Day 4–Biking in Hanoi/Morning Activity

Sweltering summer seems to be the Vietnam trend. Really, the muggy weather changes people’s confidence levels when it comes to exercising. Day 5 of our adventure took us to the streets.

Before we begin our journey, I’d like to introduce you to the Vietnam cast. Our leader, Hoang Lee, stays with us as long as we remain in Vietnam. His job is to provide us with history as well as provide helpful social cues. The women include: Roxana, Kirsten, Corell (my roommate), and me. The men include: Andy and Blake. Each one of us has come for a variety of reasons. Roxana and I knew we needed to keep traveling. Kirsten loved her last FlashPack experience. Blake’s son’s availability for travel changed, Cornell’s daughters encouraged her, and Andy, friends with Kirsten, chose to join her on the adventure.

With FlashPack, anyone in the world can join the tour. The only limitation is you must fit in a certain age category. All of us happen to be from the U.S.—New York, Maine, North Carolina, Maine, Florida, and Missouri 🙋🏼‍♀️.

At 8:30, Lee met us in the lobby. We were to come prepared with sunscreen, hats, and water. All of us were on time! We boarded the van and headed to meet Bao, our city guide. Our journey would take us through the streets of Hanoi, past villages, and within different industrial sections. In total, we would bike ten miles.

Vietnam is a communist country, but as Lee has mentioned, many things within the country have changed. When he was younger, people were given rations for food, but the country suffered. The government found many people made the decision to not work as those who did work received the same voucher as those who did not work.

His mother used the meat voucher to get meat fat instead because that increased the meals she could prepared. Eventually the government made changes that allowed people to be paid appropriately for their work. Le said he remembered the first time he could use his money to buy a meal complete with meat. What a delightful day it was!

As we biked, we witnessed new construction for new homes. Living in the city would cost millions of dollars, but the homes seemed to be filled with people.

Our first stop included alpacas! Bao said our luck was good because the alpacas aren’t out every day.

The biking pace felt great! We would bike for a while, then we would slow our pace to hydrate and talk.

At one point we stopped by the Red River. Bao and Hoang Lee talked about the destruction that occurred years before due to major flooding. They also talked about how the government owns the land leading to the river. This ownership might extend over a mile, so anytime they want the land, the government can take it. Lee said his home might be taken as part of “imminent domain”. The government will compensate him for about 60% of his property’s worth then move his family elsewhere. Roads will then cover that land to provide greater flow to the city.

Another stop we took included large greenhouses. Beautiful plants grew within, and we took some time to explore the beauty.

After the beauty break, we biked to the pottery and ceramics area. I worried my “bull in a china shop” tendencies would cost me a bundle. However, all catastrophes were avoided! Everything shimmered and shined, but nothing caught my eye—especially since I would have had to carry it while riding a bike. It’s second nature to the Vietnamese, but I have no skill in balancing items on bicycles.

I loved our next stop. We went into the home of Mr. Luong. At, 86, he had many stories to share. His compound exceeds many others in age. While family generally stays close, Mr. Luong has just a nephew living with him.

We entered his home. In the center was the altar. The alter holds family pictures. According to our guides Buddhist people either pray to their family or to Buddha. Mr. Luong’s altar consisted of his grandfather and his parents.

The home had five compartments, three of which were one room. All homes are built with an odd number of compartments because the focus always falls on the altar.

We were invited to tea where Mr. Luong shared about his history, his family, and his culture. He provided a food treat, and he brought pottery from his family’s factory for us. Thankfully it was small and Andy could transport our items in his backpack.

As we departed with gratitude in our hearts, Mr. Luong asked for a photo. Happily, we obliged then followed the narrow alleyways to our bikes.

We continued to lunch then moved to a few evening activities. I’d love to explain now, but I have no energy. It’s been a fruitful, exhilarating, tiring day!