Ha Noi

Writing something during a busy period is a luxury, but the songs in my playlist seem to be pleading for me to take time for the days of ten years ago. Russian Roulette, Galaxy, Sleepless Night, Phố Không Em, these melodies bring back memories of the old youthful days.

A three-hour-and-thirty-minute flight from Singapore to Ha Noi at the age of 24 didn’t feel long, and I could do three things at once: taking the opportunity to attend a friend’s wedding to visit Ha Noi for the first time, and meeting (some) Tinder matches due to changing the location on the app: well, back then, we could only be friends from afar, so a date was already a stroke of fate (there must be some reason that aligns the situations and motivates people to act). My root is from the North but I’d never been back to the hometown, so this would be my first time experiencing the North in reality; I was feeling excited when going and equally so while writing this.

There’re two things that aren’t easy: recalling old stories and choosing a tone for the writing. I had to check my inbox to remember where those places were back then, and now if I open Google Maps, some places have changed names. Also, looking back at those not-so-beautiful photos from that time makes it harder to choose which ones to showcase (yet back then, they got a lot of likes, while today it hardly has some viewers scrolling past them).

Wandering about Hoan Kiem

The plane landed at Noi Bai in the late afternoon, and after a long ride on the taxi, the first thing to do after checking in was always to find something to eat. I had booked two hotels, the first one on Hang Quat and the second one with friends on Hang Be. Being near Hoan Kiem Lake is always convenient because you don’t have to travel on any vehicle; just walking around is enough to find shops and restaurants, and at that time, the pedestrian street had just opened, so it was quite lively.

The first meal? A nameless bun cha shop right on the sidewalk. Then I went to Hoan Kiem Lake, gazing at The Huc Bridge and Turtle Tower flickering in the light that wasn’t very gentle on the eyes. At that time, I saw people playing tug-of-war and jump rope in the middle of the street, which was quite lively, but I hadn’t had any chance to witness a dance group or the matchmaking scene with beautiful girls often seen on reels.

A Motorbike Taxi Ride

I dedicated the second day in Ha Noi entirely to traveling and meeting friends. Initially, I planned to just stroll around, then take motorbike taxi from point to point, without much of a plan in mind. In those days, earning salary in Singapore and spending money in Vietnam felt no less than a ‘nobleman’, so there were hardly any limits on where to go or what to buy.

While wandering around, an uncle approached me to chat and offered to take me around Ha Noi ‘for free’. Eventually, I realized that nothing in life is truly free: from that day on, I’ve declined all offers on the street during every trip. Anyway, that day I had already visited quite enough places a tourist would need to see, so I happily went along.

This was St. Joseph’s Cathedral, there was One Pillar Pagoda.

A pretty morning to take a few photos that don’t look too bad up until now, like in front of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

At that time, the National Assembly Building had just been inaugurated in 2014, and opposite it was the Presidential Palace painted in a bright yellow, surrounded by high walls.

The motorbike taxi uncle pretended to be kind and took me to Quan Thanh Temple - one of the four temples of Thang Long Tu Tran, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Kim Lien Pagoda next to West Lake, and Temple of Literature. At the time, with the D3300 camera and a basic kit lens, the photos didn’t look interesting, just simply capturing the locations. This gear set seemed to struggle on a cloudy day. Back then, people didn’t travel much, and the temples still had a serene quietness.

The Appointments

After the morning playing the role of a tourist, I had an appointment with a friend on the app in the afternoon. The most memorable parts of the trip didn’t have any photos at all, because back then I didn’t pay attention to capturing the ordinary things around. I sat waiting at a roadside café near Pho Thin, experiencing sitting on a low stool typical of Ha Noi, and was surprised to see young men entering the stall just to light up a pipe of tobacco, occasionally hearing swear words from the street.

People sing ‘Tháng 8 mùa thu lá khởi vàng chưa nhỉ?’ (‘In August, when autumn comes, the leaves start to turn yellow, don’t they?’), but that must be referring to the lunar 8th month, whereas the weather in Ha Noi during August - September isn’t much different from Saigon: cloudy skies with daytime rain showers. Then my friend volunteered to give me a ride even though I didn’t have a helmet (the typical situation of sitting behind a girl), after that we dropped by Madame Hương on Ly Thuong Kiet Street to have some pastries (this branch still exists) and chatting on various things. I took a photo of my friend at that time, and looking back now, I realize the photo wasn’t nicely taken, with a strange purple-yellow tint. Anyway, flying a long distance just to eat at a bakery (and sitting on a motorbike without helmet) was already a stroke of fate.

On that evening, I had another appointment with a different friend (to wrap up all the appointments in one day). I stood waiting at a Circle K store on Bat Su Street, back when convenience stores were just starting to gain popularity in Vietnam. This time, I was the one driving - another strange experience, because it had been a long time since I last drove someone, and I was navigating through an unfamiliar city. The conversation at that The Coffee House wasn’t particularly special, except that somehow, despite the very low chance, I coincidentally ran into another friend in this big city. Then we wandered through Ta Hien and Hang Ma with Mid-Autumn vibe, ending a long and chaotic day.

I read through some old messages and realized back then, my texting style was quite harsh from the reader’s perspective, without stickers or gentle comforting words with high EQ, yet people still replied. But at that time, I often saw myself a psychologist or a trash bin for confessions. Indeed, time flies, ten years isn’t short, now who has the patience to wait like that, even a small ‘mishap’ in the middle of a conversation can stop people from replying. Also back then, when you added someone as a friend, your entire Facebook knew it; but now even if you post something, your friends might not be noticed due to the algorithm.

The Last Day in Ha Noi

2016 was also the time Grab and Uber had just entered Vietnam, a ride in those days only cost 20,000 VND. That final day I didn’t take any motorbike taxis, but relied entirely on these two apps, thanks to guidance from my Tinder friend.

After attending my friend’s wedding in the morning, I had the chance to wander under Long Bien Bridge, and then in the afternoon, I went alone to the rooftop café of Sofitel Plaza Hotel (which changed its name to Pan Pacific in October of that year) to take photos of Thanh Nien Street. Back then, seeing online photos of the street curving between two lakes was mesmerizing, so I was determined to shoot there, but having done that, it didn’t turn out as good as the online photos. I remember taking a Grab ride to get there and being driven by a lady, the fare was just over 10,000 VND, and she thanked me profusely - indeed, it was the early days of ride-hailing services, so the service couldn’t be better.

Leaving Sofitel, I had a final appointment with the friend I coincidentally met. The conversation took place in a small café called e-Tea, which was hosting a craft market at the time, now the café is already gone. Perhaps due to longing for human connection, there’re so many appointments, because in Singapore, there weren’t such random and spontaneous encounters, nor spaces with such vibes. I still keep the small bag I bought at that market in my desk drawer; that time I thought I’d give it to someone being my partner, but I still haven’t.

The last morning, I boarded the flight back to the monotonous days in Singapore, with a heavy heart due to the overwhelming emotions that were so different from reality, and also because those were the days I had to look for a new job - full of uncertainty like a leaf in a whirlwind.