Hanoi Local Customs

Dog meat is still eaten in Vietnam.
Our guide told us , that we would never have dog meat served to us, as it is classed as a luxury.
Certain breeds of dogs are raised on farms and slaughtered for their meat.
The raising and consumption of dog meat has been linked to the transmission of rabies to humans.

On my walking around Hanoi, I came across a street in which every shop was selling "DOG"

On a visit to Tam Coc, take a look how some of the ladies row their boats.

Would you believe, that they ROW WITH THEIR FEET.

Actually, the photographer who took my photo, rowed alongside our rowboat, paddling with her feet, and taking the photo at the same time!

In Vietnam, you will see a lot of Snake Or Scorpion wine for sale at Tourist shops. These can be bought in all size bottles, and are very attractive to buy for a 'DIFFERENT SOUVENIR'
The small bottles only cost $1 - $2.

Just be aware of what you can bring back into your home country.
You may not be allowed to take it home, and end up losing it at customs!

At least it is cheap, so declare, and see what happens, it makes a good talking point!

When walking the Old Quarter of Hanoi, I could hear some Birds singing. There, above the street stall, was a Bird in a Cage. From then on, I started to look up and take note, I saw quite a few more, great pets for people who live in units.

So, you are in Vietnam with your girfriend, and you want to impress her!
Why not buy her a gift like the Vietnamese do!

Pictured, is what my Cyclo Driver told me, what Boyfriends buy and give to their Vietnamese girlfriends.

I actually did see a young man on a Motorbike, with a woman on the back, and she was holding one of these.
Is it chocolates, I don't know, just a different gift idea.

On your travels around Vietnam, you are sure to see the large Wreaths for sale, the same as the ones in my photo. Some places they vary in colour a little.
I did see a couople of Funerals, and at a stop in a country town, heard the music. I was on tour, and we all wondered what it was, so our guide filled us in on Funerals in Vietnam.

WE WERE TOLD, .....Vietnamese attach great importance to care for their parents in their old age and to mourn them in death, and that they mourn the dead parent for 3 years. Sometimes, mourning even begins beforehand!
At this time, the eldest child suggests a name for the dying person for it is considered unfortunate to continue the same name used in life after the relative has died.

According to ritual, when the parent has died, the children do not, as yet, accept the idea of death.
They place a chopstick between the teeth of the deceased and place the body on a mat on the floor in an effort to "bring it back to life".
The next rite in this tradition is for the eldest son or daughter to take a shirt the deceased has worn in life and to wave it in the air and call upon the soul of the dead to return to the body.
After this rite has been completed, the descendants then perform the ceremonial cleansing of the body.
The corpse is bathed, hair is combed and nails clipped.
Money, gold and rice are placed in the mouth of the dead to indicate that the deceased has left this world without want or hunger.
The corpse is then wrapped in white cloth and placed in a coffin and members of the family form a honor guard around the clock until a propitious time for burial is selected.

AND.......I also had a motorbike whizz past my Taxi, it had a Coffin stapped to the back, they sure were getting a fast ride!!

Many houses in Hanoi are built very tall, but also very narrow. It used to be that taxes were paid by the width of the frontage of the house, and this led to the long and thin “tube” houses of Hanoi.

Today, the land in Hanoi is so expensive that new houses are still built tall and narrow. Amazing to see some of the constructions – many houses rises 7 or 8 floors.

If Hanoi is like the other rising Asian cities of Taipei and Beijing, the bicycle as a transportation mode is fading fast. While I saw plenty of bicycles in the steets, the predominant conveyance was the motor scooter, and the older people sticking with their bicycles clearly seemed out of place -- literally being passed by the new era.