selling as I did here. I couldn’t empty my pockets fast enough. This man who could not walk, could not talk, he had a tape recorder around his neck explaining his situation, used his disfigured arms and hands to slide himself around the busy streets everyday. I’m sure for miles just to put food in his belly.
Though things are far better in Vietnam than they were 20, even 10 years ago, occasionally I am faced with a hard reality of how some people still must face great challenges and difficulties just to live. I can only imagine where he lays his head at night. Only possessing what was the equivalent of change in my pocket, I gave him everything I had. I held back tears as I watched him with an unwavering determination, make his way down the street, inch by inch.
Looking for Laterite
Near the old shop I spotted what appeared to be a park at the far end of the bay near the base of the mountains. I wanted to walk, but Diem would not let me. The map showed a 10 kilometer walk. That didn’t sound too far. But boy was I glad I didn’t. My brother in law Kevin agreed to drive me. This was just after the second lockdown and I was not yet driving confidently.
We struck out towards the bay and traveled quite some distance. It looked much closer on the map. We came far beyond the edge of the actual city and had difficulties finding the park. We stopped to ask a few locals and were eventually pointed in the right direction. The seaside area designated as a park was almost impossible to find. We had to traverse a small alley filled neighborhood, go over some rough terrain, stop for more directions, before finally resting at the edge of a small peninsula on the northwest edge of Da Nang bay.
A lacking find
Labeled on the map as Nam O Reef, it looked like an interesting place to do a little urban jungle exploration. The area we stopped to investigate appeared to be on the north end of the peninsula. We made our way to the water, which wasn’t anything terribly impressive. I had heard tales of a major rock formation at the water’s edge, but there were only strewn a few boulders and some lesser rocks. Not exactly the geological excitement I was looking for. However, the distant view was nice, as the Hai Van mountain range stood watch close by.
The search continues
I decided to try and find the rocky outcrop. Kevin and I made our way, very carefully I might add, to the other side of the peninsula. Again it wasn’t what I was looking for—a small cove sheltered from the sea, and virtually no waves. A few traditional boats bobbed in the mild surf and you could clearly see downtown Da Nang from the vantage point. Kevin and I explored much of the peninsula’s edge but could find no noticeable way onto the peninsula itself.
As I stood and stared out at Da Nang in the distance, two fishermen appeared from behind. I watched them as they made their way towards the rocky edge of the peninsula. They climbed a few boulders and disappeared into the underbrush. I looked at Kevin and back at the spot where they disappeared and simply said, “yep”.
A hidden trail
As I climbed up the rocks towards the thick jungle that coated the peninsula, a trail became visible snaking up into the vegetation. I made my way up as best I could in a pair of flip-flops. The forest opened up into a well-defined trail with multiple spurs. The trail wound through the dense jungle down the peninsula. There was no sign of the fisherman. With the many trail extensions they could have taken, who knows which direction they may have gone?
At one point we came across the ruins of an old temple. A dilapidated entrance gate. It was hard to make out, but it appeared to have a marble and lapis lazuli tiger relief, at least it did at one time. Mostly crumbled and worn over time. We continued on until we found a spur that seemed to head in the general direction I was looking for. I spotted a rather large termite mound as we headed towards the water—something I had not yet seen around Da Nang.
Ancient rock formations
We made our way down towards a clearing, the water I could hear lapping in the distance. As the foliage made way, I found what I was looking for: an exposed coastal vein of laterite. I know that may not sound incredibly exciting, but it does bear some historical and geological significance. Laterite is a relatively abundant type of rock in tropical climates. It is a derivative rock of an ancient parent formation.
Laterite’s formation
Formed through hundreds of thousands of years of chemical change through fluctuating climate conditions. Laterite is a rock derivative of many types of parent rocks including sandstone, limestone, granite, basalt, and many others. Making its formations incredibly old. Over countless cycles of dry periods and rainy periods, the ions of sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium are slowly pulled to the wet surfaces where they dry as salts in dryer periods. The salts then dissolve in the next rainy period creating a perfect ph to dissolve the silica in the rocks and the process repeats.
What is left behind after many thousands of years is a rock made primarily of quartz and a few heavy metals, particularly in the form of oxides of iron, aluminum, titanium, tin, and manganese. These oxides give the rocks and the sand eroded from them a rusty coloration. This oxidation of metals and their abundance between the tropics gives the Sahara, Australia, the Arabian desert, and parts of the American Southwest their red tinge when seen from space.
An ancient building material
In addition this type of rock was used for centuries as a building material for ancient wonders. Angkor Wat, the famous temple in Cambodia, was constructed of laterite. As well as countless ancient Indian, Khmer, Cham, and Malay temples using either laterite stone, or bricks made with laterite sediment. It is also the reason why so many ancient temples from India to Vietnam have a rusty red color. In addition, it is one of the parent forms of laterite, clay, which gives modern bricks their rusty red color.
I came here to see the ancient and modern building material in its natural environment. A worn outcrop of red rock. Smoothed over by waves and rain. Carved by the hands of men. As we walked and explored the area, signs of an ageless quarry from forgotten times scarred the ancient rock. You could see the deep cuts from stone harvesting worn wide by the elements of time. Centuries ago men swarmed this quiet rocky outcrop. Chiseling his mark on the rock, a mark that I stand here today and observe.
Fall back
As fall has come, one thing stays the same for us here in Vietnam. Getting the kids ready for school. We had an open house, as is customary, before the first day of class. Diem met the teacher for this term and we received our list of supplies to purchase. A few days before school started we loaded up on the motorbike and headed to the bookstore.
Nhà Sách Phương Nam, a local bookstore, sits on the mainland side of the river a few blocks from Dragon bridge. With the list in hand we made our way in. I’m sure anyone can guess there is nothing I love more than going shopping with three girls. So I stealthily made my way to the cooking section and flipped through some Vietnamese cookbooks looking for a little inspiration while Diem and the girls made their rounds.
Gathering supplies
A very modern bookstore, Nhà Sách Phương Nam has a vast collection of Western books translated into Vietnamese, as well as a large selection of English books scattered throughout the store. In Vietnam the books that are required are on the list, the school does not provide them—more of a college type set up. So we purchased the correct books and the usual accompaniments—color pencils, pens, book covers, paper, you know the drill. I was interrupted whilst comparing multiple Pho broth recipes and was informed it was time to go. The intricacies of Vietnamese broth-making would have to wait.
Education System
I would like to touch briefly on the Vietnamese education system. I have been rather impressed with the system and the basic aptitude that the average high school graduate has here in Vietnam. The UN recognizes Vietnam as currently having one of the more elevated education levels among graduates in all of Asia and rising fast. All subjects for high school graduation are compulsory and the list is beyond impressive.
The High School graduation exam in Vietnam is known to be particularly brutal. Included in the exam is the submission of five papers. Three mandatory on the subjects of Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign language. One of the three subjects of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. And one of the three subjects of History, Geography, and Civic Education. In addition they must take their normal end term examinations as well as the National High School Graduation Examination, which is administered by the ministry of education.
Education as a priority
The end of the last school year fell during the second lockdown. Education is so important in Vietnam that students readying for their high school graduation exam in Da Nang were the first to receive testing. Their households were placed into priority status to ensure all students were in environments to promote and nurture the examination process. That is a commitment to education.
Demands for an advanced system
To further show the scope of a Vietnamese high school certificate. Every Vietnamese with a graduation certificate will have completed the following between 6 and 12 grades: 6 years of Literature to include Vietnamese, Chinese, French, American, and Russian. 1 year of Asthmatic. 6 years of Geometry. 6 years of Algebra. 2 Years of Calculus. 5 years of Chemistry. 6 years of History, Biology, Geography, Civics (economics, philosophy, politics, law, ethics), Foreign Language and Physical Education. As well as the programming languages Pascal and C/C++, 2 years of security and defense education, 4 years of art and music, and a combination of chosen electives ranging from Agriculture/Horticulture, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics, Design, and more.
This demanding educational system is not without its pitfalls, however. The stressful nature of particularly high school level students has begun to be felt in recent years, with increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among high school students. Parents have become critical of the demanding curriculum and have called for reform. The Ministry of Education is currently in the process of implementing education reforms to try and find a balance in the education of the next generation of Vietnamese.
Going For a Walk
One particular day at the old shop I decided to take a walk around the area. Our original shop sits on the northwest corner of the city. Near Da Nang bay, and the northwest corner of Da Nang airport. As I left the shop and headed west down Cù Chính Lan, I again passed the coconut vendor, and the countless other stalls selling delicious treats. A few buildings down the street usually sits an older gentleman. Unable to speak, he can often be seen signing to his family, and I always say hello as I pass.
He often sees me snapping shots for articles, whether it’s someone making a tasty snack I am about to munch on, or while inspecting the construction habits of crews building a new house. He knows I have a curiosity that carries me around the streets of the city, and he had something today he wanted to show me with a freshly cleaned and bagged spade trowel. The old man stood in proud anticipation. Waiting to show me his fresh repair work on the sidewalk in front of his family’s home. I acknowledged his work and asked if I could take his picture. He immediately posed and flashed an aged, sun-cracked smile.
The city labyrinth
I continued on towards the market and decided to take a turn down an alley just short of the market. The alley had this alluring old-world air to it, like an ancient corner of a back street in Naples or Rome. The back alley was a labyrinth of walled courtyards spaced with iron fences. At times the arms that led off the main alley were barely wide enough for a motorbike—a patchwork of drying clothes, old rusty hen cages, and parked bikes.
Even in the tight maze of alleys, you could still find the classic household businesses. A coffee shop, a produce stand, a food cart selling noodles or fried bananas. I even came across a tailor who was working on her current projects in the alley. And doing it in full autumn clothing to avoid the sun, and on an old foot propelled singer sewing machine. The challenging width of the streets made no difference in the offerings one might find here.
Mother Nhu roundabout
I continued through the twist and turns trying to keep my bearings. The tight alleys made the sun difficult to find, and I continued somewhat randomly until I popped out onto a main road. The road was Huỳnh Ngọc Huệ, and I knew it crossed Cù Chính Lan further north. I made my way north towards Dien Bien Phu and the busiest intersections in Da Nang.
I came to the Mother Nhu roundabout. The insanely busy intersection that is the entrance to the Ba Nga Hue interchange and the rest of Vietnam. There were no traffic lights on the peripheral of the intersection and I needed to get to the other side. I shakily made several attempts to cross. But almost immediately was brought back to the sidewalk by a seamless wall of motorbikes and cars. I headed further down Dien Bien Phu until I found a lighted crosswalk and made my move.
Into another labyrinth
Once safely on the other side of the massive boulevard, I made my way back towards the intersection and ultimately the Ba Nga Hue interchange. I think it goes without saying that pedestrians are not allowed on major highways, even in Vietnam, and I took a road down the edge of the interchange into a neighborhood on the fringe of the city. As I explored my way towards the bay two things always were in view. The massive cable stay supports of the Ba Nga Hue interchange, and the Ha Van Mountain.
I was hiking towards the bay and knew if I kept the mountain in front of me I would eventually find it. It was just before the rainy season. The tail end of summer, and the sun was relentless. I came to a small lake with floating flower beds, and took a few pictures of the area. I was still quite a ways from the bay, and I had to just find an alley in that direction and hope it wasn’t a dead end.
An unexpected temple
As I made my way through the alleys in the general direction I needed to go, the alleys became increasingly smaller until I thought they might end. Then suddenly, in the middle of the web of lanes and alleys, a temple appeared seemingly from nowhere. Guarded by mythical beasts that appeared half tiger and half wolf. The front gates are decorated with images of dragons and tigers. I took a look around for a minute then continued down the alley.
Just when it seemed the end was near, the alley opened up to an empty lot. There, across the multi-lane highway, was Da Nang Bay. I carefully crossed the highway and made my way down the stairs off of the boardwalk to the shore.
The beach of the bay
The beach on the bay is not much to look at. It isn’t kept up by beach crews, and it is mostly just local fishermen here. The morning glories crowd the sand up to the high water mark, and the beach is generally littered with decaying vegetation and other sea debris. But it isn’t the beach one comes to the bay to see. It is the view. To the north sits the Hai Van mountain range to the east Da Nang’s skyline and Son Tra Mountain. It is a beautiful sight. I took in the view for a moment, made my way up to the highway, and then north in search of some prey for my camera.
I had come to this corner of the city to find a train. I’ve discussed in a video tour I did of Da Nang, about the public property situation in Vietnam. Essentially all property is public, and since the train system is operated by the state, the tracks are also public. With few regulations on building around the tracks, neighborhoods all over Vietnam often build up to and sometimes over the tracks.
A little trainspotting
I knew the sight would be much more compelling in Hanoi or Saigon, but I set out to see if I could find something similar here in Da Nang. I made my way towards Hà Huy Tập. The goal was to turn there and head back up towards Dien Bien Phu. I knew there was a train crossing on that route. The question was would I be lucky enough to catch a train crossing the street there?
A refreshing beverage or two
As I turned on Hà Huy Tập I was craving something cold, wet and with some sort of electrolyte. I had consumed my bottle of water and needed a fill up. Further up I saw a woman with a fresh squeezed cam sành stand, Vietnamese green skinned orange, and I hopped across the street for a cup. It was wonderfully refreshing, and just the thing to keep me going. After another half hour I came upon the tracks and surveyed the scene.
Still thirsty I went into Zen cafe for another cold drink—this time fresh juiced watermelon. I asked the waiter if he knew what time a train might be coming and he said he did not. I took some time to set up the tripod in a few positions to get a good angle on the train not knowing which direction it might be coming from.
Setting up on the tracks
Just next to the tracks was a makeshift outdoor kitchen. A woman was busy preparing food to sell out on the streets and I struck up a conversation. She said the train would probably be by in about 15 minutes and offered me a chair while I waited—very nice lady. For the record, the chair was also makeshift.
After about ten minutes, the train authority arrived, and I knew a train would be by soon. Every train crossing in Vietnam is operated by an actual crew. As the train nears, the crew manually rolls out gates to block the intersection, stops traffic, and waves the train through. I was set up inside the gates, and as one of the officers began to walk in my direction, I knew she was going to tell me to move. As she got close enough to speak she informed me that the train would be coming from the opposite direction and motioned me to follow her. She set me up in a great location to get the train and the intersection just after. I got this great time-lapse from the moment.
Mid-Autumn festival
After the train passed, I packed up my gear and made my way up to Dien Bien Phu. I took some time to admire a beautiful restaurant at the corner. After a few pictures, I crossed over and walked back to the shop. The shop on Cù Chính Lan usually closes a little after dark, which is around 6. It was the Mid-Autumn festival, so today, we closed a little early to take the girls out for the festival.
We gathered the girls and headed south to Chợ đêm Helio. Chợ đêm Helio is a night market next to the Metiz entertainment complex. Which houses a children’s play arena, an arcade as well as a cinema. As we made it closer to the market traffic was just crazy. It was a festival, and everyone was out on the streets. We found a place to park and made our way to the market.
Helio night market
We stopped near the entrance so the girls could get a picture with knockoff Mickey, and I think I saw a faux poo bear running around somewhere. It is pretty clear that trademark and copyright laws haven’t made it into Vietnam’s international agreements yet. You can find restaurants, businesses, night markets and even government institutions actively violating international trade agreements. But here, no one seems to care. There is a coffee shop near our shop that has an almost identical Starbucks logo. Though it is called lion coffee. I digress.
We made our way into the market towards the long row of charcoal grills near the entrance. A very enticing way to lure people in. Behind the grills are carnival style food booths selling a wide array of delicious treats. From piles of sauteed snails, fertilized quail eggs in a sweet BBQ like sauce, skewers of chicken, bowls of ice cream with avocado, and much more.
The markets offerings
In the center of the market a drink area lined with 50 gallon drums filled with ice, bottled beer, soda’s, water, and other ice cold beverages. The opposite side from the food section are booths selling trinkets, toys, and clothes among other things. In the center, seating and a stage. There were no scheduled performers, just a DJ playing dance music, and children bouncing around the stage.
I was particularly hungry, so we made our way through as I devoured a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Quail eggs, snails, a kebab or two. We made our way to a seating area behind the food stalls and finished our current offerings. The girls wanted to play on the stage, so I made my way to the beverage station and back to the grill. I posted up in sight of the stage and enjoyed an ice cold beer and a few barbecued wings on the warm Autumn night.
Some shopping maybe
Eventually the girls came to the table and we headed to the booths selling their array of products. I found the booths with the traditional festival masks to be quite interesting, as well as a booth selling Dragon Ball Z statuettes. I acted as cameraman for a few impromptu photo shoots, and we made our way to the exit. By now the market was packed and our motorbike had become consumed in a sea of plastic and steel.
We made our way north along the river to enjoy the bright lights of the bridges and city as it was lit for the holidays. Upon reaching the bay and the Thuận Phước bridge, we crossed over onto the peninsula. The night was cool, and the view from the bridge of the city skyline lit in the night is the best you can find. Apart from maybe the top of Son Tra Mountain. A few flashes of what we call in the southeastern US as heat lightning, lit the distant sky.
Chasing dragons
We made our way past fisherman’s bay and turned South onto Asia highway 17 towards our neighborhood. As we turned onto our street we fell behind a truck that looked too interesting not to follow. A typical delivery truck, open back, piled with instruments, lighting equipment, costumes, and anything one might need for a flash party. It took no persuasion and we rode past our apartment and trailed the truck deep into the neighborhood.
We were not the only ones with the idea as a parade of motorbikes began to file in behind the truck. It was so random and wonderfully spontaneous. The truck was one of three, and the trucks, us, and all of the motorbikes began to peel off to the side of the street. Random people with furry yellow or red pants were walking around. The dragons no doubt, preparing for a performance.
A flash mob
What commenced was an insanely loud, crazily beautiful parade through someone’s home. It really was just insane. Cymbals, drums, a guy dressed as Buddha running around, and a bunch of acrobatic dragons doing acrobatic things. The costumes were pretty cool. Articulating eyes and ears. They bounced and ran up and down the stairs, popping out of the balcony above. It was so much fun.
One of the drummers happened to be our landlords Trung and Thu’s youngest son, which was cool to see. I’ve talked about them in a few of our Dragon Diaries posts. He saw us and flashed a huge grin, as we maneuvered around trying to get the best view. It was just a really cool flash mob of Mid-Autumn festival craziness. After the celebration began to fizzle out, Diem the girls and I made our way back to the apartment.
A little fishing
One particular morning I woke to an exciting day ahead. I had really been interested in fishing in Vietnam, it just didn’t seem to want to work out. This particular day Trung had offered to take me to a lake on Son Tra mountain and do just that. I was pretty excited, and the afternoon prior we had scoped out a potential fishing spot. It was that afternoon that I came across my first troop of mischievous monkeys. A rather large troop of Macaques guarding their pile of newly claimed garbage. Performing to the gathered crowd for whatever bits of bread or fruit that might be offered.
As we made our way home from our surveying mission Trung pointed me to a tackle shop. It was there that Diem and I were headed this morning. An interesting mix of motorbike repair shop and mini bass pro shop. I was particularly impressed with the amount of product crammed among the helmets and motorbike tires. They had everything one would need to fish both in fresh and salt water environments. I examined a few rods and reels, and settled on what appeared to be a decent rig.
The bait shop and the lake
Everything was sold separately, so I picked out a rod, reel, line, hooks, bobs, a Rapala style lure, and a few weights for some live bait. I met up with Trung at our apartment, and we made our way towards the mountain. We wound our way up to the north end of the lake and surveyed the shore for a good fishing spot. Finding something that looked suitable. Shade, a bank big enough to cruise, and few other fisherman.
As we made our way to the waters edge the view was far more familiar than I was expecting. I found a nice spot and posted on a large rock at the water’s edge. It was unbearably hot. I had already coated myself in sunscreen and was wearing a large straw hat. But the sun was pulling water from me faster than a shop vac on high. At that moment I realized I could have been on the bank of a lake in north Georgia and it would both look and feel about the same.
Coming up short
It ended up being a fruitless day. I think it was too hot even for the fish. Fish were clearly visible in the water. I even pulled a few shrimp across a fish bed that I could see both male and females guarding. As the smelly shrimp came across their nesting bed, they seemed more irritated than interested. I sat in the insane heat and watched the two fish run off smaller fish and keep their bed clean.
Some wildlife
At one point a giant hornet buzzed my head and lighted in the water nearby. Maybe 5 feet from me, it was a very large hornet, but I had no intention of getting a closer look. I do know that Giant Asian hornets are indigenous to Vietnam, but so are several other rather large species. I may never know. Though I did ask what species, apparently it did not speak English.
I even had a rather large skink looking lizard come by. It would come to pass that a few wildlife photos would be the only catching I did that day. But that was ok. I have a brand new set of fishing gear and time on my hands. This would not be the last time I hit the water. I was particularly eyeing the An Lao river. We would be headed there in a few months for Lunar New Year. A little mountain fishing magic was definitely in the cards.
A little lunch and a sunset
We piddled around the lake for a few hours before, after running out of water, admitting defeat and heading home. Trung’s wife Thu and their oldest son had brought in boxes of rice, and we sat in the shop on the ground floor and enjoyed a delicious lunch.
Later that day as the sun was beginning to retreat, Trung and I set out in hopes of a cooler afternoon catch. We decided to try the river and headed towards Thuan Phuoc bridge for a different approach. We eventually came to the edge of the river under the bridge. A massive wall sits here to prevent the river and sea from encroaching on the low lying areas near the mouth of the Han river.
A beautiful late afternoon
Clouds were languidly drifting in as the sun was dropping. Creating a beautifully chromatic scene. A rustic ladder constructed of driftwood laid against the outer edge of the sea wall. We climbed up the ladder and took a look at our fishing prospects. The sea was at high tide, and the river was so high that the small patch of sand usually between the river and wall was gone. Appearing to be several feet below the surface. There really wasn’t a good place to set up for some simple fishing. But the view was incredible, so we sat and took in the view.
The Flower Excursion
With new business comes the desire to decorate, at least it does if you’re my wife. I often get these questions that are really more statement at random times. “Do you want to go to the flower shop to get a few decorations?” Diem might ask. Though it really means we are going to the flower shop today. Which is always fine with me. I enjoy these little side adventures. Even something as seemingly mundane as buying a table can become more like a quest out of a fantasy novel. Delving deep into the back streets of some wood guilds corner of the city in search of the scribes mystic table of fortune.
A city forest maze of plastic
It would appear searching for fake flowers would be just as wild of an adventure. We headed towards the merchant section of Da Nang, and pulled off at the entrance of an alley. As with most things in Da Nang looks are often deceiving. I followed Diem into the edge of a fake forested labyrinth. How Diem even knew where this place was amazes me. I couldn’t independently confirm its existence on Google maps. Apart from living in Da Nang for over a decade, there didn’t seem to be any other reasoning of her knowledge of the labyrinth like plastic forest, deep in a back alley of Da Nang.
At first I stayed on the motorbike. Diem eventually popped her head around a green corner with hanging flowers and motioned me to follow. It was Alice in Wonderland gone rogue. Room after room snaked down the alley. Each filled with the meticulously crafted plants and trees of the resident master faux horticulturist. Using real wood for his trees and bonsai. The front part of the shop contained a curing, varnishing and drying area for the wood pieces awaiting future creations. With every corner being utilized, massive trees were hanging upside down from the ceiling. Part display space, part storage.
A dizzying aray of flowers and plants
His products were beyond impressive. Lemon, cherimoya, papaya and blooming cherry trees. Plumeria, hibiscus, bird of paradise, and countless varieties of roses. Heliconia Rostrata, orchidaceae, hippeastrum, and countless strands of Hawaiian pikake or jasmine. I found the master craftsman next to a fish tank with what looked like a rather large and very bored carp. The craftsman was listening to Beethoven and working on a series of small star fruit bonsai. I sat for a time and admired his work. I found the twisted branches and small trees being processed intriguing.
The skill and art with which artificial trees and plants are produced in the region is pretty phenomenal. There are colorful plants everywhere in Southeast Asia, sometimes you have to get really close to realize their artificiality. I once gawked at a beautiful mango tree in Chiang Mai Thailand last year. With gorgeous fruit hanging, just waiting to be plucked and devoured. It stood in the middle of the city. I couldn’t believe that not a single person was attempting to harvest the large beautifully colored ripe fruit. Until I walked across the street and got a closer look. The entire tree was artificial.
Dinner with Friends
Occasionally Diem and I will, off script, take the girls out for dinner with friends. One particular night we went out for pork skewers and grilled mackerel. It was a wet Autumn night, as most are, and we donned our poncho’s and headed south towards a neighborhood Diem and I used to live in. We arrived at Quán Cá Nục 2 just as the rain began to build. Our friends had not yet arrived, but I was hungry. Friends of ours owned the restaurant as well and they brought us a few pork skewers to munch on while we waited.
The restaurant sits as an extension to their home, and the grandmother of the house was running the grill in her pajamas. I always love the part of the home, family feel you get when eating in a family restaurant. Darkness had just fallen so we were a little early for dinner. As we waited, and I munched on skewer wraps, the restaurant began to fill up and our friends arrived. I was the only husband in tow, which is fine, I can’t speak fluently enough to be overwhelmed by the gossip that undoubtedly flies around the table. Instead I spent my time eating and keeping an eye on the kids.
Something sweet
After a few mackerel, many skewers and a glass bottled Pepsi or 3, everyone agreed to hit the bakery. Not far from Quán Cá Nục 2 is a very popular, very modern bakery known as Bakery ABC. I have learned in my travels that anywhere the French once ruled, the baked goods will be off the charts. I must say Vietnam takes it to an entirely different level. The skill and unique approach Vietnam bakers bring to the baker’s table produce some wild and wonderfully different desserts.
For my birthday back on the 27th of October Diem and the girls bought me one of the most unique, amazing, delicious cakes I’ve ever had. It was so unique that it was really hard to put into words. My wife knows me very well and knows that I love all things duck. So I was elated, surprised, and absolutely speechless when she presented me with a duck cake. It wasn’t that it was shaped like a duck, it was made from duck.
It didn’t quack like a duck, but….
The cake had a slightly sweet layer of duck egg pastry cream between two layers of duck fat sponge cake. topped with white chocolate, salted duck eggs, and sweet duck floss. For those that are unfamiliar, a floss in meat terms is essentially jerky that is shredded and fluffed out until it resembles cotton. It almost melts in the mouth. It was a masterpiece. And it made it more special that Diem knew It would blow me away. It was the coolest, most “me” cake anyone has ever had prepared for me. But I digress.
Bakery ABC flat tire
As I drove down the side street quickly filling with water in the current downpour, Bakery ABC was within sight as our tire blew out. The motorbike started sliding sideways on the now slick flat rubber skid. I wasn’t going fast enough to lose control, but a flat tire in the pouring rain, after dark is always a problem. The tire was brand new, maybe by 3 weeks at the most, and I knew it was either a total loss or something not too serious. I grabbed up Xu and we limped our way across the intersection and parked the motorbike at the front door.
We made our way in and Su, Xu and the other children in our group swarmed the dessert case. It was a beautiful assortment of single, handcrafted portions of various traditional, cheese, and even Halloween themed cakes. I sat back observing the children drooling over the sweet confection treats, and then found myself realizing I was doing the same. I grabbed a slice of a decadent strawberry cheesecake, gathered the girl’s orders and headed towards the counter past the gelato, wait did I say gelato. It was still kind of my birthday biweekly celebration thingy or something. Then magically a healthy scoop of coconut gelato found my strawberry cheesecake.
An easy repair
As we all sat enjoying our desserts, Diem called a company with a mobile tire unit. Which means a motorbike with a tool box and equipment to repair tires. I was skeptical as I usually am, I so often underestimate what can be accomplished off the back of a motorbike. Everything here is done off of the back of a motorbike. Even the power company sends lineman out on motorbikes. They have special ladders that break down to the size of a folding chair, and if they need something they don’t have another motorbike will undoubtedly show up with what is needed.
As we finished eating Diem left to meet the repairman outside. She texted me moments later and asked that I stay inside. She was trying to avoid that foreigner tax that tends to get tacked onto everything negotiable here. The tire was fine. The pressure and deep water just caused the seal to pop and the tire no longer could hold pressure. He fixed it up in about 5 minutes, re inflated the tire, charged us $4 equivalent and we were on our way.
Shop Number 2
We spent quite a bit of time in September looking for a second location to open another shop. More interested in finding something more modern and in an expat area. We found what seemed to be a perfect spot. And not far from our old apartment. Only a couple of blocks from the beach. It was a great location in a modern building and for the right price.
It felt very much like a victory. Upgrading after only a few months of the first shop opening. Full kitchen in the back, plenty of room, a nice spot for a corner desk, it was perfect. We spent about a week getting the shop exactly how Diem wanted it. The shop is on a street that seems to have a very Spanish theme to it. We are on the ground floor of the Casa Mia apartment building. Restaurant Mia sits at the corner, of course there are ruins of an old restaurant called Mi Casa Su Casa a few doors down.
Señorita’s is born
In light of the heavy Spanish influences in the area we settled on the name Señorita’s hair salon. I thought it was brilliant, even if highly ordinary back home. I don’t know that I ‘ve ever seen Diem so over the moon. Especially when her mother came to visit. For two days my mother in law had a mani-pedi, haircut, several styling sessions and deep scalp massage and shampoo. You could tell Diem was very proud of what she has accomplished. I was proud of her too.
As the Señorita’s opened for business, the Typhoon train began to visit Da Nang on a very regular schedule. For six weeks it was once a week. The city enforced several curfew days, and the ability to open the shop became sporadic and difficult. Just as we seemed to get momentum in business, the alarms would sound, and it was time to close for a day or two. And so it went from mid September to the end of October.
Mom comes to visit
As November dawned so did the prospect of good weather. The professionals were saying there was just no energy left to support a storm. They must have been right. As the last few days of October and first week of November brought the first sunny days in months. Some incredibly beautiful weather. Upper 70’s during the day, maybe flirt with the 80’s, partly cloudy, lower 70’s at night. A magical kind of weather. With this beautiful weather also came a visitor.
With the storms in our rearview, and the future looking like some consistently good weather, my mother in law Khe decided to come for a visit. It had been since Diem and I had been booted out of An Lao back in May that she had seen her mother. She was incredibly excited and couldn’t wait for mom to come to Señorita’s and get pampered.
The arrival
Mom Khe arrived on Halloween night. My brother in law Kevin, who had been visiting home, escorted mom from An Lao. They arrived just before dark, and as always bearing gifts. Fresh rice from the recent harvest, bananas still green from the tree, a cooler of freshly slaughtered chicken and pork. I was just as giddy as Diem, only mine was due to the chunks of newly slaughtered pork belly.
The full moon was rising as night fell, and I rode over to the beach to try and get a few good shots of the Halloween blue moon. I headed home ahead of the girls to prepare dinner. Diem, her mother and the girls stayed at the shop for a while before taking a taxi home. The girls were incredibly excited to see grandmother, as any kid would be, and it was a difficult time getting the girls to bed at a decent hour. Good thing it was Saturday.
Coffee and a Taxi
The following morning we headed down to the coffee shop in the lobby to enjoy a little coffee. It was such a beautiful morning we sat at a table outside. I had a cup of deliciously robust espresso while Diem and her mother enjoyed a few of Vietnam’s famous iced coffees. Given the number of us today our motorbike was out of the question. My brother in law Kevin drove our motorbike to the shop and Diem, Mom, the girls and I took a taxi.
It is incredibly strange to see the girls react to riding in cars. It is not a common occurrence, and I can’t remember the last time we rode in one. Probably when we were last out of town or something to that effect. Su began to complain before the taxi arrived. She had no intention of riding in a car if she could help it, but she couldn’t. With homes seldom shut, and car rides a rarity, there is this perception that the air inside closed spaces is in some way unhealthy. I always chuckle when we do ride in cars as the girls always either want a mask on or they cover their noses. In some kind of strange belief that it may somehow prevent the inhalation of toxic air.
A little pampering
Diem and Kevin took the next couple of days to really pamper momma Khe. Shampoos, cut, styling, pedicures, manicures, and just an overall special treatment. The weather continued to maintain a beautiful climate, and in the afternoons I would ride home early to prepare dinner for the family. It was a very special few days, and everyone really enjoyed having our special visitor.
Dinners were sometimes a bit odd. My mother in law is a devout practicing Buddhist, and there were several days while she was visiting that she had to stick to a vegetarian diet. I always had to get clarification on what was acceptable to prepare and what was not. I am learning much about the religion of my wife’s family, and it is a very big part of Southeast Asian culture in general. But I can not pretend to know a great deal about it. I have studied some of the aspects of Buddhism particularly for some articles I did while in Thailand. Even then the regional variations make it not always transferable.
Mom Khe prepares to return to An Lao
We had a wonderful few days with mom, but the time was coming to an end. In a couple of months it would be time to prepare to make our pilgrimage home. The entire family would be making the pilgrimage home. I couldn’t wait to load the transport and head down that dusty mountain road to that magical land of my wife’s birth. But it is not our time just yet. We loaded mom’s luggage and made our way to the shop.
My man Trieu Vi, the man who has driven the transport from An Lao to Da Nang every day for decades, would be arriving from An Lao around 11. Trieu Vi and his driving partner would arrive as usual, unload their passengers and goods, reload, and head back to An Lao. It takes them the better part of 12 hours to complete the circuit. Apart from a few national holidays each year. They run the route every day and have done so since Diem first came out of An Lao to go to university in Da Nang many years ago.
Knockoff transformers
We always have to send a few toys to An Lao for our nephew Duong. The rambunctious, curious, into everything little boy that is Diem’s only sister’s only child. The last time we were in An Lao it was Duong’s birthday and we had a pretty awesome time. Today we would head to a street side toy shop to see what kind of trademark infringed, copyright law breaking toys we could find to send to An Lao.
I just love going into these toy stores and checking out the merchandise. Some are so good, that it is pretty obvious they are manufactured in factories that produce the legitimate toys. Probably between orders with only slightly tweaked box artwork. Lego sets seem to be the biggest culprit, but transformers are pretty infringed on as well. An identical Jurassic Park Lego set, only it says dinosaur park and is half the price. Or a transformer modeled very similar to Optimus Prime, complete with his trademark red and blue paint scheme. Only this version is, and I will show you the picture to prove it, a Deformer. Oh, when translations go horribly, horribly wrong. The long name is Deformation synthesis robot.
Loading the transport
After Diem and I found a toy for Duong, we made our way to the rendezvous point to meet Trieu Vi and make sure mom got on the road safely. We waited at the little market in the southern district of Da Nang while waiting for Trieu Vi. I enjoyed a Pepsi and we sat at a small table with momma Khe. As is typical Trieu Vi showed around his scheduled time. There are many things that can slow ones decent out of the highlands. Herds of cattle, road construction, congested towns, one just never knows.
There was much more product heading to An Lao this trip. Making this particular day more shipping than people moving. I sat in awe as Trieu and his first mate loaded everything from coolers with raw fish to an entire grill / food cart into the transport. As is always the case every crack and crevice will be filled by the time they make the turn off of National Highway 1 and head into the mountains. We said our goodbyes and Trieu, with mom in tow, pulled out of the market and disappeared into the streets of Da Nang.
Sunday worship
One thing that Diem and I always try to do is make it to Sunday services in Da Nang. Like much of the world, we have had to worship online for much of 2020, but have also been fortunate to be in a place that has had little disruption from Covid comparatively speaking. So we always enjoy visiting our community church known as DIF. Da Nang International Fellowship. It is a wonderful community. Made up of every demographic imaginable. Vietnamese, South African, Nigerian, Korean, Australian, British, Canadian, and more.
It is really a unique experience to attend church with such a cross section of peoples. The church community celebrates many international holidays, which is additionally a special, and fun experience. We are holding a Thanksgiving luncheon on Thanksgiving day, I have committed to mac & cheese. I am looking forward very much to enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. In addition we enjoy regular lunches and outings with our church community as well. It has been a particularly helpful group to be a part of in this difficult and uncertain year.
Sunday evening excursions
School is a rather intense experience as I’ve already stated, and the girls often have something school related going on 7 days a week. When school is in session there isn’t much free time available. There are often classes on Saturday and in many weeks Sunday as well. With not an incredible amount of free time, at least once a week we like to take the girls out. Whether it’s to the beach, which hasn’t been an option much lately, or to get something special for dinner.
One particular Sunday Su’s friend was having a birthday coming up and she wanted to get her a present. We walked across the street from our apartment and bought her a present. Complete with wrapping service. Su had written the card for the present, and the gentlemen behind the counter carefully put the whole package together. We dropped the packages back off at home and loaded the motorbike for a dinner trip to the local mall, VinCom plaza.
Sunday at the mall
Sundays in Da Nang are one of the busiest days out in the city. The roads are filled, stores and malls are overflowing with patrons. The girls absolutely love southern fried chicken, and I knew before we even arrived at the mall that we were eating fried chicken. The parking deck at the mall was full, so we had to park on the sidewalk out front. The mall had set up a booth and a few gentlemen to make a makeshift motorbike lot. We received a ticket for our bike and made our way inside.
When we go out Diem always makes sure her and the girls are in dresses. Not my idea, but It definitely speaks to the conservative lean of Vietnamese society in general. We made our way in and climbed the many escalators to the top floor. The top floor houses a food court as well as the ice skating rink. Particularly every kids favorite, Jollibee. Jollibee is one of those interesting international takes on American fast food. A Phillipino restaurant chain that has infiltrated most of Asia, and opened its first store in the US in Daly city, California in 1998. I had not heard of the chain until I first experienced them in Vietnam.
Jollibee
Though Jollibee offers hamburgers and other classic fast food fare, they only offer fried chicken at their Vietnamese locations. Which is pretty common for many fast food chains I came across a Burger King in Da Nang International Airport that also sold fried chicken. but I digress. We made our way to Jollibee, and it was in its usual state. Packed beyond any sensible fire code. A family was just getting up from a table, and Diem and the girls grabbed it while I went to place our order.
Since Covid, the restaurant has installed clear plastic walls between the registers and customers. Given the den of the crowd and the masks being worn by the employees, it made it very difficult to order. I could neither hear her or read her lips so it took a minute to express my desires for dinner. Eventually we understood each other and a tray with three Pepsi’s and a number sign slid through a small window in the bottom of the wall at counter level. A window that moments earlier contained my head whilst trying to make my order understood.
JFC
I always think it’s funny that Jollibee is often referred to as JFC and not for Jollibee fried chicken. Jollibee Foods Corporation. Of course on this side of the world KFC can either mean Korean fried chicken, or Kentucky fried chicken. Given the heavy American influence in Korea over the years, an entire fried chicken culture unique to Korea has developed. After a few minutes, the attendant brought our meal. I ordered the family meal for 179k, which comes out to about $8 US.
Three pieces of regular fried chicken, two fries, and a piece of essentially Korean fried chicken. A piece of fried chicken rolled in an insanely hot Korean gochujang chili sauce. Oh, and a plate of what I can only assume is meant to be spaghetti. We enjoyed our chicken, mine with multiple paper towels as the sweat was copious. No one touched the spaghetti so I gave it a whirl, and that is exactly all it got, a whirl. I have tried spaghetti many times in Asia, it is an incredibly insane attempt at recreating the classic Italian dish. More closely resembling the flavor of a sweeter chef boyardee spaghetti with slices of Vienna Sausage and red food coloring. Not at all appetizing.
The average evening
After dinner we investigated some of the new VinFast vehicles on display in the showroom section of the mall. Having my eye more on the electric motorbike than the cars. I’m very impressed with Vietnam’s recent push in EV vehicles and their new fleet of automobiles. So impressed that I will not be surprised to see a car with a V on its front bumper in the streets of the US soon. After checking out the vehicles we collected our motorbike and made our way home.
Most days we are in the apartment by 8:30 or 9. We usually make a very modest dinner, a seared piece of meat, some vegetables, maybe some sort of soup, rice, or noodles. The sun rises incredibly early here, and we usually have to get the girls off to school by 6:30. I do my best to be asleep by 10, though it doesn’t always happen. It is a simple life. One I have grown to love and enjoy a great deal.
Continuing on….
I have for a few months now gotten the itch to get in the air or on the road. But with a newly established business and the Covid complications to travel we are confined to Da Nang for now. Which is fine, it is as I said, a peaceful and simple life. I am looking forward a great deal to visiting Diem’s ancestral home for Lunar New year. It is always a time of celebration and incredible joy. That will be the next big event on the horizon. Until then we will continue on day to day.
Here the world is always filled with little adventures even if the big ones are on hold. Mostly I want winter to arrive so the rainy season will begin to taper off. I Have never in my lifetime seen so much rain. It just never stops. As I am finishing up this post we are winding down from Etau, and Vamco is right behind. Vamco will be the 9th or 10th named storm to hit central Vietnam since mid September. I lost count, I have developed what they call in this part of the world Typhoon fatigue. To give you an idea of how much it has rained this year, between October 6th and 13th alone, Da Nang recorded 47.24 inches of rain. And that was before our biggest storms hit.
A fun quote
“The good thing about Vietnam is there was always someplace to go. And there was always something to do. One day it started raining, and it didn’t quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain, and big ol’ fat rain, rain that flew in sideways, and sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night.”
-Forest Gump
It feels like goodbye
So in closing I hope you have enjoyed exploring the day to day life that is for us, Vietnam. Bright, wet, adventurous, delicious, and almost always unexpected. I’m going to switch gears here and redirect some of the web development towards something the Constant Epicurean was originally meant to be. With a head and note pad full of recipes and ideas collected from years of operating restaurants and traveling the world, I’m going to finally begin the process of compiling recipes to share.
It has been a long time coming, but a recipe database was always part of the plan. So if you have ever had the desire to try one of the dishes you may have seen here over the years, there is a good chance you may soon have the means, or at least the recipe, to try and recreate it. This isn’t the end of the Constant Epicurean’s journey, only the beginning of a new adventure. I feel very blessed to have been able, even during a global pandemic, to find myself still able to travel, explore, and write about it. It seems strange as I put these last touches of thought to type. It almost feels like goodbye. The journey never truly ends and an adventure is always beginning. So I guess what I really mean to say is, I’ll see you next time.
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Click Here for a few of our early recipes. Check back often for updates.
