Ho Chi Minh City: Art Tour

From Siem Reap, we headed back to Vietnam and the last stop of our trip: Ho Chi Minh City. 

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Ho Chi Minh City:  HCMC is Vietnam’s largest city, home to approximately 8 to 10 million people.  HCMC was known as Saigon from the late 1800s to 1976, when its name was changed to honor Ho Chi Minh.  Ho Chi Minh led the independence movement and established the Communist-ruled Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945.  After the Vietnam war, Saigon, the former capital of the Republic of Vietnam, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.  HCMC is still commonly referred to as Saigon today. 

The highlight of HCMC was definitely Sophie’s Art Tour, which was essentially an art history lesson and field trip, broken in to 4 chapters:

French colonization:  Vietnam's independence was gradually eroded by France in a series of military conquests between 1859 and 1885.  In 1862, the southern third of the country became the French colony of Cochinchina. By 1884, the entire country had come under French rule and was formally integrated into the union of French Indochina in 1887.  The French imposed significant political and cultural changes on Vietnamese society, including Roman Catholicism and a Western-style system of modern education.  French influences are still abundant today, however.  #coffee #banhmi #gerarddepardieu

For this part of the lesson, we went to view pieces from a private collection and we were not allowed to take pictures, but here's a picture of the outside.  Duc Minh is the owner of the collection.  Today, the museum is run by his grandson.

The most prized piece in the collection is pictured below (which I found based on a Google image search).  It is called "Young Girl By Lilies" and is known as the "Mona Lisa of Vietnam."  To Ngoc Van was the artist.  This painting was especially scandalous when it was exhibited due to the fitted nature of the girl's clothing.  #bowchickabowwow

Indochine Wars:  The First Indochina War (or the French War) was fought between 1946 and 1954 and sought independence for Vietnam from France.  The French were defeated in 1954 at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.  Vietnam was then split into 2 regions at the 17^th parallel, Communist North Vietnam, led by Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam, led by Emperor Bao Dai.

The Second Indochina War (also the Vietnam War) was fought between 1955 and 1975 and sought to prevent the Communist takeover of South Vietnam by the north.  The war ended with the fall of Saigon in April 1975 as the North Vietnamese Army entered the city and overcame all resistance.

We visited Lotus for this part of the lesson, which is a museum/store displaying old propaganda posters.  I personally enjoyed this part--not necessarily for the messages, but I think the colors and simplicity of the posters are appealing.  #artisticallyspeaking

More livestock, more manure

Is this Nixon's goal in Vietnam?

Leninism, which is the most righteous, the most reliable and the most revelutionary, said Uncle Ho

(Commemorating Lenin's 100th birthday, Lenin is the sun,Ho Chi Minh is to the left)

Who will win?  Who will win the world's support?

Cling on to the sea for production and ready to fight

Develop poultry production

Doi Moi (Renovation): In the aftermath of the war, the government embarked on a mass campaign of collectivization of farms and factories.  This caused economic chaos and resulted in triple-digit inflation.  In the late 1970s and early 1980s, millions of people fled the country.  Doi Moi were economic reforms initiated in Vietnam in 1986 with the goal of creating a "socialist-oriented market economy,” described as a multi-sectoral market economy oriented towards the eventual and long-term development of socialism, where the state plays a decisive role in directing economic development.

For this part of the lesson, we visited the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts Museum, which is located in a converted mansion, built in the 1920s by one of the wealthiest men in Saigon at the time.  Did I mention that the museum is haunted by the daughter of this man?  She is said to have died of leprosy, locked away in one of the bedrooms.  Maddened by isolation, she screamed helplessly from her room.  #wow

Drawing of one of the underground tunnels of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (logistical system that carried supplies from North Vietnam to the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army in South Vietnam) 

Lacquer painting, created using multiple layers of tree resin, color, and eggshells #yesyoureadthatright

Close up of the painting above; their skin is made of eggshell!  #forreal #nojoke #cool

Strong and healthy.  #smellslikepropaganda

Strong, healthy, with a sickle.  #smellslikemorepropaganda

Today: The younger generation of Vietnamese artists have become very active in involving different forms of arts, such as installation, performance and video art.  For example, San Art is an artist-initiated, non-profit contemporary art organization dedicated to promoting, facilitating and showcasing contemporary art.  San Art’s mission is to empower emerging artists in Vietnam and South East Asia by nurturing talent, fostering innovation and providing a forum for collaboration.  

Sadness and grief after the war.  This painting was painted fairly recently, as immediately after the war and for a period thereafter, grieving was to be done in private.

Abstract art by Vietnamese artists did not become popular until recently.

Well folks, that's all I've got!  I'm back home now!  #callme  #youhavethenumber  #vietnamwasawesome # tripofalifetime #butsfismyfavorite  #home

Siem Reap: Tomb Raider

After Hoi An, we made a short detour to Siem Reap, Cambodia to hoof it through visit Angkor Wat and a couple other temples.  #whattheheck #we’reintheneighborhood

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Siem Reap:  Siem Reap is located in northwestern Cambodia and is the gateway to the Angkor region, which was the seat of the Khmer empire. 

Also, tuk tuks are the primary mode of transportation  #firsttimeinatuktuk

The Khmer empire flourished from the 9^th to 15^th centuries, during which time the Khmer rulers constructed over 1,000 Hindu-Buddhist temples.  Angkor loosely means “Holy City.”  Most of these temples are little more than ruins now but some have been restored.  The Angkor region is home to the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat. 

Angkor Wat:  The first temple we visited was Angkor Wat, arguably the most famous of Cambodia’s temples and definitely the most well-preserved.  

We arrived at 4:50 AM.  Why, you ask?  I am still trying to answer that question myself.  It was ostensibly to see Angkor Wat at sunrise, which I understand can be an awe-filled sight, but the weather was not quite right the morning we went.  In addition, we arrived later than most and so got spots on the periphery so all my pictures look like this:

Angkor Wat (“Capital Temple”) was built in the as a Hindu temple in the early part of the 12^th century and also served as the capital of the Khmer empire.  By the end of the 12^th century, it had transformed to a Buddhist temple.  Angkor Wat’s distinctive features include its 5 towers with galleries running between them, and a moat.

We also saw some monkeys!!!!  #socool

Angkor Thom:  Next, we visited Angkor Thom “Great City”), which was the last capital of the Khmer empire.  Built in the late 12^th century, Angkor Thom covers 9 square kilometers.  Most of the ruins at Angkor Thom have vast displays of bas-relief depicting the various gods, goddesses, and other-worldly beings from the mythological stories and epic poems of ancient Hinduism (modified by centuries of Buddhism).  Mingled with these images are depictions of elephants, snakes, fish, and monkeys, in addition to dragon-like creatures that look like the stylized, elongated serpents (with feet and claws) found in Chinese art, called “nagas.”

Located in the middle of Angkor Thom is the Bayon, a richly decorated temple with a multitude of serene and massive stone faces located on four sides of each of 54 towers.  #thats216facesfolks

Ta Prohm:  Our last temple was Ta Prohm, which unfortunately may be best known for being the setting for parts of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Academy Award Winner ™ Angeline Jolie.  Built in the late 12^th century as a monastery, Ta Prohm has been kept pretty much in the same condition in which it was found.  That means that much of the structure is covered in beautiful green moss and green lichen and that many parasitic trees have found a home in and around the stones that make up Ta Prohm.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of the rest of Siem Reap or any other part of Cambodia.  #illbeback 

Next stop, Ho Chi Minh City!

Hoi An: Renee’s Vietnamese Kitchen

After Hue, we headed to Hoi An, about a 4-hour car ride south along the coast of the South China Sea.  Hoi An is a charming, picturesque town with cobblestone streets and timeworn houses painted yellow, covered in flowering vines.  #bougainvilleatobeexact 

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Hoi An:  Hoi An (which translates to “peaceful meeting place”) is a very well-preserved trading port active from the 15^th to 19^th centuries.  Hoi An lost its importance as a trading port as the Nguyen dynasty began to lose its power to rebels that were opposed to foreign trade.  Today, Hoi An is a tourist attraction due to its history, architecture, and crafts such as textiles and ceramics.  Hoi An currently has about 120,000 inhabitants.

Hoi An is known for producing fine silks and has scores of tailors ready to whip up custom-fit creations in any fabric and in any color or pattern, sometimes in as little as 24 hours.  These stores have wall-to-wall bolts of fabric and a team of seamstresses on site.  Needless to say, Christine and I indulged a bit.  #fashionweek #houndstooth

Because of Hoi An’s varied attractions, the town draws a steady stream of tourists.  #didimentionthere’sabeach?  Despite Hoi An’s timeworn appearance, Hoi An is actually one of Vietnam’s most prosperous cities due to its tourism industry.  

One of the highlights of our stay in Hoi An was the Vietnamese cooking class we took at Hoi An Eco Cooking Class, run by Kien and Phi, who are co-instructors and also husband and wife. #totesadorbs

There are scores of cooking classes available in Hoi An and all over Vietnam, all basically with the same method of teaching (hands-on with a lot of the prep work done beforehand) and very similar menus.  What caught my eye with Hoi An Eco Cooking School was the boat ride to the school, which was located on one of the waterways branching off of the Thu Bon River.  #yesagimmick #butitworked  We drove to a dock where we boarded these round basket boats.  During the short ride to the school, we paused to go crabbing.  We even caught a couple!

Below are some pictures from the 5-course meal that we made:

Fresh vegetarian spring rolls.  We made the rice wrapper!

Green mango salad

Pho bo (beef)

Banh xeo

Roasted eggplant with a delicious sauce

Can’t wait to try these at home!  #dinnerpartyanyone

Next stop, Siem Reap!

Hue: The Citadel

After Sapa, we took another night train back to Hanoi, where we then caught a flight to Hue, Vietnam’s imperial city, located in central Vietnam.  We didn't spend too much time in Hue and it rained while we were there--below are some brief highlights.  #bloggingtakesalotlongerthanithoughtitwould

Some (benevolent dictator of) fun facts about Hue:  Hue is pronounced “way,” or perhaps “hway.”  Either “Hue,” don’t mispronounce it and give it “aHue” that you’re not in the know.  #knowledgeispower

Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam from 1802-1945, the last year of the Nguyen dynasty’s reign and the same year that Ho Chi Minh moved the capital back to Hanoi.  Hue is spliced by the Perfume River, with the Hue Citadel located north of the river, and a more modern, French-settled district located south of the river.

The Hue Citadel encompasses the Imperial City, which in turn contains the Forbidden Purple City.  The 22-foot, fortress-like walls of the citadel, breached by 10 gates, surrounded grand palaces, pavilions, parks, temples, pagodas, ponds, gardens, and halls.  The Imperial City, also walled and surrounded by a moat, contained over 150 royal structures, many of which were destroyed in a fire in 1947.  A few of these have been meticulously restored but a lot are still in disrepair.  The Forbidden Purple City is a third walled-off enclosure that was off-limits to everyone but the emperor, his wives, concubines, and eunuchs.

Below are some pictures of the Citadel and Imperial City.  Unfortunately, the Forbidden City is now just a huge green lawn, where royal structures once stood.  

The highlight of the Hue trip, however, was the discovery of imperial rice cakes, Hue specialties, which we had at a restaurant called Hang Me.  My two favorites were the banh beo and the banh nam.  Bahn beo means “water fern,” named after the shape of the water fern, which looks like this:

Personally, I don’t see the resemblance.  I would have gone with banh sand dollar, or maybe banh onion slice.  

I am not sure what banh nam means.  #tastyrectangle

Bahn beo are small, steamed, savory rice “cakes,” though I would say they are more like “cups,” made from a batter that includes rice flour, tapioca starch, and corn starch.  These little glutinous bites are steamed in tiny shallow saucers about the size of a sand dollar or small onion slice and topped with dried shrimp and something heavenly that resembled a pork rind!?  #cracklins  #ifitlookslikeaduck  #whateveritwas #itwasgood  These were then served in the saucer with nuoc mam pha (a combination of fish sauce, vinegar, shrimp stock, sugar, water and fresh chiles) and we got to pop out each one with a spoon before enjoying! 

I understand that these can also be topped with other ingredients, such as mung bean paste, fried shallots, and green onions.  We had this again in Saigon, but they did not even come CLOSE to the deliciousness of the ones in Hue.  They also came already out of the saucer, which was so disappointing because half of the fun is scooping out the bite.  

Bahn nam are flat, rectangular rice cakes with a mixture of fried ground shrimp, pork and scallions pressed into the surface and then steamed in banana leaves, served with nuoc mam pha. 

The best part of both of these dishes is the texture.  #indescribable #buti'lltrymybest  Light, silky with a hint of chewiness, like a very very light, savory mochi.  Can't wait to try making these at home!

Next stop--Hoi An!!