Gridlock on Highway 1A

Heading north on Highway 1A, we got trapped in a huge traffic jam.  About 40 km outside of Hanoi, the traffic slowed down to a crawl - and then stopped completely. Several drivers noticed that the three lanes on the other side of the highway, i.e. the southbound lanes, were open and started crossing over the divider to get around the congestion. Our driver did the same.  A stampede ensued. This strategy, of course, only works until you encounter the traffic coming from the other direction. Which happened quite quickly (see above).  Six lanes of traffic heading south encounter six lanes of traffic heading north.  With no way to back up.  Things started to pile up pretty fast.

Our driver saw this happening and drove through a field to get off the highway.  We took the back roads through a bunch of small villages (the scenic route) to get to Hanoi.  We heard on the radio as we were arriving that the traffic on Highway 1A was still backed up 20 kilometers in each direction. [NOTE: Before bailing out of this mess, I noticed that one of the gridlocked cars was decorated with flowers and streamers and that there was a young woman in a wedding dress sitting in the back seat. Sigh].  

Forests of Vietnam II

The forests of Vietnam are a curious mix of the sublime and the simple.  In spite of the deforestation rate and the chronic loss of primary forest each year (see Forests of Vietnam), the total area of forest cover in Vietnam has reportedly increased over the past two decades (but go here for a different assessment). This is largely due to reforestation activities and the creation of single-species plantations. The species most commonly planted in these plantations is Acacia mangium (shown above). You will drive by thousands of hectares of Acacia mangium as you travel through Vietnam.

This species propagates well, grows fast, protects the soil, and fixes nitrogen. There are a lot of reasons for planting it. Still, from an ecological standpoint, replacing some of the most biodiversity-rich forests in Southeast Asia with a single species of tree from northeastern Australia has its problems.  

Forests of Vietnam

Vietnam has the second highest rate of deforestation of any country in the world. Over the past 50 years, the area of primary forest in this country has declined from 45% to less than 15%.  This is what the outside and inside of the last 15% looks like. It was a privilege to spend the last two weeks working in these forests. May they be conserved and used wisely. [NOTE: Nigeria, apparently, has the world's highest rate of deforestation].

The beautiful understory plants are Licuala palms (see Harvesting Licuala). Both images are from Song Thanh Nature Reserve. 

Musée d'Ethnographie du Vietnam

The Musée de l'Homme in Paris helped design the spectacular Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which features art, customs, rituals, and everyday objects from each of the many ethnic groups in Vietnam. I paid the extra 50,000 VND to get the photography permit, so I took a lot of pictures.  Some of my favorite wooden statues are shown below. Although the carving is simple, the faces are captivating. 

Guán Ân Shrine at Thay Pagoda

Up the hill from Tu Dao Hanh's meditation cave (see Thay Pagoda) is a large shrine with an exquisite statue of Guán Ân, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Thay Pagoda

Thay Pagoda was founded in the 11th century by ascetic Zen monk Tu Dao Hanh, who was also the founder of water-puppetry in Vietnam. A ten-minute climb up the mountain behind the pagoda brings you to the cave (Dong Thanh Hoa) where Tu Dao Hanh meditated.  

The entrance to the cave is guarded, of course, by a fierce dragon,

protected by a tiny porcelain Quán Âm (Guan Yin),

and lined with four Plumeria trees that, I am told, were planted in the 15th century. The latter were probably my favorites.

Main Hall at Tay Phuong

A lot of the objects in here are several hundred years old.  Some are not.  Notice, for example, the box of Choco-Pies on the altar next to the fruit. I guess it's like Ed Brown says, "No sugar, no enlightenment".  This place was enchanting. [NOTE: There is an audio track to this clip, but you have to turn up the volume to hear it].

Bodhisattvas at Chua Tay Phuong

The Tay Phuong Pagoda, first established in the 8th century it is said, is located about 30 kilometers west of Hanoi in Ha Tay province. The pagoda was completely rebuilt in 1632, and many of the structures on the site are from this period.  Lots of beautiful and meaningful things here. I was most taken by the incredibly realistic statues of bodhisattvas. I would love to have met these guys. [NOTE: More about the history of Buddhism in Vietnam can be found here].

17th Parallel

The 17th parallel was recognized by the Geneva Conference in 1954 as the provisional dividing line between North and South Vietnam.   The division, which became irrelevant in 1976 following the unification of Vietnam, is marked by this monument as one crosses the Ben Hai river into Quang Tri province. [NOTE: The celestial beams that appear to be streaming from the heavens are reflections from the back window of the van].

A Minor Inconvenience

While running last minute errands in Hanoi on Dr. Ban's motorcycle, we got a flat tire on Pham Ngu Lao Street. Help was right around the corner. Took about five minute to change the tube (the old one was too ratty to patch) and cost about 40,000 VND, i.e. a little over two dollars.