KVT – a diary counting down the days to Hanoi’s birthday

KVT’s Diary as he enjoys exploring Hanoi in the final days counting down to Hanoi’s birthday.
You’d have to be a real curmudgeon not to be excited about the swirl of stuff that’s setting Hanoi a-twinkle and celebratory.

I love to get on my xe dap and pedal around town so that I can soak up the vibes. At night, in places like Hoan Kiem and Dien Bien Phu, a xe dap is much faster than the polluting xes and at times you can get onto the pavements and escape total asphyxiation.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
A very good exhibition of huge flowers in lushly applied oil paint by Ana Tzarev. The exhibition blurb is as wonderfully hyperbolic as the wonderfully realized canvasses of wonderfully exotic flowers. When you enter the galleries you are immediately in a fantasy botanical garden surrounded by blooms that seem to shiver and shake as if stirred by real breezes.

It’s beautifully framed and, for many, the illusion of being surrounded by such vibrant color (stained glass was one onlooker’s comment) will be an unforgettable experience. The works are mainly from 2005 and a lot are flowers uncommon to Vietnam, although if the Dalat flower farmers could get their hands on suitable species we’d have proteas and dryandra swishing along the streets in the flower vendors’ two-wheeled baskets. I didn’t take to the backgrounds in many canvasses, but, heck, that’s a small quibble amongst a lushness and palette that would gain the definite approval of Frida Khalo. TRY TO CATCH THIS ONE.

VIET ARTS CENTER
A group show by 5 good artists that really works. Many of you will be familiar with Nguyen Dinh Vu’s huge and muscular figurative creamy oil monochromes that are always visually arresting.

Nguyen Phan Bach’s voiceless figures in shades of grey are immensely powerful works.

I always get delightfully immersed in the intricate doodlings of Tran Duc Quyen.

The stars of the show for me are Nguyen The Dung’s really irrepressible bovines that are taking over the city. Le Minh Tam’s sexy text pieces work well but I’m a little ambivalent about the abstract expressionistic pieces. A SHOW TO DEFINITELY TAKE IN.

HOAN KIEM at night gets more and more frenetically magical. Myriad beams of light pulse into the dark haze overhead. Lights dance and reflect in the water and, on the two consecutive nights I’ve promenaded, music was booming from various sound sources as if we were in the middle of an early 2000’s New Years Eve dance party at Bondi Beach. Really gorgeous sensations and body tingling vibes. When the stages become operational I’ll definitely be an habitué.

BA DINH SQUARE shouldn’t be missed when the crowds throng for the ceremonial taking down of the flag at 9 every night. Get there early for a good vantage point right behind the huge flag pole (about 30 minutes before the music starts and the white clad squad marches out). Every time I see the ceremony I love it  and last night was no exception. The martial music can be really grooved to and If I knew the words I’d be singing along. If you are a curmudgeon or one of those Tay who sniff at local customs then I’d say definitely stay away from this one.

AND NOW’S THE TIME TO SEND IN YOUR INFO AND IMAGES ABOUT PLACES AND THINGS TO SEE DURING THE NEXT MONTH SO THAT WE DON’T MISS OUT. WE’LL CENSOR THE CURMUDGEON* STUFF.
Send Tips and Pix to [email protected], We will look at them all and we will post the best.
(*CURMUDGEON= bad tempered, difficult, cantankerous, full of stubborn ideas and opinions… though often necessary to have around to deflate the Pollyannas and Mary Poppins).

Related posts:

KVT day 1
KVT day 2
KVT day 3
KVT day 4
KVT day 5
KVT day 6
KVT day 7
KVT day 8
KVT day 9
KVT day 10
KVT day 11