HAD STORYBOOK

1. Saint Joseph Cathedral- Street Food- Cong Ca Phe

Vespa history in Vietnam

The Vespas came to Vietnam with the French, who occupied the country until 1954. When the French
left, their Vespas stayed. After the Vietnam War, Vespas became very rare due to economic isolation
and borders that were closed to foreign imports. In 1990, when the borders opened back up, many
brand new Vespas got into the country. Many of the old Vespas from the “Golden Era” were salvaged
and have survived until today!

Saint Joseph’s Cathedral

In 1882, after the French army conquered Hanoi, they have made out a series of temples not only in

Hanoi but the whole Vietnam to replace it with the church. The cathedral was constructed and

completed in 1886. The cathedral and Nha Chung area were built on the land formerly belonging to

Bao Thien pagoda, an important pagoda which was built under Ly dynasty (1009-1225). The

architecture with domes of the cathedral follows the Gothic style and design of Notre Dame Cathedral

in Paris (France) .

In addition, around the architecture, there is a communication of Christian believers along Nha Tho

Street and Nha Chung Street. On important holidays, it is a meeting place of parishioners, especially

Christmas night. With sanctuary space in the shadow of the bell tower and magnificent landscapes

near Sword Lake​.

Catholics during communist win

Under the 1954 Geneva Accords, the Vietnamese were explicitly given 300 days to freely migrate

between the Communist north and the non-Communist south, ending on May 18, 1955. 1,000,000

North Vietnamese, mostly Catholic, moved south of the Accords-mandated ceasefire line... At the

same time, 52,000 people from the South went North. Communist fighters were urged to remain in the

South in case the election did not go their way (1954 Geneva Conference article). South Vietnamese

leader Diem never saw it coming:

Despite claiming that his northern compatriots had been "enslaved," Diem expected no more than

10,000 refugees.
Can Catholics practice after communist win? ​why communist didn’t demolish it.

In 1955 approximately 600,000 Catholics remained in the North. That year the ​Liaison Committee

of Patriotic and Peace-Loving Catholics was set up in the North by the communist regime in an

attempt to win over those Catholics who had chosen to remain (but were slower than non-Catholics to

embrace the regime) and to ​"reintegrate" them into northern society​. The church was allowed to

retain its link with the Vatican, although all foreign priests had either fled south or been expelled, and

normal church activities were permitted to continue, albeit in the shadow of a campaign of

harassment. The appearance of normalcy was misleading, however. The church was stripped of its

traditional autonomy in running schools, hospitals, and orphanages. Its traditional right to own

property was abolished, and priests and nuns were required to devote part of their time to productive

labor in agriculture. Nevertheless, officials claimed that Catholics had complete freedom of worship as

long as they did not question the principle of collective socialism, spurn manual labor, or jeopardize

the internal and external security of the state.

Snack description

Introduce the snack as local street food, it’s a grilled pork served on banana leaf,
something very typical in Hanoi for those who want to get full quickly at a reasonable
price.The sauce is made by

TG Route:
2. Ray Quan - Train Tracks

The railway built by the French in 1889 is owned by the stated-owned

Vietnam Railway. The “railroad” neighborhood was previously a block of fourth-class
houses for railway workers. Nowadays, in order to provide accommodation for a
multi-generational home, each dwelling was expanded with every space exploited to
the fullest. The corridor is used for clothes hanging, cooking, parking, bonsai or
organic vegetables planting. At the same time, residents deploy the railway itself as
a place to dry numerous stuffs, from chicken’s food to scrap. People carry their stuffs
back into the houses if they see a train coming. However, this just happens
maximum twice in daytime so their daily work is not really affected.
The children, being used to the sound of hooters and the running trains, may
recognize them even before adults. As time passes by, the inhabitants spend a
peaceful life along the way. Some left their huts for rent with rather cheap prices. The
railroad neighborhood is an ideal place for workers, students, and especially scrap
dealers to accommodate because of cheaper costs, only 40-50 USD/month for a tiny
hut alongside the train track compared to their approximately 150 USD of average
train worker wage. Although the train pases by ofently but the daily life of the people
of this neighborhood maintain normally.
There are lots of small places that serve meals for the low wage workers
besides the train track that run through Phung Hung Str. Firewood stove is used very
popularly in the neighborhood railroad because of being cheaper and more
convenient to carry when trains arrive. In many locations, people make the
temporary wooden stairs from the corridor to the railway, before he could enter the
house. No safety fence between the house and the railway, people here always
remember the train schedule. During the day, the train density less than the evening
and night, so people feel more comfortable to live. When talking to Mr. Nguyen Duc
Thanh living here over 30 years, he said: "In the afternoon, when people are back
from work, railway track like a living community where people share about their day
work"

Introduction to the next stop: Next stop would be one of the signature dishes in
Hanoi, well know after a famous president tasted and delicious local food that it’s a

must in Hanoi.
Buffalo story:
- This is a very special type of buffalo which is an exclusive food of the Thai

people- a Vietnamese ethnic minority. In Vietnam we have 54 ethnic groups in

total. Each ethnic group has a different culture. Most of them live up-north in
mountain area for example Sapa. 95% of Vietnamese population is the Kinh

people.
- You know why they have this special buffalo? Usually they raise buffalos to

draw plough on the farms and when the buffalo get old and cannot do the job
anymore, they will kill it for meat. But they cannot eat all in one time. That’s

why they came up with this idea. First they mix the meat with some kind of

spices such as chilli, pepper, ginger, salt,.. and then hang the meat over a
smoking-shelf for nearly a year until it turns black and become dry. By doing

so, the meat will be stored for longer and be eaten for many times.
- When the food’s ready, they will take it down and may cook it or grill it. This

buffalo meat has a special smell because of the smoke. The outside looks dry
and dark but it’s still red and fresh inside.

- Now, the most popular way to eat this is to tear it into small fibres and eat with

chilli sauce or mustard. It’s very interesting to try this delicious dish along with
some scented wine in a cold day of Hanoi and wait for the train to come.

Some people will not get used to it at first but when they try it they will
definitely love it and will eat again.

Rice wine description (Green Mango, Pink Lemon and Artichoke)

Rice wine is the preferred alcohol for most Vietnamese people, made by fermented

rice, it was another example of Chinese and Japanese influence. Traditionally rice
wine was the only alcoholic drink available. Nowadays, western drinks like beer or

red wine can only be found in the main cities, leaving rural areas keep the tradition of
rice wine makers and drinkers.
3. Bun Cha​ (Few interesting facts)
- Bun Cha is one of the signature dishes in Ha noi, it was first described in 1959

by the Vietnamese writer Vu Bang.

- The first restaurant were open in Old Quarter.

- Bun Cha main ingredients:

- Cha (Fatty pork): Meatball (Thit Vien), Grilled pork (Thit Mieng)
- Bun (noodle or vermicelli)

- Fish sauce (nuoc cham)

- Fresh Herbs

* Show picture provided of one of the first bun cha place

Arranged on the table are individual plates and bowls containing the the

remaining ingredients to add your own finishing touches as though the

process of customising and eating bun cha is ritual like. Vermicelli rice
noodles are in a separate bowl and on an oversized plate is a medley of

lettuce leaves, perilla leaves (also known as Tiet To), coriander and mint.
These herbs are not meant to serve as a garnish and should be used liberally.

They are central to adding freshness and some zing to the dish possibly
somewhat of a psychological excuse in convincing oneself that something

healthy is offsetting the fattiness of the grilled pork.

Personal stories with Bun Cha

Introduction to the next stop: Next stop would be one of the signature dishes of

Hanoi. An area well known for this dish and hidden gem that few tourist visit.

Drive through:
- Flag Tower (Cột cờ Hà Nội)
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Spot to take pictures- drivers will drive in two lines)

- Vietnamese Parlament
4. Pho Cuon in Ngu Xa

Origin: a group of late night revellers arrived at her restaurant and she realised she

had run out of broth. The men didn’t want to move on so she suggested she would
use the square slices of uncut pho and make some rolls with the leftovers.

Part of the Pho Cuon:

- silky white sheets of ‘pho’ (uncut noodles) wrapped around fried beef, lettuce,

coriander and dunked in nuoc cham (fish sauce with green papaya slices, rice
vinegar, garlic and chilli)

Another signature dish in Ngu Xa area is Pho ran trung (Also offered on Pho Cuon)

Introduction to the next stop​: Next stop would be one of the local music scene hidden
gem, a combination of local sounds with French and American rhythm. A place

where you can try the most sophisticated drinks in Hanoi.

Drive through​: Hang Dau Water Tank

Old City Gate​ (Stop for a picture, quick explanation)

Quan Chuong Gate, the only remaining gate of the city’s once-formidable

fortifications.
The Quan Chuong city gate is the only gate remaining of Thang Long (Dragon Fly) citadel. under

the king Le Thai Tong (1740-1786), the Thang Long citadel had a lot of gates: Cau Giay gate,

Cho Dua gate, Cau Den gate and Quan Chuong gate. Each gate was opened in day and closed
at night and had fences, watched to avoid burglar and fire.

Built from 1749 to 1817, Quan Chuong city Gate, also known as Dong Ha gate ( the East gate of
Dong Ha) located in the East of Thang Long citadel. To remember the sacrifice of the army
header and Nguyen troops, fighting against French invaders so the gate has been called The
Quan Chuong city gate.
The Quan Chuong city gate consists of two floors and was built in gazebo style – a characterized
architectural style under Nguyen Dynasty; the first floor has three doors, main door is in the
middle, high and 3m wide, two side doors on either side, approximately 1.65 m wide, 2.5 m high.
A special feature is all 3 doors in arch shapes; 2nd floor has 4- roof gazebo, rail surrounding,
decorated with hexagon shapes, triangle shapes, flower shapes.

Between the roof of main gate and the gazebo is a rectangular frame, nearly 1m high, 3m wide,
there are three Chinese characters embossed “Dong Ha Mon”. The left side wall is mounted a
stone tablet by the General Hoang Dieu in 1881 to ban the guardian not harass people every
time they go through the gate.

Meaning of number 5 which is sacred number:

- There’re 5 basic element created the world: fire, earth, water, wood and
metal.

- There’re 5 virtues a gentleman must have: righteousness, civility, knowledge,

humanity and loyalty.

- There’re 5 basic relationship in society: king and subject, father and son,
husband and wife, brother and friends.

5. Binh Minh Jazz Club

Introduction of Opera House (5min)

Hanoi Opera House was built by Frenchs during French occupation. It took ten years

from 1901 to 1911 to built and cost about 2 mil Franc. It was built on a Square which

used to be the richest area of Hanoi for shopping, luxurious hotel, banks or stock

exchange. About the design, It is 87m long, 34m high and 30m wide. Its design is

very similar to Ganier Opera House in Paris. When it was newly opened, It was an
entertainment place to serve high-class French authorities and a minority of rich

Vietnamese. It was used for holding Music concert, Opera concert, Drama, etc…
Now it is still being used, you can see banners of the shows coming out in front of it.

And the tickets are still for Hanoian high class.

Jazz history in VN

● French Influence
During French Indochina occupation, French governors tried to get local

people used to French music. On early 30’s French Jazz scene were

influenced by French Caribbean. It was the first contact of Vietnamese

citizens with this kind of music.

● American influence 50’s

Orchestra Society (3 concerts)

Propaganda only in Vietnamese

Ngon Luan local newspaper reported that “Jazz music, which is commonly

considered to be noisy music, reflects the american animated, enthusiastic, and free
way of life” on Teagarden sextet (American Group) concert. (Explain the difference

between the modern american society and the traditional vietnamese lifestyle).

The U.S Embassy characterized the project as “principally an educational one”

Nowadays, Vietnamese musicians try to combine traditional vietnamese sound with

foreign influence from those periods.

The story of the owner of Binh Minh Jazz Club

Excellent artist Quyen Van Minh is known as the first Vietnamese saxophonist. Throughout
40 years of working with the saxophone, Quyen Van Minh has participated in many national
and international concerts. With passion and burning passion for jazz, Quyen Van Minh has
made great contributions to the development of jazz in Vietnam and brought jazz closer to the
audiences.

The photo in our storybook was taken long time ago – around 70s by the Vietnam News
Agency. In the photo showed his musical family: his parents, his brothers, his sister and him -
the one who is playing saxophone. Minh’s father was a guitarist and saxophonist and his
mother was a singer with good alto voice.

When he was small, his family was not eligible for regular study at the Hanoi Conservatory
of Music (National Academy of Music today), but Quyen Van Minh did not get discouraged.
The first time Minh listened to jazz was on the American radio and BBC more than 40 years
ago, he felt in love with this type of music immediately. He began to teach himself jazz
saxophone. He even listened to the music and recorded them to study. Although at that time it
was so difficult for him: lack of materials, rare information, no supporting. And even many
neighbors at that time told the police so they came to his house to catch him. Because they
accused him for playing American music! Then he had to use the CDs of Jazz from Russia
and Hungary instead. At that time, the government kept culture under strict control. The
relationship between Vietnamese and American was so serious.

When we asked him about what the most important thing that helped him to get over such
difficulties in this part of his life, then he answered “It’s my mom. She is the woman behind
and supported me for the whole of my career”.

Minh knows about a lot kind of music at that time. But he realized that Jazz is the most
special one for him – the strong music from the black class of America. In 1975, Vietnam
became independent but until 1986 that Jazz music was developed again and Minh was the
first one to bring Jazz music to the Vietnamese audience in 1988. He became the first jazz
instructor at the Hanoi Conservator and the one who started the Saxophone Department.

Minh felt the need to create his own style as a Vietnamese saxophonist and composer and
started experimenting mixing traditional Vietnamese themes with jazz. This was over 10
years ago. Since then, he played with an ordinary jazz combo an original style of jazz which
is close to the Vietnamese heart and exotic as well as familiar to foreign listeners.

He said with his bright eyes: “Now I can say I have fulfilled the wish of my life already”.
Minh performs nearly every night at his Jazz club with his students who are to become the
next generation of jazz musicians in Vietnam. Binh Minh Jazz club only open 2 hours a day
from 9pm to 11pm.