Jet Set Zero » northern vietnam

Why Aren’t You Wearing Any Pants?

Kris — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:30:13 +0000

No, this post is not about Jen. Though I’ve seen more of Jen sans pantalons than I’d like to admit.

Chances are, when you visit a traditional Vietnamese village, you will encounter the adorable, dirty, pantless village children on your journey. I used to have a tradition of sending my mom a postcard of such a scene, which I knew always made her inevitably cringe as she gazed upon their dust-smeared smiles. While in Sapa, we were not let down. Perhaps most importantly of all, I was very happy to find that they didn’t once approach us asking for money or candy but simply waved, grinned and yelled “HALLO!”

I’m glad to see the no-pants-dance is still going strong in Asian villages.

They Like Dogs in the North…But Not as Pets…

Kris — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:30:45 +0000

We’ve posted about eating dog before. We went to a local restaurant in Saigon a couple months back that specializes in dog meat (or “doggie” as they call it here). Serene ate it by accident that night and was pretty upset. I tried it at a dinner party and I have to say, it was quite delicious. It’s not something I’m planning on eating on a regular basis, but I’ll try anything once. But in Northern Vietnam, it’s a lot easier to find on the menu…

I first noticed the difference from south to north when I saw “thit cho” on a lot of the signs. My Vietnamese is practically non-existent but I do know that this is the phrase for dog. Once I had seen it a couple times, I started looking for it and I realized that it’s found all over the place up here. In Hanoi, there’s a 1km-long district of dog meat joints. There’s definitely a stronger prevalence for dog-eating in the north.

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The Hill Tribes of Sapa

Kris — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:30:04 +0000

There are 15 separate groups of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, the most colourful of which can be found in the north of the country. While in Sapa, we had the opportunity to experience two separate groups of hill tribes. Each group has its own distinct style of dress, customs, religious beliefs and language (though the national language is officially Vietnamese).

Life for the most part is difficult for many minority groups. Education and health care rates remain lower than the national average, and most people live a rural, agricultural lifestyle. Women marry young and life expectancy is low. But despite this, everyone we crossed paths with seemed happy, healthy, good-natured with a great sense of humour.

The two groups we encountered were the Black H’Mong and the Red Dzao. Both groups farm and also sell their wares at the market in Sapa. Both have a vibrant, elaborate style of dress, with the Red Dzao known for their long, flowing headdress and their hair shaved back from their foreheads, and the Black H’Mong recognized by their indigo-dyed embroidered linen clothing and super-cool Fame-era leggings. Both groups are canny traders and are relentless in their selling tactics. It worked on both Jen and I as we walked away from the market with a few pieces of jewelry and trinkets. We also hiked through 4 different villages in the area and got to see first hand the simple way they live. Pretty cool.

My New Favourite Snack

Kris — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:30:34 +0000

One of the biggest differences from Southern Vietnam to Northern Vietnam has been the food. Some things, like phở’, are a bit different – in the north there’s never hoisin available and you don’t always get all the usual herbs and sprouts. Without even realizing it, somewhere along the way I became really, really picky about my phở’. And some things aren’t anywhere to be found on the menu – one of my go-to items in Saigon was bún thịt nướng, a grilled pork and vermicelli salad, which I haven’t seen in weeks. However, there are a few gems that are new to the palate…

One of these is roasted sweet potatoes. You can find various roasted food throughout Vietnam like corn, but only in the north have I seen sweet potatoes. They cost about $0.25 each, are filling and totally delicious!