Hanoi (In Poem)

Mueang Tai, Thailand

A return to Hanoi, a smile on a face, A welcoming entrance to a familiar place. A city of noise but with a silent peace, The piece of a humble jigsaw rebuilt. An expectation way above the line, One so high, one so fine. An honesty with believing, It’s about giving, not receiving. An unselfish nature of most, a breath of fresh air The togetherness of families, everybody cares. Teachings to the young, promote morals of good, From teachers of the old, a tradition lives on. For a country that suffered a violent past, Has seen beyond. For people who struggle each day, Have a reason to carry on. For a society that battled for freedom, Has finally built upon The Vietnam as we know it, Is a picture of strength, courage, a nation, all as one. Other Mentions: – Vietnam has really thin buildings – ‘Hang’ means product so streets beginning with this word are followed with another word that represents what is sold on that street. – Don’t panic when crossing roads – Pay attention to the way Vietnamese people say ‘Sticky Rice’ – A leaf from the Areaca Palm Tree when chewed keeps old people warm in the winter due to its ‘spicy effect’. It’s now more commonly used at weddings as a offering to the bride’s family from the groom to express intent of marriage – better the leaf, better the husband. – Vietnam has four holy animals (Dragon – Males, Phoenix – Females, Turtle – Longevity and Unicorn – Luck) – Every Vietnam home and most traditional buildings have a step at the door, this is to force you into a posture that offers respect to the spirits. In Thailand, this is due to either babies crawling, to improve the structure or to keep the bad spirits away as they crawl on the floor – Vietnam waterpuppet shows use an instrument called The Monochord, it sounds lovely