Vignettes of the World
The Asia Society holds an exhibition Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence at the Chantal Miller Gallery of Asia Society. My friends and I paid a visit on a leisurely Friday afternoon. The Exhibition Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence is currently open until 31st July, 2022. Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence features the …
The breakfast at the Melody Hostel was something that I looked forward to every morning. The lady that cooked breakfast and managed the Hostel was Ling. She has two children. She showed me the photographs from their family vacations. I gathered from the photographs that …
A young Vietnamese woman came to pick me up in her motorbike. She had nice long flowy hair, perfect skin and a round face that said friendliness all over. She also spoke perfect English. I liked her immediately.
Mandy was my guide for the day. She would be taking me to the Thanh Toan Village for a tour, then to the cooking class.
Mandy studied English as her major in the university. She said that most Vietnamese learn English as their second language now, although French remains the next most popular foreign language. I had a very nice conversation with her about Vietnam.
The azure of Vietnam’s sky brushed the sights in Thanh Toan with a stroke of upbeat mood. Rice paddies and duck ponds rolled into view, one after another, as the motorbike passed by. The Vietnamese typically plant two crops of rice per year. The farmers have already planted the first crop of rice for the year. They expected the harvest to come in May.
Mandy asked me if the Hong Kong people eat ducks, I said most certainly. We like them roasted.
I noted that the village was well-kept with nicely-paved roads. Tourism must have helped this village? She nodded to that observation. Thanh Toan is clearly prosperous, and the villagers do continue in farming and livestock rearing.
Our first stop was at the local market. She showed me the sweets that they use for worship in the Tet (the lunar new year). The village would soon be decorating for the Tet, perhaps in a few days. I asked her about the wrestling matches. She said that the wrestling matches took place during the Tet. I would have returned to Hong Kong then.
In this local market I noticed that there were salmon, and she said that fishermen go out to the sea not far from Hue. Salmon is a sea catch. I noticed bunches of green bananas harvested while still attached to their stems. She told me that these green bananas were for decoration at the worship altar. That makes sense, as food are constantly placed before the worship altars and green bananas last longer.
We then toured the beautiful Japanese bridge. The tour websites say that this is the same bridge as the one in Hoi An, but Mandy told me the difference. This one in Thanh Toan was wholly built by the Vietnamese people although in the style of the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An. Back then, the village was too poor to construct the bridge. Villagers used to either swim or boat across the river.
A woman who had no children wanted to do good, so she donated all her money to building this bridge. She still didn’t end up having children, however. The villagers remembered her for this everlasting contribution. The altar inside the bridge is dedicated to her. Mandy said that during the summer, the bridge is very cool inside. That’s why many villagers would bring along their pillows for naps.
Flooding is a very serious problem in Vietnam. I have discussed the experience in a previous entry on Hoi An. Here in Hue, the problem is just as severe. The flooding pole is an indication to the villagers the rise of water levels. From this tall pole you can see that the flood can be so serious to reach its top. The plates next to the markers denote the water level of various floodings over the years.
We arrived at the Thanh Toan Eco Home, an airy open kitchen beneath a thatched roof. I was pleased to see a bamboo boat as the working table for my class. The effort to make this a village cooking session in a subtropical environment was gimmicky, but I liked it. It is a thoughtful touch.
I was the only one on that tour. Mandy introduced me to the teacher. We then sat down for a welcome drink. She asked me what’s in it. I said there are herbs. Then she named lemon, honey, lemongrass and still others.
The class began and I was in earnest. The chef first showed me the ingredients for the spring rolls. There was meat (uncooked), lots of coriander, scallion, shallots, wood ear, carrots and etc. He instructed that I shred and dice them. The egg yolk served as the binder. There was also no “sealing” with egg whites of the skin (it’s rice paper). Due to the texture of this rice paper, the rolls are formed completely when they meet hot oil. When I have mixed the ingredients, he set it aside and showed me the next dish.
This second dish would be my favorite out of the three. Diced pork, some shrimp, lots of herbs again, and the Vietnamese fig. The soul of this dish is actually the oyster sauce. After me chopping up the fig, he dried it by twisting in a towel. Then all ingredients pan fried to perfection, with perfect seasoning, and served on shrimp crackers. By this time the open kitchen was filled with delightful aroma.
I can easily gather the same ingredients back home, save for the fig. I asked Mandy if people eat the fig raw. She said yes, some do, but when eaten raw, it is rather bitter.
Mandy tried my cooking. It pleases me that I could “cook” Vietnamese food for a Vietnamese. I then looked forward to the Banh Khoai next.
The chef did not show me how the batter was mixed together. He just said 1 tablespoon of rice flour, one tablespoon of flour and two tablespoons of water. What gives the “taco” (the crunchy pancake wrap) its yellow color is turmeric. I would not have guessed that. Then the ingredients inside consist of small pieces of cooked pork, scallions, shrimp and a quail egg.
I was most excited when he showed me how to fry the taco. First, one full tablespoon of oil. Wait for it to heat up, then pour all oil back to the bowl, and cool just a little before pouring one ladle of batter into the small frying pan. When the pancake is half cooked and formed, keep pouring oil to the rims of the pancake, then put the ingredients in. I broke the quail egg then. Then fold the pancake into half, and thoroughly, thoroughly brown both sides. I thought it was slightly too brown and also too much oil at the rim, but I could certainly experiment when I am back home.
I think the Banh Khoai is the most Hue-specific food on the menu for this day. It was yummy.
Then we pan fried the spring rolls with generous oil. All done!
Mandy and I sat down for our meal. There was additional pumpkin soup and lemongrass chicken with rice. When we had the meal, she asked, “do people here think that you are Vietnamese?” I told her I was very flattered hearing that.
She said that what I cooked that morning were common food for the Vietnamese people. This was made the rustic, village-wholesome way. I was very thankful for that introduction. The soup, the rice and all the food was fantastic. In fact, this was the only meal in Hue in which I felt too full. Generally, portions are small at the restaurants.
The chef was then busy with another couple, so Mandy took me back to the hostel. She asked me what I did for a living. I said I did translation and writing, and she said she also did translation on the side. Her home village was near the Royal tombs, but her family moved to Hue. It is uncommon for the Vietnamese young people to move out from home before they get married. Surprisingly, her parents have not pressured her to get married. I then told her how I find my single life to be carefree. She agreed with me.
When we were on our way back I asked her about the nice apartments I saw on the way. She said that those were mostly for the young, newly-married couples. The family would buy them these apartments as their matrimonial home. They cost around US 50k.
It was not even 1pm yet when I returned to the hostel. I debated and eventually decided to take a look at the fishing village of Bao Vinh.
I like visiting the local wet markets of Vietnam. The colors and smells of fresh produce in the markets are always so stimulating. Busy scenes of vendors selling food to morning shoppers are the best show of Vietnam’s vibrant street life. So on this free …
The tour at the DMZ brought me to a place in a time long past. In the decades since, Vietnam has made great strides from the traumas of the American War. That also came with the serious and mutual efforts with the United States to …
I asked Mr. T what he thinks of America.
“We have no problem with the American people. We don’t like the U.S. government.”
At some point, I asked also what he thought of China.
“We have no problem with the Chinese people. We don’t like the Chinese government.”
I thought that was the most diplomatic answer he could have given to a foreigner. Although, I do think that the American people are quite a different animal as compared to the Chinese people, at least when it comes down to Vietnam. The kind of brainwashing in Communist China does significantly affect the worldviews of the ordinary Chinese people. China’s current relationships with its Southeast Asian neighbors are rife with strife.
That said, of course, America’s official worldview does have its own arrogance and hypocrisies. But as it relates to Vietnam, I do think most ordinary Americans would have more nuanced views. After all, it was a painful chapter in America’s recent history. There have been decades of rethinking on the subject since as well.
Photo: A Display at the Desire for Unification Exhibition Hall
After the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Viet Minh (then the united front of the Communist Party of Vietnam) proclaimed victory against the French. The world powers met to discuss arrangements for both the Korean Peninsula and Indochina. It was at this time that France officially ended its influence in its former colonies in Indochina.
In the Geneva Conference of 1954, the powers decided that Vietnam would be split into North and South Vietnam. The Viet Minh would govern the North, while the former and last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, would govern the South. The Geneva Accords signed at this conference also provided for a democratic election to take place in 1956 to determine which government would eventually govern a united Vietnam. Therefore the split of Vietnam was meant to be only temporary.
Other critical developments of the Geneva Conference of 1954 included the creation of Laos and Cambodia as independent states. This would turn out to bear critically upon developments in the Vietnam War. The parties signed ceasefire accords as they relate to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at this conference as well. As for Korea, the armistice was also signed.
For three hundred days after the Geneva Conference, there was a ceasefire. All sides were supposed to withdraw troops. Within the 300-day window, which the United Nations protected, people within all of Vietnam was free to move across the nation. And there was indeed lots of movement. One million North Vietnamese moved south. This has enabled North Vietnam to send spies down to the South. Some of the North Vietnamese that stayed in the South would end up fighting guerilla wars there. Meanwhile, 12-15,000 South Vietnamese followed the Communists and moved north. There would be no more moving after this 300-day window.
However, the vote never came, due to South Vietnam’s eventual refusal to hold the election. As a result of the failure in holding the election, Vietnam remained divided. Beginning in 1956 and for the subsequent two decades, there was a North Vietnam and a South Vietnam.
With this development, the DMZ became the actual political and ideological border between the Communist North and the Capitalist South.
The stage was thus set for the American War to come.
The former border that divides North and South Vietnam was the Ben Hai River, running on the east-west direction somewhere south of the 17th Parallel. It extends from the border with Laos and reaches out to the South China Sea. The DMZ was a neutral zone, on a stretch of 5km north and south of the river, running uniformly throughout the former border.
There are quite a number of Demilitarised Zones still operating in the world today. The best known one is the divide between the two Koreas at the 38th parallel. The former divide between North and South Vietnam no longer has any military significance, because North Vietnam eventually took over all of Vietnam.
The Demilitarised Zones are somewhat of a misnomer. Although these zones are intended to be “an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel,” (Wikipedia) armed conflicts often broke out there. And for the 17th parallel in Vietnam, it had been a site of much atrocities.
The United States withdrew its forces from the DMZ in August 1971. Thereafter, in 1972, North Vietnam attacked the DMZ, occupied it and also Quang Tri.
Photo: At the end of Hien Luong Bridge, one will come across the Welcome Gate in former North Vietnam.
The French were the first to construct the original Hien Luong Bridge in 1928. This bridge was the main means with which the Vietnamese people moved either north or south during the 300-day ceasefire period in 1954.
U.S. bombing in 1967 has resulted in the destruction of the original bridge.
During the time that Vietnam was divided, the Hien Luong Bridge bore the two colors of half red, and half yellow. This indicated the separation and demarcation of the two Vietnams. For the respective colors marked where the half ownership of the bridge began on the other side of Vietnam.
The bridge underwent restoration both in 1974, and in 2001, for the purpose of attracting tourism and preserving history. It is now in half yellow (south) and half blue (north) to indicate the reunification of Vietnam.
Photo: The Hien Luong Bridge only serves the tourists now. As shown in this photo, there is a proper highway that goes over the Ben Hai River now for all vehicular traffic.
The Monument of Desire for a Unified Country stands on the southern bank. It features a young woman with her son longing for reunification with a loved one. The idea clearly appeals to the traditional values of family and national unity, rather than ideological persuasion. Although, as with everything at the DMZ, one cannot miss the clear expression of communist style architecture in this monument, I would say it reminds me of the Soviet Union even.
I like museums, and I thought this one was more interesting than the one at the Khe Sanh Combat Base. Certainly, both museums did come off as being too eager to flaunt victory. But ultimately, being able to unite Vietnam against the war machinery of the United States is unquestionably a feat of lasting significance. Propaganda aside, the least that one can take from the museum is the horrifying costs of war. That message was not lost amidst the endless and self-serving glorification.
I particularly liked this display of a woman sewing the flag. This was not just any flag, however. This was the original 9m x 12m flag that flew on the North Vietnam flagpole. I suspect that it was once the flag-fighting flag as well.
Because both South Vietnam and the United States periodically targeted the large flagpole, both the flag and the pole required consistent repair. The woman on display here won a title for her work in mending the flag.
Now the national flag of Vietnam flies at all poles in Vietnam, and this one at the DMZ surely is a proud display of nationalism. The national flag features a bright red background with a lone gold star. The red stands for revolution and bloodshed; the star represents the key groups in Vietnam, as they are categorized in the country’s communist ideology.
Flag fighting also took place here between the North and the South. This reminds me of the same in the two Koreas.
Again, not unlike the practice of North Korea, the loudspeakers of the North Vietnam also played propaganda to the South continuously through these loudspeakers during the time of division. South Vietnam reciprocated by also playing its tunes to the North. These loudspeakers were the original.
The Wikipedia on the Demilitarised Zone.
Ha Thanh, Once a Divided Nation: The River that Saw it All, VNEXPRESS.
The Wikipedia on the 1954 Geneva Conference.
The Wikipedia on the Hien Luong Bridge.
The Wikipedia on Flag of Vietnam.
The Britannica on the 17th Parallel.
Cau Dakrong The Dakrong Bridge (Cau Dakrong), lies at the midway on Route 9. It also marks the beginning of Highway 15. During the American War, the Dakrong Bridge was a hotly-contested spot, being the access point of the Ho Chi Minh Trail (more below). …
There were a few times in our conversations that Mr. T warned me of what I see on-site at the DMZ. “These are one-sided stories,” he said a few times. He grew up in the south, and he has known the country’s narrative before North …
The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Its predecessor at Wellington Street was the first Catholic Church in Hong Kong.
The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception has the same beginning as British Hong Kong. In 1841, Britain took over Hong Kong Island during the First Opium War. Rome immediately set up a Prefecture Apostolic directly under its own supervision. A group of missionaries from Macao came to Hong Kong to set up a mission house. Thereafter, they built the church on Wellington Street. The congregation grew tremendously during this time.
In 1859, a fire broke out and the cathedral was burned to the ground. With donations from sympathetic followers and benefactors, the church underwent reconstruction soon. However, by the 1870s, the congregation had outgrown the premises. Another fire in 1878 threatened the church’s structure again. Around that time, Rome had also elevated the status of the prefecture into Vicariate Apostolic. The time was ripe for a new structure in a permanent site. The former Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on Wellington Street held its last Mass in May 1886.
During the late 1800s, Caine Road was a very popular neighborhood for Catholic initiatives. There were orphanages, schools, and mission houses there. In 1880, the Catholic Mission purchased the Glenealy Estate on 16 Caine Road. This would become the new site for a permanent Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.
In 1888, construction for the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception completed. On December 7, 1888, the church opened its doors again, a day before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
At the time, the Cathedral stood as the centerpiece amidst a strong Catholic presence on Caine Road. At some point the Bishop’s House, Nam Wah College, Wah Yan College, St Joseph’s Terrace and St. Joseph’s Home stood near. As time progressed, the Cathedral itself came to stand on its own, as the other Catholic buildings had to make way for high rise, luxurious developments on a prime location in the property market.
Finally, the church had its consecration on December 8, 1938. It was one of the first to be consecrated in China.
The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on Caine Road was designed by Crawley & Company of London in the English Gothic style. Louis Ha gave a detailed description of the structure:
The cathedral is in the form of a Greek cross. Its north side is shorter than the south, a situation dictated by the shape of the land itself on which it stands. It measures 82 metres in length and is 40 metres wide, with a seating capacity of over 1,000. It rises to a height of 23.7 metres, except for its central tower which adds another 10 metres, creating a feeling of ample space and ventilation… Its walls are of brick and stone, laid on a granite platform… Buttresses run down both of its sides. (Louis Ha at 36)
Today, the three original marble altars remain on-site at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. These marble altars were moved from the former site on Wellington Street. They are very much the testament to the cathedral’s long, sustained heritage in Hong Kong. It acquired the status of Grade 1 historic building in 1990.
There are four cathedral chapels as well, namely the Sacred Heart Chapel, the Chapel of Our Lord’s Passion, the Chapel of St. Joseph, and the Chapel of St. Anthony. The three original marble altars of Wellington Street are all in these cathedral chapels.
I thought the stained glass lining the two sides of the Cathedral were also beautiful. They came to the Cathedral at a much later time, however. The four windows near the Sacred Heart Chapel was done by French artist Louis Gesta in 1923. Opposite them, the stained glass by the Chapel of St. Joseph features the four gospel writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The stained glass were made in Italy and donated by Mr. John Poon in 1985.
On a Saturday afternoon I visited the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. It was a very sunny day and I was delighted in seeing the dense foliage of the neighborhood. The entrance to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is right at the doorstep of the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception as well.
The afternoon sunlight cast upon the Cathedral’s elegant contours. Standing in midst of luxurious high rises, the Cathedral’s distinctive architecture gleams a divine light upon this neighborhood. It is solemn here. Immediately, I felt comfort in my heart. I noticed that the front door of the church has been named The Door of Mercy, in celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015-2016. It bears a reference to John 10:9.
The exterior walls are in white, or a very pale gray, with occasional orange-pinkish details on some of the rooftops. This minimalist use of colors draws my attention to the sculpted details on the structure. The Gothic style of architecture is a style of “pointed arch, pointed rib-vaults… deep buttresses, window tracery, pinnacles, spires…” (Curl & Wilson on Gothic). I checked all these boxes. Although I lack the training in appreciating the significance of these features, they are certainly very pleasing to the eyes.
The Cathedral would just be a “colonial era building” to me, if I did not have to write this entry.
I stiffened my back and my dress before entering the nave.
The churches and cathedrals in Hong Kong cannot be compared to their antecedents in Europe in terms of architecture, scale, size and interior. That said, however, the relatively modest structure and adornment of the cathedrals in Hong Kong have a beauty of its own. I find the modesty to be more appealing to me personally, than the grand cathedrals in Europe. At the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, I experienced calmness, restfulness, renewal and an unmistakable awareness of God’s presence. Whereas in most of the cathedrals in Europe, the imposing ornateness brought about a kind of holy glory that necessarily humbles you. I mostly felt awe there, though that is but a different experience.
I went around and quickly took some photographs. After about ten minutes, I could finally enjoy the serenity at the pew. And I really only sat there, all still, for half an hour.
I also found the line of confessionals, carved out of wood, to be a very special feature. According to Louis Ha, these confessionals replaced the original side altars only after the liturgical reforms of Vatican II initiated during the 1960s. I do not recall seeing such an extensive row of confessionals within the main structure of a cathedral before.
During the opening hours (see below), one may enter the Cathedral. As with all religious sites, it is meant to be a place of sanctity. Please be respectful. Dress appropriately for it. No open toe shoes, no tank tops. Bring a shawl to cover the bare shoulders if you plan on wearing a tank top. Remove hats when you are inside. Remain quiet and calm inside the nave.
Bus Routes 12, 12M, 13, 23, 103, 40M and 40 stop at the Caritas House. Head toward Glenealy after getting off at the bus stop. Walk a few steps upward on St. Joseph’s Terrace and you will see the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception on your right. It is behind the Caritas House.
The address is 16 Caine Road.
The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception opens daily from 7am to 7pm.
Louis Ha, 110 Year In the Grace of Our Lord (1999).
Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Cathedral of Immaculate Conception (Caine Road), cathlicheritage.org.hk.
The Wikipedia on the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.
Curl & Wilson, The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture (2015).
I first encountered the MacIntosh Cathedrals at the Police Museum of Hong Kong. The name, the look and the history of these police forts captured my imagination right away. In this long entry, you will find information about how to reach the six currently accessible …