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00:01As I explore Vietnam's capital, Hanoi,
00:04I'm resisting the urge to cull a few of these tiny stools
00:07that bedevil this great nation.
00:10I really want to kick one of those stools into the water.
00:16Everywhere I turn is one of these spinal tormentors,
00:20but I'm on my best behaviour.
00:22This stool will live to bend the knees of another hapless giant.
00:26Not today, Beardy.
00:30Vietnam.
00:34Of course, it's a place of tea plantations,
00:37traffic, temples,
00:40but then it's something else entirely.
00:45Come with me on an unusual,
00:49unfiltered,
00:53unforgettable adventure.
00:56Give me five.
00:58My mind's off on a whole bunch of other tangents.
01:01I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982.
01:04As this nation commemorates 50 years since the end of the war.
01:08So it's safe, right?
01:10I'll explore this fertile land, ask the big questions.
01:13Am I in the right place?
01:14Embrace new experiences, even my own future.
01:18The problem, you are smart and testing.
01:21Is there any, you know, good news?
01:24Navigate tight spaces.
01:26I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out.
01:29Make some new friends.
01:31Separated at birth.
01:32This is a voyage of discovery, of strange encounters.
01:36This is your whole life in a plant.
01:38And kindred spirits.
01:40An enchanted stroll
01:42to one of the most fascinating places on Earth.
01:45Welcome to Bill Bailey's Vietnam Adventure.
01:47Well, it's six o'clock in the morning here in Hanoi.
02:06And the city's waking up.
02:11Lots of people taking part in these sort of morning activities.
02:17There's joggers are out.
02:19The tai chi and the yoga practitioners are all out.
02:24There's a lot of activity going on.
02:26And I'm just about to take part in a bit of laughing yoga.
02:29Before I giggle my way to enlightenment or perhaps a public humiliation,
02:38I want to show you where I am.
02:41The name Hanoi means the city inside the river.
02:44And it's a nod to its location, nestled between river bends
02:48in the northern part of the country.
02:50This is a chance for me to explore Vietnam's spiritual side.
02:54From life to death and all the curious rituals in between.
02:57I'm told that laughter is the best medicine.
03:01Well, not if you're an asthmatic like me.
03:04But I'm open to persuasion.
03:06As a comedian, it seems a little odd to start with the laughing and work backwards.
03:18But hey, when in Hanoi...
03:19Vinh, our instructor, has some tricks up his sleeve to keep it light.
03:29Whoo!
03:32What, this?
03:34Like this?
03:36Oh, like that?
03:38Oh, yeah.
03:39I feel this could be the point of no return.
03:45I'm in danger of losing my mind.
03:47I feel this could be the danger of losing my mind.
03:49Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
03:51Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
03:53Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
03:57Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
03:59Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
04:00I don't know. I don't know.
04:14I don't know. I don't know.
04:17I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
04:21Watch me. Yay!
04:25Now for the silent treatment.
04:30How long can you go without laughing I like this game
04:43I'm just warming up now
04:47Letting go is so liberating what an absolute joy to be lost in the moment completely
05:00As someone for whom laughter is my business. I'm interested to know what they get out of it in my job in London
05:07I'm a comedian. I tell jokes
05:11Get laughs so
05:14Press we could do that. I'll tell a joke
05:17No, don't you know anything? No
05:20We left no reason for no reason. Well, that's literally the whole point of my life
05:26Well, that's me out of a job
05:28Normally my body don't know. I say sir week is
05:33Your body reacts. Yes, like it's a genuine laugh
05:39With or without a comedic set your body is getting the benefits
05:44Vin and the women who do this between 5 and 6 a.m. Every day
05:48Tell me they do it for the endorphins and the positive energy in a miss people. Yeah talk together
05:53If we don't save the time to do the morning exercise
05:58Yeah, it become a depression you get you'll get ill keeping
06:03Positive yeah in the here as well. You've been doing this what 14 years
06:12Laughing every day
06:14Yeah
06:16These lovely ladies remind me of my mum who I lost in 2005
06:20Like them she loved to laugh to nurture and look after everyone
06:25Oh
06:37That was great fun. I actually feel quite energized by that
06:41Laughing's heart
06:42You know really gets the blood pumping gets the air going through the lungs
06:48It's a workout in itself
06:50Better than jogging anyway
06:52The red river brings a vitality a life force to the city it symbolizes fertility a deep-rooted connection between nature and people
07:05Along with a river. There's another man-made thoroughfare that powers straight through the center of Hanoi
07:11It's almost unbelievable and defies logic. I need to see it to believe it
07:17So behind me is the famous train street here in Hanoi and
07:24This was built by the French in 1902 and
07:28Was used as a regular train line
07:32but
07:33In recent times it's become a hugely popular tourist attraction because the train line runs through
07:38Buildings of houses and cafes which are built right up to the tracks
07:44Incredibly a large unyielding train passes through this press of humanity several times a day often not even on time
07:52Well apparently one of the things to do here
07:54You get a bottle top off a beer bottle and you put it on the rail the train go pass and flatten it
08:02When in Rome
08:04Any minute now the 1123 service to Ha Long City will be barreling through here blowing the froth of these cappuccinos
08:16What?
08:18The train is about to come through here and there's people ordering things from the cafe across the other side of the track
08:25Yeah
08:27People shouting it's mental
08:33Here it comes
08:37Oh my lord
08:39Oh, here they are
08:42What the
08:46Oh my
08:48Oh
09:00Honestly, this is a health and safety nightmare
09:05Stop going! This is the last carriage
09:09Woooo!
09:10Whee!
09:11Woohoo!
09:12Woohoo!
09:16Absolute madness
09:19And here
09:22Here's my bottle top
09:24Well, I think I've got myself a new plectrum
09:30That was, yeah, quite an experience
09:32I mean it's a big train
09:34It's not just a little
09:36Like a tube train
09:37It's a big proper
09:39Inter-Sydney train
09:40Huge rolling stock
09:42Enormous great thing
09:44A foot from your nose
09:49After any near-death experience
09:51I always feel peckish
09:53Perhaps it's a renewed appetite for life
09:56So I'm heading to the old town
09:59Away from the touristy bars
10:01Seeking sustenance
10:03For the mind
10:04And for the body
10:07It seems like a lovely spot
10:09To just hang out and have a plate of noodles
10:14It's quite different from other cities in Vietnam
10:17In as much as
10:19A lot of people still live
10:21In the city
10:22It feels more like village life
10:27People are still living in these areas
10:32It feels a little more lively
10:36I love it
10:38Kind of reminds me of home
10:40And this is delicious
10:42Oh my word
10:45But just when you think all your needs are catered for
10:48A street vendor walks past selling everything
10:50At the kitchen sink
10:52In fact she's probably got that as well
10:54Oh
10:57Oh
10:59How much for one?
11:0120?
11:02Okay, I'll give you that one
11:07It's okay
11:09But it doesn't go all the way down
11:11You drive a hard bargain
11:14So the initial price was £100
11:17And I said
11:19No, I'm not paying that
11:21Because it's a
11:23You know, it's only a back scratcher
11:25So I went in low
11:27At £20
11:29But she sort of haggled me up to £30
11:32So I don't know, I think I've got
11:34I think we've both got a good deal
11:3630,000 dongs, not even a quid
11:39Oh
11:41But its scratchability is worth ten times that
11:43Yes
11:45That is hitting the spot
11:49What?
11:51What are you saying?
11:53What?
11:55Oh, down the shirt!
11:56Oh, I didn't think that!
11:58I'm trying to put it down the back of my shirt
12:01I don't need that
12:03Just scratch it through my shirt, thank you
12:13Despite having no official religion
12:15Vietnam is nonetheless a deeply spiritual place
12:18Family shrines adorn the households throughout the nation
12:23I've never been one for the spirit world
12:26But I'm here to meet someone who apparently has a great affinity with these matters
12:32So bearing gifts, I come to find out what the universe has in store for me
12:37Hello
12:39Lam
12:40Yes, hello, nice to meet you
12:42Lovely to meet you
12:43Nice to meet you too
12:44I brought some offerings
12:45Yes
12:46For the temple
12:48So what shall I use?
12:49It's called Dao Tan Mo
12:51The worship of mother goddesses
12:53Which was established in Vietnam in the 16th century
12:56It's a branch of Vietnamese folk religion
12:59Which is more shamanic in nature
13:03In our culture
13:05The mother
13:07Is the biggest
13:09Everything big
13:10Is the female
13:12For example, the great rival
13:14It means the female
13:16Right
13:17Rival
13:18You see
13:19So greatness is associated with femininity
13:23We believe in the great of the mother
13:26Right
13:28His path to this role wasn't straightforward
13:30He studied medicine abroad
13:32Before finding his home as a spiritual practitioner
13:35What do people believe in this religion, Vietnamese religion?
13:39What happens when you die?
13:40We have the mother goddess of the earth
13:44Like you come home
13:46Just relax
13:48I'm looking forward to that
13:50Relaxing
13:51Yeah, just relaxing
13:52Just relaxing
13:54Even though fortune telling is seen by the government as superstitious
13:57It's still a widely used custom
13:59Lam, now the reason I'm here partly is to make some offerings to meet you
14:04And also I believe to find out a little bit about my own future
14:10And maybe any advice you have for me
14:14So the first you must tell me your full name
14:18Okay, Bill Bailey
14:20Bill Bailey
14:21Years of birth
14:231965
14:24And your place
14:26The place where I live
14:28Yes
14:29Is in London
14:31Can you give me the full address?
14:33Well, if I give the full address, people come round my house
14:38Yes
14:40I can't give you that
14:44How my address matters is beyond me
14:46But it's clearly part of the process
14:49This year's is not a good year of you
14:52Oh
14:56Get a little problem
14:58Your small intestine
14:59It can be worse
15:01Good
15:02Good
15:03It can be worse
15:04And become a disease
15:07Right
15:09Around October
15:10Okay
15:11Because of
15:13The job
15:14Because of something like that
15:16You have too much
15:19The problem
15:21To take care in your life
15:24And you don't focus to yourself
15:26Yeah
15:27Yeah
15:28That's true
15:29So you must orchestrate your tales
15:31Okay
15:32Because your health
15:34Your health is not
15:36Good
15:37Because your head
15:38He continued in this downbeat vein for a while
15:40Honestly, it wasn't that great
15:42Sounds pretty bleak
15:44Is there any
15:45You know
15:46Good news?
15:48Good news?
15:49Anything positive
15:50I can
15:52Think about
15:54Nope
15:55Well, I better get praying for my small intestine
16:04When I first went in there
16:05I was a little skeptical
16:07I have to say
16:09Quite a few of the things that Lam said were right on the money
16:14And
16:18Really quite good advice
16:20So
16:24I guess that's what I'll take from it
16:26You know
16:28Look after yourself
16:31You know
16:33Don't work too hard
16:35Look out for others
16:37Let them be who they want to be
16:39I mean all of that is
16:41Is good advice
16:42As I reluctantly process my mortality and consider my bleak future
16:52I need a distraction
16:54Something more in the here and now
16:56So days on the road have left me a little scruffy
16:59In Hanoi you can get a tidy up at the side of the road
17:03I looked in the mirror the other day and I was looking a bit unkempt and I just spotted that there's these barbers that have set up these little street barbershops
17:15So I thought I'd come and get a bit of a trim
17:18And I'm going to ask him if he can shave my ears because my ears are getting a little bit hairy
17:23There's a barber at the end of my road in London that I go to often
17:29But I tell you what, he could learn a thing or two from this fella
17:33This is next level grooming
17:36He's getting in my ears
17:38They really need it doing
17:40It's ridiculous
17:42I don't know what happens when you get older
17:44The hair disappears off the top of your head
17:46It just seems to go into your brain and come out of your ears
17:49My ears have never been hairier
17:51Wow
17:53That's the cleanest that here's been in years
17:56That's the sort of thing I'd clean the car with
18:00But it works
18:02This is less of a barber shop, more of a public spectacle
18:06I can't imagine getting my nose shaved on a street in London
18:10But this is Hanoi, where it's de rigue
18:13Well that was fantastic, I mean, I feel great
18:15I feel great
18:17I just wanted a shave and a trim
18:20But I got the full works
18:22This guy, he's a top barber, he knows what he's doing
18:26I feel like a million dollars
18:29I feel ready to face the day
18:33As I strut around Hanoi with my striking new exterior
18:36It's my interior I'm focused on
18:39Mr. Lum's insights into what the future might hold for my health
18:43Are playing on my mind
18:45Hello
18:47Hello
18:49Hi
18:50I went to a priest and he said that my small intestine might give me a problem
18:59I must know clearly what the problem is
19:06Oh, okay
19:08I don't know what the problem is
19:10I don't know what the problem is
19:11That's the problem
19:13It's not an unreasonable request from shop owner Jenny
19:17Here on Lan Ong Street, a famous area dedicated to traditional medicine
19:22I want to be a bit healthier
19:25Jenny has a degree in traditional Vietnamese medicine
19:29A practice influenced by the Chinese
19:31It's a holistic approach, strictly herbal products that aim to restore balance in the body
19:37It's a medicinal medicine, you can cooking, you can drink
19:41This bag is a type of leaf that can treat constipation
19:47Yeah, I'll keep that in mind
19:49This one is tea, concept tea
19:51This is for everything
19:54Reduce ageing, weight loss, liver detox
19:58Yeah, this is exactly it
20:00Sounds like the ultimate wonder herb
20:02The mythical cure that promises to fix everything from my gut to my existential dread
20:07I've taken the priest's advice
20:09I've decided to take better care of myself
20:12First step, I've got some traditional medicine
20:15Some remedies for a bit of gut health, a bit of general health
20:20Here, remedies like this are integrated into Vietnam's public health system
20:27And it's almost like the West is slowly catching up to this
20:30Medicinal shopping isn't just about curing what ails you
20:35Some good old-fashioned retail therapy can also do the trick
20:39You just need to know where to go
20:42With my mum still on my mind
20:44And word of a Vietnamese tradition that honours those no longer with us
20:48I'm meeting up with a local guide, Danny, to help me shop
20:51Just on the way here I saw there was a shop selling lampshades
20:58Mm-hmm
20:59Then there was a shop selling balloons
21:00Yes
21:01Then there was one selling fruit
21:03Then there's flowers, there's flowers everywhere
21:06So you can see the hostess
21:08No mouths here with designer brands
21:10Danny tells me Lanong Street is the best place to buy items to celebrate a special custom here
21:14It involves fire, paper and the afterlife
21:18It's a very traditional things that we have
21:23Like we believe our ancestor or our dead grandmother, grandfather
21:28They will continue living in another place
21:31So on the middle day of the month we were burning the money paper
21:35Or maybe once I saw my mum's burn a mansion
21:40A mansion?
21:41Made of paper
21:42Like a huge house made of paper
21:44A mansion, yes
21:45Who was that for?
21:46Oh, for my grandmother
21:48Your grandmother?
21:49Yes
21:50So she's got a nice place to live
21:51Yep
21:52In the other world
21:53Sure
21:54Like she will have a mansion
21:55And she can invite friends to join her for parties
21:58Right
21:59Yeah
22:00We believe that whatever happens
22:01Whatever we do in this life
22:02Yeah
22:03We'll be continuing that life
22:06I'm intrigued by the local custom to honour loved ones
22:09By buying handcrafted paper effigies and burning them
22:13The idea is these items will pass through the smoke
22:16And rise up into the next life to be with them
22:19You would provide people with things that they might need?
22:21Yes, money, car
22:23Money, clothes
22:24Clothes, of course
22:25Food?
22:26Yeah, sometimes
22:27A car?
22:28A bit of food
22:29How do you know that you can drive a car in the other world though?
22:32Well, for people who have drive a license, that would not be a big problem
22:37Right, you need a driving license though?
22:39Yeah
22:40You couldn't just assume that you could drive there
22:43Yeah, or if you're not sure about that, you burn the horse
22:47Burn a horse, right
22:48Yep
22:49Just to sort of cover all your bases for travel
22:51Mm-hmm
22:52So we're going to hang these on that tree
22:54Paper effigies are an art form in their own right
22:57A symbol of the care we still have for those who have left this world
23:01It's a tiny little dog
23:02Oh, look at this
23:04Is this something that you would burn?
23:07Yeah, it does look like what my mum's used to burn
23:11Oh my word
23:12Yeah
23:13It's an entire mansion
23:15It comes with a dog
23:17Comes with a car, a dog, a fan
23:20Like a dining table, a little bonsai tree
23:23This is amazing
23:24One, two, three, four, five
23:26My mum, Madryn, left us 20 years ago
23:28And I'd love to send her something she'd really appreciate
23:31I'm thinking about getting a little, uh, something to burn for my mum
23:38Sure
23:39I mean, are there other items here, do you think?
23:42Do you think I might be able to find a radio or a music?
23:46You love music, you see
23:47Well, probably
23:49That's what you're looking for
23:51That's it?
23:52Yeah
23:53That is exactly it
23:55It's a Toshiba
23:57Radio
23:59That is exactly it
24:00Right, okay
24:01I think your mum's gonna love it
24:03My old pal Sean Locke left us in 2021
24:06And I'd like to send him something special too
24:09Who wouldn't love a big horse like that?
24:12Yeah
24:13They're so demanding, aren't they?
24:16The restless spirits of the dead
24:18Yeah
24:19They're always after something
24:22They're pretty more demanding in that life than they were in this
24:25Yeah
24:26Well
24:27My mum said, uh, they are dead, just give them what they want
24:30Why not?
24:32Yeah, fair enough
24:34Everything
24:35A radio and a horse
24:36Two items I didn't see myself buying
24:38And made out of paper
24:39That will soon go up in flames
24:41When I do a ceremonial burn before I leave Hanoi
24:45As you do
24:52In the centre of Hanoi, in its beating heart, stands something immovable
24:57The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
24:59A monumental brutalist structure that houses the preserved body of the communist revolutionary
25:06But for many, it's more than a monument, it's a pilgrimage
25:10And for me, it's a starting point
25:12To understand this country, you must also understand Uncle Ho
25:16Hello, hi
25:18Hello, hi
25:21Two
25:22High five
25:24So I'm here at Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum here in Hanoi
25:29And I'm here to get in with literally thousands of people
25:35I really get a sense that coming here means a huge amount to these people
25:41It gives you an idea of the sense of occasion that this place has
25:46The sense of reverence people have for him
25:48A sense of someone more than just a person
25:52He's like, he's the soul of the nation in many ways
25:58It's important to remember that whilst Ho Chi Minh is a revered figure in communist Vietnam's official history
26:04He was also a deeply polarizing figure internationally
26:08Especially amongst Vietnamese people abroad
26:11Just want a quick point
26:13We can't film inside the mausoleum
26:16So I'm going to go in and have a quick look
26:19And I'll report back on the other side
26:23It's been a long wait, and I'm not sure what to expect
26:27He's been here since 1975
26:29And I wonder what he'll look like
26:31Well, I've just come out of the mausoleum
26:33First impressions I got was the temperature drops
26:38It's quite dimly lit
26:40You walk up a series of stairs
26:42You turn round into the actual centre of the mausoleum
26:46Where his body's lying
26:47And there's no time to stop and take it in
26:49You can't take a picture
26:51And there's four soldiers on permanent guard around the body
26:57But I guess that adds to the air of the mystique
27:00Apparently his final wish was that his body be cremated
27:06And the ashes scattered around Vietnam
27:09But in the end he was persuaded to be embalmed
27:13And his body kept here in a mausoleum
27:16By exceeding to those wishes
27:20He was putting the needs and the demands of the people and the nation first
27:27Even beyond his own wishes for what would happen to him when he died
27:32It's clear how deep his legacy runs
27:41The face of the revolution and guiding force through war is ever present here
27:46As the capital of the north and the military heart of the communist resistance
27:51Hanoi became a target for heavy US bombing
27:54American Thunder Chief jets plaster important communist targets in North Vietnam
27:59At and near Hanoi
28:01The Kep airfield sustains heavy damage in two separate attacks
28:08And as we remember 50 years since the end of the war
28:11To help me understand how the city became a powerful symbol of national unity and resistance
28:16I'm meeting a legendary US war veteran Chuck Searcy
28:20Who didn't just leave the destruction behind
28:23He returned to clean it up
28:25We're standing on the Long Bien Bridge
28:28Which was a kind of a major connection across the river
28:34Quite a significant strategic target
28:37A symbol of the tenacity of the Vietnamese that they kept rebuilding it
28:43I don't think we Americans bombing this bridge
28:46Kept it out of commission for very long
28:48And piecing it back together with, as we say back home, chewing gum and bailing wire
28:55But they made it work
28:58Chuck served as a US intelligence analyst
29:01Returning to Hanoi to offer support to the community
29:04At least five million tons of bombs dropped on Vietnam by the US
29:10And that is more than all the bombs in World War II
29:14Just amazingly destructive and terrifying for the people of Vietnam
29:17Yeah
29:18A lot of Vietnamese still remember that
29:20He's dedicated over three decades of his life
29:23To healing the scars of conflict in Vietnam
29:26Dealing with the deadly legacy of unexploded mines
29:29We found that the people of Vietnam were so welcoming
29:33In their attitudes toward us
29:35I was astonished by their forgiveness
29:38The legacy of that
29:40The sort of amount of ordnance that got dropped
29:46There was a significant amount of that that failed to go off
29:51And that really was what sort of prompted your work
29:56The Pentagon estimated that about 10% of the ordnance that we dropped on Vietnam
30:02Did not detonate as designed
30:04So it didn't explode
30:05It didn't
30:06It was lying on the ground for 5, 10, 20
30:09Now 50 years
30:11A lot of that ordnance is still there
30:13And it's still deadly
30:14It's still a threat to children going to school
30:16The farmers plowing their fields
30:20Meeting Chuck is a reminder of the devastating impact the war had on Vietnam
30:25But you can't tell that story without getting the perspective of a local veteran
30:34My guide Kim is taking me to meet a man who served under Uncle Ho
30:38An ex-counter-intelligence officer who has now amassed a huge collection of wartime relics
30:44Nice to meet you
30:45Nice to meet you
30:46Nice to meet you
30:47This is the back bill
30:48Wow
30:49Tao Ha is a retired lieutenant colonel from the People's Public Security Forces
30:53He rarely talks about his work, it's all top secret
30:57But he's surrounded by artefacts that tell stories of those who served
31:01This is a treasure trove
31:04It's every kind of things, furniture and statues
31:09This is an extraordinary collection you have here Tao
31:13Can you tell me what are these things up here?
31:16He told me
31:18These were used to carry food by the soldiers
31:29I got it
31:32Classic mess tin, so you could put your food in there, put it on a fire
31:36Yes
31:37Surrounded by physical reminders of the war
31:40I want to know how a veteran, half a century on, makes sense of the conflict that has clearly shaped his life
31:47What are your thoughts now, 50 years after the end of the war?
31:51We don't dwell in the past too much, we should unite and we should work together and look forward to a better future together
32:03Wise words from someone who's now a custodian of the relics of the war
32:08There's so many
32:09There's so many
32:11I'm wondering that
32:134,000?
32:15Have you got a spare one? I mean, I'll buy it off him
32:17He won't sell you one
32:18Oh no, I don't want a free one
32:21But if he's got 4,000, he's not going to miss it
32:23His collection doesn't just preserve history, it offers a rare glimpse into the lives of the soldiers who lived it
32:32This was used to carry a soldier's ashes
32:36He died in the war and his comrades collected ashes and put them in his bag and carried it back to his family
32:47And then his family brought it to him
32:50It's like a radio
32:52Daoha's place is recognised as a bona fide local museum of war artefacts
32:56A fascinating archive and a great resource for those studying that era
33:01It's...
33:03Have a look at this
33:05It says it's safe, right?
33:09It won't, it won't explode
33:11It won't go off
33:13I'm going to put this down very gently
33:17What sort of bomb is this?
33:20My friend Daoha keeps upsizing
33:22Every bomb's getting bigger
33:26This one
33:28This one
33:30Preserving the past is a way to honour those who served
33:34And also an opportunity to heal wounds from his time serving
33:38But for Daoha, his music is the best form of therapy
33:41So apart from a collector of water bottles and bike parts and disused weapons and all the environmental work you do, you sing songs as well?
33:53For him, he just writes what feels right to him, how he feels about his own mother
33:59A renowned composer, this song was written on the anniversary of his mom's death when he was visiting her grave
34:07There's not enough pain in the wreck
34:08It says it's the night
34:09It dawns on the air
34:12It's the night of a tree
34:15It's the night of a tree
34:17It's the night of an animal
34:19It was a fire
34:22It's the night of a tree
34:24It's the night of a tree
34:25The song is from a childhood memory of his mum in the middle of the green fields.
34:46She's working in the rain to bring the young Dao Ha food,
34:50and he wishes the rain to stop and that his mum doesn't need to suffer.
34:55When Dao Ha grew up, he joined the army, he left home, and when he came back, she was gone.
35:06She's gone.
35:09She's gone.
35:11My mother's green, my mother's green.
35:13My mother has become a house.
35:19Oh, wow.
35:22That was...
35:23Yeah.
35:24Yeah.
35:26That was brilliant.
35:30My time across this great nation of Vietnam so far has been an absolute delight,
35:35especially when it comes to mixing with locals.
35:38But today, I've met a Hanoi native with a bit of an attitude.
35:49Rude.
35:51So rude.
35:55It's not going well.
35:58Normally, I've got, you know, a little of a good...
36:01Oh, hang on. Thanks for something you've perked up.
36:03Hello.
36:04Hello, mate.
36:06Hello.
36:07I'm bringing out all the tricks in the book for Mr. Aloof.
36:12What do you mean?
36:14What, where, what is his name?
36:17Pant.
36:18He's not answering.
36:20Pant.
36:21Oh, for God's sake.
36:25Waste of time that was.
36:29Maybe it's because my, uh, small intestine's not working.
36:33Dogs can sense it.
36:35He thinks, uh, there's something wrong with this bloke.
36:37He's getting the hell out of here before his small intestine explodes.
36:44Hanoi residents, it turns out, are lovely.
36:46They just make you work for it.
36:48He likes to scritch behind the ear.
36:50All doggies love that.
36:54Now I've won over my new friend.
36:56I can enjoy the local delicacy I came here for.
36:59This is the famous egg coffee.
37:02It was invented here, in Hanoi, in 1940, by an enterprising bartender at the Metropole Hotel.
37:14And, of course, during the war, milk was scarce.
37:17So what he came up with was an alternative.
37:19Whipped egg yolks mixed with condensed milk, froth done over coffee.
37:29It's like a cross between cappuccino and tiramisu.
37:33And it's actually delicious.
37:35I mean, you wouldn't want to have more than one of them a month.
37:41Since Mr Lum's health advice, I'm a bit more conscious of my choices.
37:44And it seems my new friend is watching his way, too.
37:55Thao Ha inspired me to hear more local music.
37:58He told me about a hypnotic Vietnamese art form renowned in the north.
38:03In Vietnam's cultural heartlands, there's a haunting and rather beautiful form of traditional music,
38:11which dates back a thousand years.
38:13It's called Kha Tru, and it's a form of stylized singing performed by a female vocalist accompanied by traditional lute and percussion.
38:26Efforts across Vietnam are being made to bring it back to life.
38:29You just say that was, tell them that was fantastic. I loved it.
38:47This music was often played at special occasions to commemorate things like the birth of a child or signing of a contract.
39:00So there's a real sense of ceremony and occasion about it.
39:05And it's actually quite mesmerizing, you know.
39:10I mean, this is ancient music.
39:13It's like a bit of living history.
39:16Listening to it is like a glimpse into Vietnam's ancient past.
39:23But I noticed that the girls that were singing, they're quite young.
39:36These are like, this is the next generation.
39:38Our third generation is the cultural.
39:41Right, which is great, because there was a time when, you know, it looked like it might not carry on.
39:49But it's wonderful seeing young people carrying on the tradition.
39:54And his grandmother, Tom, are going to try and teach me how to play their music.
40:07First, you have to put the nail in the right position.
40:11Oh, like this? Like this?
40:13Like her.
40:14Oh, yes, OK.
40:17Ah, all right.
40:19That's good.
40:31Very first Dandai lesson from the master.
40:37This instrument is very old.
40:42It's an ancient instrument.
40:43When does it date back to?
40:4519th century.
40:47This is amazing.
40:49Wow.
40:50At the risk of butchering this pure sound, I've brought something from the future.
40:55Can I make one change?
40:56Yeah.
40:57I've got my own plectrum.
40:59OK.
40:59I'm used to this.
41:00It's very difficult to play this, but I've got my own.
41:04OK.
41:05Yeah.
41:06So, here we go.
41:07The sounds made by each instrument are unlike anything I've encountered.
41:23The role of the drum is about praise.
41:25The drummer must hit when the singer sings well.
41:28Huh?
41:29What happens if you don't play very well?
41:32Like I've been playing very well.
41:33You don't play the drums.
41:35You don't get any, there's no drums.
41:43If a singer sings well and doesn't play well, then you don't play well.
41:47You don't play well?
41:48Yeah.
41:49We don't play well.
41:50The approval drum.
41:51So, I get nothing.
41:54Yeah.
42:04I'm a long way off creating a sound close to what these masters make.
42:09But it's not a bad first attempt.
42:11It was a great privilege to be taught by someone like your grandmother.
42:16Yeah.
42:21I think I got to do something which very few people get to do and that is to actually have
42:30a bit of a jam with some car-true artists and learn from the master.
42:35Learn from someone who's played it their entire life.
42:40So, it's a real privilege to be, to be part of that.
42:43And the music itself is so ethereal and the voice seems to come from somewhere else entirely.
42:51But it's kind of otherworldly.
43:11Here on the banks of the Red River just outside Hanoi is where the ancestors of the Vietnamese
43:16people, the Dong Cern culture, first settled.
43:21You could argue this is where Vietnam began.
43:25The birthplace of a nation.
43:33There's a thread running through all my experiences here in Hanoi.
43:36And that is a real sense of reverence for the feminine, for mothering generally.
43:44I promised myself earlier to burn some effigies to honour my own mother.
43:48And now is that time.
43:51I'm here to embrace this ancient tradition of offering up an effigy to those who have left us.
43:57Those in the afterlife.
44:00Things that perhaps people didn't have in this life.
44:04Even mansions and Lamborghinis.
44:06Well, I can tell you now, my mum would have no use for a Lamborghini.
44:09She'd be saying, well, where's the boot?
44:12Where are you going to put the shopping?
44:13Where's the dog going to go?
44:14But what I do know is that she loved to sing along to the radio.
44:19It's one of my earliest memories of her.
44:21And so I've actually found the perfect offering.
44:26It's actually a portable radio in paper effigy form.
44:34So this is for you, mum.
44:44Keep singing your songs.
44:56And for my dear friend, British comedian, Sean Locke, who left us too young, I have something for you.
45:07For my old pal, Sean, I've got a horse.
45:11Because who wouldn't want a horse?
45:26As the sun dips over the Red River, I'm taking a moment to contemplate those who've left us behind.
45:36And what a moving, mysterious, and utterly unforgettable time it's been in Hanoi.
45:51Next time on Bill Bailey's Vietnam.
45:54I reckon I've got one more speed in me.
45:58I thought I'd worn the right shoes, but clearly not.
46:01Didn't think I'd be scratching a buffalo today, but always up for something new.
46:24I think it's tough.
46:25Just like it was.
46:26I'm so tired.
46:27I thought it was too late for the night, so we probably should...
46:28That's a hard cry.
46:29I
46:43write me through the Maharajah and try something else.
46:45That's a hard cry.
46:46Big TV
46:48Big TV
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