A week in Hanoi

Catching up on a week that seems a long time ago...

April 21-27, 2018
We're off to a conference in Vietnam on Saturday. Our flight is delayed in Bandung due to weather at first, and then the airplane doesn't show up because ...? We don't know why. (Maybe our airline has low priority, because other flights come and go.) Our 4-hr layover evaporates as we sit and wait.

We get our luggage wrapped at the airport to make it less likely that things will be stolen.

We land in Singapore, rush through immigration, grab our luggage off the conveyor belt, and run to check in. The boarding notice is flashing on the monitors for our flight to Hanoi. They won't let us through ("Too late, sir") so we have 24 hours to kill before tomorrow's flight. It costs us $100 to re-book, a very reasonable fare compared to the original ticket.

Singapore is not a bad place to spend a day. We've taught here many times. We're disappointed to lose the day we booked to explore Hanoi, where we've never visited before. But we have a pleasant day ahead.

One of our students generously invites us over. He's recently married - and oh, they remind me of our early years of marriage. They start to tidy the flat for us but we discourage them; we know what it's like to have a project or two in motion and putting things back is worse than clearing things away. There's room to sit and chat in their very clean apartment. We walk to the food court for a good meal together.

In the evening, we connect with the admin of the college where we usually teach. Ruth unlocks the door of the faculty flat for us, changes the bedding, and welcomes us in. (The maid comes Tuesdays and hasn't yet cleared after the last lecturer.) It's a comfy night - and we have a relaxing morning.

Fabrics - lots of traditional quilts

Handwoven baskets

Coconut shells painted inside

 

Paintings, simple and complex

We're off to Vietnam, a mere day late, after noon. We check into the Hanoi Club Hotel (after our driver gets lost and takes us in another direction.) It's strange not to know the language again. It makes me realize how much Indonesian we already understand.

A Vietnamese grandmother and granddaughter

The accommodations are good and we are exhausted. ZZZ

Murals along the streets

Monday morning, we eat before walking a few miles into town and back. Oh my, the streets are lined with art shops, food places, and new sights.

Ice cream bars: banana and corn

I choke back a heave as I see some dogs on a barbecue, tails standing straight up and little snouts pointed ahead. Beside them, two little poodles are being groomed.

A beautiful footbridge in the heart of the city

"Want a dog?" we're asked. Yes, I'd take the cute little poodle in a heartbeat, but I'm not hungry for what's on the grill.

Food is fresh and plentiful. We eat at a lot of little cafes

I find a 2' orchid arrangement for $8 that keeps me happy all week - such beauty, even in a hotel room. And then I get to give it away when we leave. It's still fresh.

Monday to Thursday
The conference is great - we meet a lot of people, present a workshop, and eat good food. One of the special treats is hanging out with our Bandung pastor friends, who are headed back to Canada for a 3-month sabbatical.

We visit the "Hanoi Hilton" together. That's quite the experience. According to the information provided, the French were brutal taskmasters to the Vietnamese prisoners.

Statues of prison life

The inmates responded by turning the prison into a school for indoctrination to communism and were united in the fight against the French by the time they were released. Also, we read that the American pilots, imprisoned for up to 10 years during the Vietnamese War, were well-treated with decent food, time for sports and doing laundry, etc. It's quite the contrast.

Lots of flower shops - with exotic arrangements

And it makes me think how political aspirations can hurt so many common people, while the generals and politicians escape and even prosper from the conflicts.

It's fun watching traffic (a diagonal crossroad below) - but look at those electric cables outside our hotel window

On the streets, there are "Propoganda Poster" shops. I'm tempted to pick up a cute print of a gal harvesting a crop until I read the slogan, "Grow less opium." (left) Ok, maybe I'll leave that one there. I choose another about protecting youth and children. (right)

We fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and overnight at the airport hotel: sometimes we can't get a good connection and it takes a little longer to get home.

Saturday morning, we are back in the airport at 5am. We land in Bandung and catch a taxi home from the airport.

We love the friendliness of Bandung. These moms and their kids chat with us as we wait for our luggage.

First, we have to negotiate with a driver to halve the price - which is already double what it should be - and finally find someone willing to take us). Traffic is still good this early in the day. We have a nice visit with the driver and are happy to see our neighborhood. We unpack, set things in place, and are worn out. But happy.

We're at church in the morning, happily back with people who are on the journey of faith with us. We have a nice lunch together before heading back home for an afternoon nap.

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*O Lord, you have plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Isaiah 25:1

Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good,  reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 NIV

*Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Moravian Prayer: Heavenly Father, living in a world that constantly races forward to embrace novelty and change, we cling to you, God of eternity, and are steadied. You are our rock—the foundation of our lives. Those who have put their trust in you have never been deceived. May we have the strength and confidence to hold tightly to our faith. We pray this in the name of our redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.