" Fishing" trip with English club

It was the first time that we are going out of Hanoi together. Manh and Ha kept saying that they wanted to bring us fishing, and we immediately conjured up pictures of beautiful beaches and the sea. Daniel couldn't wait to go course I think he like fishing. As for me, I just wanted to experience it. My said that she had been there a couple of time with Manh and other friends, so it seems like fishing is what the Vietnamese students do when they have free time over the weekends.

It was too bad that in the end, there were only 6 of us who could make it. The trip was going to take the whole day and some were busy. I think some could'nt make it too as it was far, close to an hour on the bike. It was so tiring to be on a motorbike for such a long journey but it was fun as we managed to cross the Long Bien bridge to the outskirts of Hanoi! I have been telling Daniel that Hanoi outside of Long Bien is a totally different place, immediately the landscape changed and there is just vast expense of rice fields! I really like the change and leave the sound of Hanoi behind.

While we past the streets, Manh picked some fruits from the trees. They were tiny red pear shaped fruits and we ate them. It was surprisingly good. But I was more surprised seeing Manh plucking fruits off trees as he passed. When we finally reached the place, Daniel and I were a little speechless, maybe even disappointed. We thought we are going to fish. Turn out that it is not really the case. There is no sea, just an artificial lake. Some wooden huts were built on the lake and we could rent some rods to try fishing. But ultimately, this is a restaurant and they would catch the fish for you if you cant fish them up yourself. Manh and Ha ordered lunch as they knew we could'nt catch any fish. I was glad we did that for the water is so peaceful and murky and I dont really think there are fishes in them.

I think this place is pretty expensive for Vietnamese students when I look at the price. However,since they have been here a couple of time, I guessed it was okay for them. But I realized that they were very cute when they ordered everything to share. Like a glass of coke for 3 people. They shared everything so that it is cheaper. Somehow, I feel that for them, food is never the priority. Having chance to spend together with friends is what they are looking for. : )

It was fun seeing how Manh bargained with the girl to give more food or to give us at a cheaper price. But of course he did not succeed, but I think he did it out of fun. It was good to sit down and just talk in the shade and look out at the garden surrounding us. There isn't fish but at least there is some scenery and of course a memory to bring back. We talked about school and how it is like in Singapore and Vietnam. Thuy asked me for help as she has to write an essay on democracy in Thailand. I think this is really difficult as I dont really see a strong democracy in Thailand. She had to read books on them and the most I could help was to look for some journal articles on it for her.

I feel that this outing trip is really expensive for a Vietnamese student at 5sgd each just for the food, not counting the patrol. Actually, this also goes to show the economic disparity between the Hanoians students. Those who came were all from Hanoi and they were richer than most of the other students who came to the city to study from the other provinces. I felt that this is the reason for which there were only so few of us today. I think that for the next trip that we came up with, it would be more affordable for all so that not one would be excluded because of economic reasons. But all in all, this was a good outing and I really love seeing the view of the outskirts on the motorbike. I think the motorcycle is fast becoming my favourite mode of transport. I get to feel everything around me rather than being stuck in a car : )
- shi lei

This trip was a very memorable trip to one of the areas on the outskirts of Hanoi, as you know, it was suppose to be a fishing trip, but it turns out we just went there to eat fish that they would cook for us. Also, for a small fee, the owner would show us how a fishing rod looks like, one that was used by the Vietnamese people in the past, as well as a bait for us to try our luck. Actually, it was possible to fish, just that I didn't have a weight for the bait to sink, nonetheless, it was really interesting seeing how life in Vietnam was for villagers of the past, and to some extent, the present.

What I loved about the place was simply the ambiance, it was simply beautiful, and a stark contrast for the city centre of Hanoi. A deep contrast of busy, noisy city life with the serenity of village. Showing two very different sides of the city of Hanoi. The architechture of the place was also constructed in hut shapes, to reflect the environment with which villages of the past and present live in, and just outside these huts were beautiful rivers.

From this outing, I also got to know what are the type of dishes Vietnamese like to eat, as our students ordered the dishes for us, in particular, Vietnamese people have a rather liking for salty food. As a normal Vietnamese meal would have seasonings of chili with salt and lime. Also, as normal, they love to just relax beside a nice cool cup of "tra da" or ice tea, one of the popular local drinks.

We also ate french friends, or "khoai tay" which I think is one of the more popular western dishes, as I have seen it at many different restaurants and eating places prior to this. Truly a move towards a more globalized Vietnam. And the french fries that they make are rather delicious as well!

In addition to that, was fruits, especially those plucked from trees. We plucked these small fruits that I was apprehensive about eating at first, but after a first try, I found that it was actually very delicious! And of course there are many different types of natural fruit trees, both in city locations as well as in outskirts areas, a unique entity of Vietnam that I noticed.

Also had a cultural exchanges of popular songs in Vietnam and Singapore, noticed that some there were some Vietnamese songs that were transcribed from the tunes of Chinese songs. A hybridization of music between Vietnam and other cultures.

Another thing about Vietnam from this experience is the journey there, which I was given a ride from the students.

1) It is not very common in Vietnamese culture, or I think in any culture, for a girl to ride a man on a motocycle. Because normally in Vietnamese culture, the Man is the leader. Our student was also quite uncomfortable with me hitching a ride from her motocycle as well, as she was not used to it and it is not the normal thing to do in Vietnam. On the journey there, I didn't notice any women giving a ride to a man as well.

2) Vietnamese women take very good care of their outward appearances, this can be seen by the riders, who often would wear arm sleeves, jackets, and masks or sunglasses to protect them either from the sun or from dust particles or smoke from the air while driving.

3) Vietnamese people are very comforted in riding motocycles. The journey was quite a long one, which I partly couldn't really enjoy after awhile as it was my first time riding a bike. However, they seem to be accustomed and comfortable with the bike journey.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and memorable experience which I learnt many things relating to Vietnamese culture.

Photos by Shi Lei and Daniel