KVT – Day 1

KVT’s Diary as he enjoys exploring Hanoi in the final days counting down to Hanoi’s birthday.

KVT says: There is so much great stuff on and so much to see in the lead up to the great day that this opinionated blogger can’t get to the lot…so if you catch an event or a memorable sight send it to [email protected] and we’ll post our favorites so that no one’s left in the dark.

COUNTDOWN just about done and here’s the last diary entry!

There’s an exciting-looking event at Maison des Arts this evening (if the traffic allows my xe-om to get there! I know I’ll be walking back due to early road closures for the BIG DAY!) I got out and about early this morning bang xe dap (bicycle) but later when I took the motor bike for a spin the roads near any interesting places were clogged to the max and all I could do was sit amidst the fumes and exchange pleasantries with other stuckees.

BOUQUETS to the crowds of locals parading on foot or motorbike around and to venues. The mobs grew immense as the week came towards its climax unfortunately no longer explosive due to premature big bangs.Their good humour, bonhomie and patience was outstanding. In many western countries there would have been a few ugly drunken incidents and public brawls, a lot of outbreaks of road rage and other assorted unpleasantries. OK, so a teeny minority of people got scammed and had their bags and pockets slit or had a drive-past grab at their over-the-shoulder carry-alls! In the few cases I heard about, the victims should have had the nouse to take precautions in crowds.

GLORIOUS is the best adjective to attach to the gallery on level 2 at Art Vietnam. Respected elder artist Nguyen Cam has his exhibition ‘Traces of Memory’ displayed over the 3 levels and, for any art lover, it’s too good to miss. It’s up for a month or so and I’ll write a more elongated opinion when I’ve had time to visit it again and ponder awhile in front of the crimsons and golds and deep, deep blacks of the Wandering Souls canvasses.

FUN FUN FUN….. and visible fun thanks to a perch on the top step of Vietcom and Sacombank ATMs on the perimeter of the State Treasury Square. Thousands of Youth Union members, university students and great gaggles of onlookers crammed together to be part of, or try to glimpse, the Youth pageant on Friday night.

The best views were obscured by the immense, raised and covered platform that seated essential comrades and distinguished guests (so I was lucky when a bevy of tea sellers invited me to share their perch that had an oblique view of the fun). Giant screens provided a more comprehensive coverage but there’s nothing like live action.

And it was amazing. The weak spots could have done with better choreography and a touch of pizzazz (especially the mardi gras segment with gorgeous girls in flamboyantly skimpy outfits, and the calisthenics routines by Youth Union groups) but as soon as you sighed, ‘oh dear’, then something wonderful came along and hit the ceiling of gorgeousness and whirl. Even the essential speeches were concluded with great outbursts of color and action. I was lucky enough to be in the middle of masses of young participants waiting their cues to rush into the performance arena and the excitement was palpable. It’s hard to have favorites but perhaps it was the hundreds of girls in white ao dai dancing with conical hats

or the massed martial arts guys or the circus bit or the whirling pagoda flags

and the dancing, weaving dragons

or

The crowd’s favorite was the growling interlude by a softer-than-usual heavy metal band.

The program started to drag on a bit too long and the crowds thinned to swell those casually parading Hoan Kiem.

Related posts:

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
KVT day 12