Hanoi Touring - Friday, November 14 - Part 3

Next on the agenda...a stop at Starbucks! Complete with Christmas music and a Christmas tree...in a country that is only around 8% Christian. I also saw lights going up on our hotel. I asked why Christmas was such a big deal, and the response was that it's just another holiday for celebration...no religious overtones, no Santa Claus or presents...just a reason to have a holiday. They also recognize Easter as a holiday! Go figure.

Our guide also told us that the Vietnamese people do not hold a grudge against the U.S. for the "American War," as the Buddhist way is forgiveness.

We next visited two contemporary Vietnamese art galleries, but didn't see much we liked...although we did at similar galleries in Saigon. This is a small excerpt from one painting I did like:




For entertainment, we attended the Thang Long Vietnamese Water Puppet Show...an interesting show in which the puppeteers are in the water, operating puppets on a long pole (the pole remains underwater, so you never see it) from behind a screen, accompanied by live Vietnamese folk music and song. (I liked the music, but Rita assured me that I would be thrown out if I got it on my iPod!) here are a few photos...pardon the quality, but there was very low lighting...










While the show was enjoyable, it would have been more fun with grandkids and other young friends!

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