Hanoi and her sense of community

I love Hanoi. The place is bursting with crazy energy-- the motorcycles whizzing by from all directions and made-up locals with somewhere to go.

 

Home of the pho and vermicelli, the restaurants are usually full and busy. Locals loving their own food. A Vietnamese friend from Hanoi, Zi, proudly says that their cuisine is rarely oily (lucky girl!). 

Get into those hole-in-the-wall restos, but also try out food from the vendors plying the streets. (For what you can eat around Hanoi, check out this previous post.)

In the old quarters, you'll see many examples of French architecture that's able to maintain their charm even in their less-than-ideal state (check out the details: the iron grills, the art nouveau windows, the bold and pretty colors). Also, the place is teeming with cute boutiques that pop out of the most unassuming side streets...

Lira, who's responsible for half the photos in this page

But the thing that I loved most about Hanoi is her sense of community (yes, she's female!). Say what you may about its craziness (disclaimer: I find crazy streets exciting, but I know it's not for everyone) and rude drivers, but Hanoi's got that "buzz" -- of family, kinship, familiarity. We walked around the Lenin Park - Literature Temple area and found these: parks full of families and neighbors playing sports together, old uncles and granddads hanging out playing cards, and an old married couple walking hand in hand (cue in "awww").

I love places that are abuzz with that homey feeling.  

Water Puppet Theater in Hanoi

Bursts of happy in a mask stall outside the theater

Water puppets on parade

Puppeteers/actors take to the water stage, giving their bows for the night

Ensemble + the Puppeteers and dragon

Uncle Ho at the Fine Arts Museum (Hanoi)

If classical Philippine visual arts in the 19th century was shaped by the Spanish (think Juan Luna, Felix Resurrection Hidalgo and even Fernando Amorsolo), modern Vietnamese art (also dating from the 19th century onwards) have been largely influenced by the French, who put up the École Supérieure des Beaux Arts de l’Indochine (Indochina College of Arts) in the 20th century to teach European methods to the local Vietnamese. 

As with most colonial society, Vietnamese artists have adapted these influences and used it to enrich representations of their own culture, document history, and, more powerfully, as a tool of protest against the very same colonizers who taught them the method. 

One of the highlights of our trip to Hanoi was taking the afternoon off for the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. If you plan to take in everything, prepare to spend about 2-3 hours there, where you will find sections devoted to Buddhist sculptures, lacquer art, woodblock prints, folk arts, and the modern paintings. 

To me, the Social Realist (SR) art of Vietnam was the main attraction of that museum. These are paintings that depict their revolutionary ideals- the guerilla life, warfare and the everyday tragedies and victories of the community. 

What struck me about Vietnamese SR art is how intimate they appeared. One of my favorites of the bunch was this portrait of Uncle Ho, which shows the leader placidly smoking and sitting amidst a gorgeous Hanoi landscape painted largely in blue. What this painting highlights: the revolutionary leader's accessibility, wisdom, and calm. There's no show of outwardly strength or brute force; there is gentleness, but also strength, the kind that is internalized by the leader and the land. Most depictions of Uncle Ho follow this tradition, whether it be in paintings, photographs, or sculpture. No wonder the Vietnamese love him with so much affection to this day. 

***The Fine Arts Museum is located across the Literature Temple and is surrounded by Pho shops. A very strategic location, especially for foodies and culture-hobs.