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Bill Bailey’s Vietnam - Season 1 Episode 6 -
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00On the Bay of Ha Long in Vietnam's north,
00:03the idea was to glide gracefully across the water.
00:10I suffered no injury, except perhaps to my dignity.
00:15But undeterred, I sailed out across the misty majesty of Ha Long Bay.
00:21Vietnam, of course it's a place of tea plantations, traffic, temples,
00:33but then it's something else entirely.
00:39Come with me on an unusual, unfiltered, unforgettable adventure.
00:51My mind's off on a whole bunch of other tangents.
00:54I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982.
00:58As this nation commemorates 50 years since the end of the war.
01:01So it's safe, right?
01:03I'll explore this fertile land, ask the big questions.
01:06Am I in the right place?
01:08Embrace new experiences, even my own future.
01:12You're smart and tested.
01:15Is there any, you know, good news?
01:18Navigate tight spaces.
01:20I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out.
01:22Make some new friends.
01:24Separated at birth.
01:26This is a voyage of discovery, of strange encounters.
01:29This is your whole life in a plant.
01:31And kindred spirits.
01:33An enchanted stroll to one of the most fascinating places on earth.
01:38Welcome to Bill Bailey's Vietnam adventure.
01:41Har Long Bay.
01:42The breathtaking natural wonder of North Vietnam.
01:56This extraordinary archipelago of nearly 2,000 limestone casts spreads out over an area of 130 miles of ocean.
02:11And it is genuinely awe-inspiring and very beautiful.
02:26And it's also been the cradle of civilization in this part of Vietnam.
02:33There's archaeological evidence that points to fishing settlements that go back 18,000 years.
02:39And after that, it became a natural stronghold.
02:44A strategic naval base.
02:47A place to repel invaders.
02:49It's also a place of real Vietnamese identity.
02:54It's threaded through the cultural memory of Vietnam.
02:58It's in the poetry, the songs, even in the royal records of ancient dynasties.
03:04So when you sail through these islands, you're not just sailing through this beautiful, awe-inspiring landscape.
03:13You're sailing through a place of myths and legend.
03:16Any online search for Vietnam will throw up a picture of Har Long Bay.
03:25It's so popular, so known around the world, that I want to see if it lives up to all the hype.
03:31Millions of years in the making, this mystical aquatic enclave forms part of the coastline of northern Vietnam.
03:38And, as you've seen, I'm going to immerse myself in it.
03:42As I embark on an exploration of the emerald green waters around Har Long Bay,
03:49I've boarded a junk boat, with Happy as my guide.
03:53You grew up in Har Long?
03:54Yeah, I grew up in the Lanha Bay.
03:57Yeah?
03:58And before the tour guide, I was a fishing boy.
04:00Oh!
04:01Yeah!
04:02So you're really born and bred here, then?
04:04Mm-hmm.
04:05Well, good, I'm looking forward to it.
04:06Because I'm interested in all sorts of things.
04:08Birds, wildlife.
04:10Do we think we might see something like that?
04:12Yeah.
04:13On these islands?
04:14Or the sea hawk.
04:15Sea hawk?
04:16Yeah.
04:17The birds fly over there, looking for the fish under the water.
04:19We go with the sea hawk.
04:20Sea hawk, right.
04:21Yeah.
04:22But the fishermen, we don't know them.
04:24We don't like them.
04:25Sometimes they try to steal my feet.
04:27They steal your fish, right.
04:28Yeah.
04:30Birds of prey are not the only airborne creatures that tell the story of this region.
04:35So the legend of the creation of Ha Long Bay very much tied up with the dragon, which is
04:45a symbol of power and prosperity in Vietnam.
04:49A long time ago, when Vietnam was just a young country, it was in danger of naval invasion.
04:55So the Jade Emperor in the skies sent down a family of dragons to protect the country.
05:01And they descended from the heavens, casting out their jewels, their emeralds and pearls,
05:08creating this natural fortress to protect Vietnam.
05:12When it was done, the mother dragon was so enamored of the place, she decided to stay,
05:18giving it the name Ha Long, descending dragon.
05:21And actually, if you look at the landscape, it does kind of resemble a submerged dragon's back.
05:32Cruising these glassy waters can be extraordinarily peaceful.
05:36Other times though, not so much.
05:38Hello.
05:42I can have a word with the local council.
05:44I mean, that's just outrageous.
05:46It's just, there's no need for it.
05:49This is more of a sedate paste.
05:51Look at this fellow here.
05:52That's how, that's how fast you should be going.
05:58Just gently pootling along, not sending a wash.
06:03I mean, there's erosion here enough as it is.
06:07Hello.
06:09There you go, you see, that's more like it.
06:12Captain Bailey, bossing about these hooligans on the high seas.
06:16Ah, you...
06:17For **** sake.
06:19Quite a tiny stool now, I'd throw it at them.
06:23Pull steam ahead.
06:26The old wooden junk boats in this bay are a living link to the past, with a long history of use for fishing and trading in Southeast Asia.
06:34But if you want to get right into the landscape, like I'm keen to do, this is your best bet.
06:40Well, I mean, you've seen my attempt earlier on, on the stand-up paddle board, so I'm proud to reveal I can do it, but I recommend a lower centre of gravity at this stage.
06:51This place is just stunningly impressive.
06:56Somewhere that I've wanted to see for years.
07:00And the photos that appear in brochures online, and of course, in a million Instagram fees, just don't do it justice.
07:12You can't really capture the scale of it in a photo.
07:16You have to see it for yourself.
07:18I mean, it's immense.
07:21These huge towers just rising out of an emerald sea.
07:26I mean, it's...
07:28It is like another world.
07:30And also, the forces at work that created this.
07:33It's just monumental.
07:35Rising up in the middle of nowhere are these castes, or limestone pillars.
07:41And if you're on a small vessel like this, you can come ashore.
07:44So you really get a sense of how these castes are formed when you get really up close to it.
07:54Something like between 400 and 250 million years ago, marine life settled to the bottom of the sea.
08:02Remains of shellfish, shells, the remains of dead marine life, and it would just settle to the bottom of the sea, accumulate over eons of time, eventually forming a solid slab of rock.
08:18Limestone.
08:19Limestone.
08:20And something like 100 million years ago, just a mere hop and a skip in geological terms.
08:25Huge powers were brought to bear.
08:29Tectonic uplift.
08:31And these slabs of rock were forced up.
08:35Sea level changed, and they created these towers or castes.
08:41You see them all over the world, limestone forests on land.
08:47You don't often see them in the sea.
08:49These are called drowned casts.
08:51And what makes Harlong Bay unique is the sheer scale of them.
08:56I mean, this is absolutely vast.
08:59And the limestone is gradually being dissolved.
09:03As you can see it, it's like a sort of, you know, like teeth that have been gradually decayed over time.
09:09And that will continue over the next, however, millions of years.
09:14And to see these forces at work, I want to visit one of the many caves in the area.
09:19I'm upgrading from the kneeling board to a little boat and a proper seat, with my guide Happy and a fine oarsman to power us along.
09:28Step by step.
09:30The key is to have a vessel that sits low enough so you can access the caves.
09:35All right, here we go.
09:36Here we go.
09:38That's not very.
09:39That's better.
09:41Oh, beautiful.
09:42Nice, yeah, beautiful.
09:44This is the way to travel.
09:46Yeah.
09:48So we go to one of the most beautiful caves in Vietnam.
09:51Right.
09:52Because the name is Bright Cave.
09:54We are headed to Bright Cave, also called Light and Dark Cave, and with extreme tidal changes every day, you need to have your wits about you.
10:02It's very dark inside and it's very dangerous with the tour.
10:05You know, the important thing when you come into the cave with the low tide, when the water going up and the current is very strong.
10:13When you're tired, you cannot go back and the water puts you more deep.
10:18You're stuck inside.
10:19You're stuck there, yeah.
10:20Yeah, maybe one half day when the water going down, you go outside, maybe forever.
10:25Wow.
10:27Well, I'm glad you're here then.
10:29Yeah, that's why it's really important for the tour.
10:32So when there's people going in there in kayaks, you have to tell them this can be quite treacherous.
10:37Yeah, yeah.
10:38Yeah.
10:40Light Cave is a classic frogmouth shaped cave, with its floor under water and ceiling above sea level.
10:50If you were in here and the tide went up, it would be, the roof would be very low, wouldn't it?
10:56Yeah, yeah.
10:57It would be difficult to negotiate your way up.
10:59And your head will hit the rock.
11:01Yeah.
11:02Because this, for example, this one.
11:04Oh.
11:05Yeah.
11:06When the water going up.
11:07That one goes under the water.
11:08You see that, yeah.
11:09If I'm tired, it will be submerged.
11:12The light cave opens up to a tranquil lagoon, where you can hear a pin drop.
11:19Is that quiet?
11:20It's quiet.
11:21You can only hear the sound of the boat singing.
11:24Yeah.
11:27Just birdsong.
11:28So peaceful, except for the sound of...
11:30A British bloke trying to make contact with the local wildlife.
11:53To give my sea legs a breather,
11:55I'm taking off for a day trip to the secluded Viet Hai village on Cat Bar Island,
12:00hidden deep in the national park.
12:02It's very peaceful here.
12:04You know, the...
12:05Obviously, the...
12:06The way that the formations are forms this sort of natural harbour.
12:12So, you get these anchorages in some of the in...
12:16The sort of the inlets, which are extremely calm.
12:18It's just like a mirror here today.
12:22But yeah, I mean, there's...
12:23These islands, they vary hugely in size.
12:26Some from, you know, just a single tower,
12:30to this particular island, Viet Hai,
12:33which is actually much bigger and can sustain a village.
12:39And a road, brilliantly.
12:40So...
12:42It's good to be on dry land for a bit.
12:44Accessible only by boat,
12:45this remote village is tucked away from the main attraction of Harlong Bay.
12:50And en route, something has caught my eye.
12:52It's what I love about the tropics,
12:57is that even the common butterflies are extraordinarily beautiful.
13:02You know, this one's just a common swallowtail,
13:06but it's got these gossamer wings
13:09and beautiful markings on the lower wings
13:13and these sort of teardrop-like swallowtails.
13:16And this bright red abdomen as well.
13:18And it's just a riot of colour.
13:22And these are everywhere.
13:23They've been following me the whole way.
13:29Joining me is another human resident of the island
13:32who's going to show me around the village.
13:34Hello.
13:35Hello, hi, Bill.
13:36Hey.
13:37How are you?
13:38How are you doing?
13:39Yeah.
13:40All right, just part in.
13:41Goodbye.
13:42Hey, I'm Bill.
13:43What's your name?
13:44My name is Tang.
13:45Tang?
13:46Good to meet you.
13:47Tang has seen a lot of change in Viet Hai over the years.
13:50How long has there been a village here?
13:53Uh...
13:54Like, really long time ago,
13:56but start from, like, 100 years ago.
13:59The story goes that Tang's ancestors were fishermen
14:02who encountered a big storm,
14:04so they took refuge and settled on Cat Bar Island.
14:08The Vietnam War interrupted things,
14:10but they've retained the traditional way of life ever since.
14:13Here.
14:14Oh, look, there we go.
14:16The village has adopted a tourist attraction,
14:18which at the very least keeps the fish entertained.
14:22We're about to experience a fish massage,
14:24which involves reacquainting myself
14:26with what has become an old friend in Vietnam.
14:30Oh, look, a tiny stool.
14:32My favourite.
14:35If I'm doing this, so is my guide, Tang.
14:38The tiny, nibbling therapists await,
14:40ready to exfoliate my feet in a mildly alarming manner.
14:45And they're extra famished.
14:47We don't give them too much food.
14:49Right.
14:50So they're hungry.
14:51So then when the foot goes in, they're straight over.
14:54Yeah.
14:55Oh, I see.
14:57They're hungry.
14:59Tang leaves the way.
15:00He's keeping me company in this tickle torture.
15:04Oh, yeah.
15:05Right, I'm going in.
15:07One, two, three.
15:08Full foot immersion.
15:09Gah!
15:10Ticking!
15:11Woo-hoo!
15:12Yee-haw!
15:13Gah!
15:14It's why I said, like, they cannot keep, like, for the long times.
15:21Oh.
15:22No.
15:23They're so hungry.
15:24Oh!
15:25Oh!
15:26Oh!
15:27Gah!
15:29There's someone that can, like, swimming in here.
15:32Really?
15:33Yeah.
15:34What, they've got their whole body in?
15:35Oh.
15:36It's all done.
15:37I don't know.
15:38I don't know about that.
15:39Ten seconds is about enough.
15:40That's all I can stand.
15:41Well, fill your boots, lads.
15:44Oh!
15:47It tickles.
15:48It tickles!
15:49While the practice of having fish nibble away at your dead skin isn't a cultural tradition,
15:53the doctor fish, or garrarufa fish, are supposed to make you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
16:00We will eat them later.
16:03They taste a bit of feet, though, that's the other thing.
16:05Mm-hmm.
16:06It's like being attacked by a gang of aquatic dentists.
16:09Oddly therapeutic.
16:10Count us down from ten.
16:11Ten.
16:12Nine.
16:13Eight.
16:14Seven.
16:15Three.
16:16Two.
16:17One.
16:18Two, one.
16:19Three, two, one.
16:20Go.
16:21Oh.
16:22Oh.
16:23Oh, I'm not sure about that.
16:25But, I mean, my feet do feel a lot cleaner, I've got to say.
16:28Mm-hmm.
16:29So, I suppose there is some benefit.
16:30Three, two.
16:31After getting close and personal with these tiny nibblers, I felt it was only fair that
16:40I meet their larger cousins, who sustain more than a few softest tourists.
16:46My guide, Happy, is taking me to a floating fishing village out on Ha Long Bay.
16:53I'm Bill.
16:54Ah.
16:55Good to meet you.
16:56Yeah.
16:57Good to meet you.
16:58And have a little look around.
16:59Villagers like Mr. Tum mainly earn their living by fishing.
17:03It's a tough life.
17:04The stories of typhoons and a life lived entirely at the mercy of the elements.
17:10The first, the fishermen, they kept the fish on the sea and lived on the ocean.
17:16But when the ocean is very dangerous, when the storm and typhoon.
17:18Right.
17:19They come here, you see, around is a mountain.
17:22It's a cover for them.
17:23Right.
17:24And they live here with a family.
17:26So, they actually live out here?
17:28Yeah.
17:29On the platform?
17:30Yeah.
17:31So, do they have electricity that comes here?
17:34In the path, they use electric by the battery.
17:38But after the storm, the edge drop is broken.
17:41Now they use the solar panel.
17:43Proof that even here, the modern world is catching up with this ancient tradition.
17:50We have the house over there, the bedroom, everything.
17:56The house over there, the feet.
17:58The children, they live here.
17:59And they go to school by taxi boat.
18:01They go to school.
18:02Yeah.
18:03Yeah, look like this.
18:04A school by taxi boat?
18:05Taxi boat, like this.
18:06This one, the maximum 10 people.
18:08Right.
18:09The children go to school every day.
18:10And the school's on the, in the island.
18:12Yeah, yeah.
18:13No school here.
18:14Yeah.
18:15The morning, the taxi boat take the children from here to the pier.
18:18And then from the pier, go to school by taxi motorbike.
18:21My, my boat and bike.
18:23Right, motorbike, yeah.
18:24Taxi boat and then taxi motorbike.
18:25That is a, that is a fun way.
18:27Yeah.
18:28Fun.
18:29For being a kid, that's fun.
18:30Getting on a boat and a motorbike every morning.
18:33Mr. Tam has lived a long life on the floating village.
18:36What age is he going to retire, do you think?
18:38How many years ago?
18:39How many years ago?
18:40How many years ago?
18:41How many years ago?
18:42How many years ago?
18:43He went to retire at 60, 60 years old.
18:4760, that's it?
18:48Yeah.
18:49But now he's 63.
18:50Yeah.
18:51He, he working until he, until he feel tired.
18:55Yeah.
18:56Yeah.
18:57I know.
18:58Good health.
18:59That's it.
19:00You look, you're strong.
19:01Yeah.
19:02Yeah.
19:03He told me he retired when, when he tired.
19:05Yeah.
19:06But he knows Sean, now he's sure he can working for more money.
19:08Yeah.
19:09Look at his face.
19:10Wow.
19:11It looks all right.
19:12No need to retire yet.
19:13Yeah.
19:14Yeah.
19:15He's strong, young customer here.
19:16Oh yeah.
19:17He's fine.
19:18No hair though.
19:19No, same.
19:20A little similar, yeah.
19:22Same with me, that's the problem.
19:23Yeah, same.
19:27All right.
19:28Okay.
19:29See you later.
19:31In a classic scene from history.
19:33Goodbye.
19:34Two old geezers set off in a fishing boat.
19:37See you in a few days.
19:38With hopes of a great catch and tales of those that got away.
19:42It's a very homemade boat.
19:44It's very lovely.
19:46And I have ultimate faith in this at the top.
19:49I'm off to, I'm not sure where, to see net fishing up close.
19:54So, all we've got is, we've got a little net.
19:57We're going to try and see if we can try our luck in the waters of Harlong Bay.
20:04Mr. Tom is expertly navigating the boat with one oar and at the same time laying out a net.
20:12Obviously this is something that he's been doing since he was a little kid.
20:19So the net is out, set as a little float over there, a little weighted float on one end of the net.
20:27No fish today, but plenty of stories from Mr. Tom.
20:34I'm going to try to do this for the next time.
20:36I'm going to try to do this for the next day.
20:40If we shoot, I'm still going to try to do this for the next day.
20:45But then, at night, I'm going to try to do this for the next day.
20:47I'm going to go and eat my lunch and my dog.
20:51We'll go to school.
20:52Learning about life in a floating village isn't always about the catch.
20:55Especially when you don't catch anything.
20:57In this case, not even a story about the one that got away.
21:02I take full responsibility for the failed mission.
21:11No, there's nothing biting.
21:13We are abandoning ship.
21:15Never mind.
21:18Despite no fish, Mr Tum has invited me to his house
21:21to cook up something he's prepared earlier.
21:24You want it all chopped?
21:26Oh, quite fine, like that.
21:27OK.
21:27An upgrade of sorts, from fish to fresh mussels on the menu.
21:32Two bald blokes on a floating platform.
21:35Two baldies.
21:37Hey, what do you want to do with these?
21:40Yeah?
21:42Oh, you want to?
21:43I'll do that.
21:44You do the clan.
21:45I'll do this.
21:47What was that cooking show, Two Fat Ladies?
21:49Two bald blokes.
21:52Try to find cures for baldness through cooking.
21:55There you go.
21:56That's a cooking show for you.
21:57Whatever you cook, whatever you chop up,
21:59has to go on your head as well.
22:00So what's going on here?
22:02Salt.
22:02We've got salt in here.
22:04We've got some chopped onion.
22:06Bit of chilli.
22:09Bit of garlic.
22:13Oh, that looks good.
22:15This doesn't get much fresher.
22:18They look great.
22:23Smell really good.
22:24Yeah, smell really good.
22:26Can you tell them that we should start a cooking show,
22:30two bald men on a boat?
22:33Yes.
22:36Plating up on the water's edge,
22:38this is the moment we've been waiting for.
22:40We have something here.
22:46This one for the party more fun.
22:48Yeah.
22:51Right.
22:52Okay, now wait, wait, wait.
22:53I know how to do this.
22:54Một, hai, ba, du.
22:58So, like this.
23:02Ngoan không?
23:03Ngoan.
23:03Oh, right.
23:05Yeah.
23:05Bitter of Christmas.
23:07Man.
23:08There you are.
23:08Good.
23:09Hey, this is so good.
23:12Yeah.
23:13Delicious.
23:14I mean, no, you have one.
23:15You have one.
23:16Come on, come on.
23:16Eat, eat, eat, eat.
23:17I can't eat.
23:17I can't eat.
23:19He eats this one every day.
23:21Oh, right.
23:21Oh, okay.
23:22In that case, I won't.
23:23I'm not going to say no.
23:24Yeah.
23:26This is delicious.
23:27I want to tell them,
23:27this, what a real treat this is.
23:30This is amazing.
23:31You know, to have food like this
23:35prepared by Mr. Tamiya.
23:36Yeah, Mr. Tamiya.
23:37Fisherman in this place.
23:40What a treat.
23:42It's amazing.
23:43Thank him very much for me, Wayne.
23:47These were in the sea not long ago.
23:49This is about as fresh as you can get.
23:52They were there, and then,
23:53really fresh, delicious.
23:57And to know more about our recipes,
23:59go to our website,
24:00twobaldmenonaboat.com
24:02You know, look you.
24:07With him, you look like brother.
24:08Oh, there we go.
24:10Look, look, you see.
24:11Look at that.
24:12You see.
24:14Separated at birth.
24:20What?
24:21Hai, ba, jo.
24:23Oh, this is the life.
24:28As I navigate my way round this place of otherworldly beauty,
24:40there's a myriad of different islands to explore.
24:43Nearly 2,000, in fact,
24:44in this gigantic archipelago.
24:46I found a ride on Cat Bar Island to take me from the town into the national park
24:56to head inside a subterranean world.
25:00The towering limestone casts of Ha Long Bay are iconic, dramatic features.
25:06But what's equally impressive is what you can't see.
25:11Inside these islands are huge cave systems,
25:16some as cavernous as cathedrals,
25:18some yet to be discovered.
25:20As a welcome reprieve from the heat and the humidity,
25:25I'm venturing inside the cool darkness of Trung Trang Cave,
25:29the largest in Vietnam
25:31and the third largest limestone cave system in the world.
25:34There's these stalagmites,
25:38incredibly dramatic features.
25:42The vaulted beauty of these rock formations
25:44throws up all manner of weird and wonderful shapes
25:46that feeds the imagination.
25:49This one here looks like a vulture
25:52hunched on top of a tree stump.
25:56That's what I'm seeing.
25:58That's a bulldog with a trifle in its mouth.
26:02I had quite a lot of cheese last night.
26:06Maybe it's the altitude.
26:07I guess it's slightly trippy.
26:09This is absolutely amazing.
26:11It's incredible.
26:12Incredible sort of features
26:13that have been carved out by this.
26:16chemical weathering.
26:19You know, the rain
26:19contains a little bit of carbon dioxide,
26:22so it sort of dissolves
26:24over many, many thousands of years.
26:27It dissolves the limestone,
26:29creates all these features,
26:31these crevices, cracks,
26:33and eventually huge cave systems like this.
26:37This vast cavern also provided a vital function
26:41during the American War.
26:43It was a command post and hospital,
26:45providing shelter from U.S. bombardment.
26:50It's like crawling through a giant brain
26:54made up of billions of cells.
27:00Oh, that's quite...
27:00Look at that.
27:04It's a bit of shadow puppetry.
27:06Maybe it's my Neanderthal DNA,
27:20but I could live in a place like this.
27:22I could amuse myself for hours.
27:24I mean, that looks like a church organ.
27:28Ah, look at that.
27:29I mean, they look like petrified bats.
27:35I wonder if it...
27:36Something just moved up there.
27:38I saw something flicker.
27:41Most probably a little bat.
27:43I've got to say,
27:43these...
27:45stalactites.
27:47These almost look like installations.
27:50They're man-made.
27:51In fact, actually,
27:53these remind me a little bit
27:54of the designs of H.R. Giger
27:56for the original Alien films.
28:00I wonder if he ever got inspiration for these,
28:03from things like this.
28:05Maybe.
28:08It seems the petrified bats have come alive.
28:11Is this a dream?
28:12I need a closer look.
28:15And like the intrepid traveller I am,
28:17I've come prepared for anything.
28:19That must be kit.
28:21Coffee, sweets, mints.
28:27Half the clothes, two hats.
28:33OK.
28:37These are Griffin's leaf-nosed bats,
28:40and they're found only in Vietnam.
28:42And only at two places,
28:44one of which is here,
28:45on Catbar Island.
28:46Obviously, it's during the day,
28:47so they're all kind of just snoozing.
28:53But I can just...
28:54I can make out their features quite well.
28:57See their little ears,
28:58and they're just sort of...
29:00little bit of movement.
29:02They found a great spot here.
29:06Islands are these little
29:08laboratories of evolution,
29:10where creatures can evolve
29:12free from predators,
29:14free from competition.
29:17So,
29:17each one of these casts,
29:20individually,
29:21can sustain
29:22a multitude of species.
29:24just scratching the surface
29:33of the extensive cave system here
29:35gives you a glimpse
29:36into the geological wonder
29:38of the region.
29:39But if for some reason,
29:41the majesty of the natural world
29:42is not your thing,
29:44fear not,
29:45for there's much to enjoy
29:46in the culinary delights
29:48of Harlong City.
29:49I'm an Englishman in Harlong City.
29:59I'm an Englishman in Harlong City.
30:04I'm an Englishman in Harlong City.
30:06Oh.
30:07You probably can't move,
30:08walk out in the middle of this,
30:09you're getting mullered.
30:11What?
30:14I'm feeling confident
30:15to make a crossing.
30:17I've come a long way
30:18from Ho Chi Minh City,
30:19where crossing the road
30:20was a daunting prospect.
30:21I've certainly noticed
30:22that they're quite assertive
30:25here in the north.
30:26There's no quarter given.
30:30Yes,
30:30you have to be bold
30:31when crossing the road here.
30:33It's no point being English
30:34and polite.
30:35No, after you.
30:36No, no, after you.
30:36No, please, you go.
30:38No, you have to just
30:39go for it.
30:42I can twirl it.
30:45Note that nobody stops here
30:46for pedestrians on crossings.
30:51This is clearly the way
30:53to cross the road here.
30:55You've got to have
30:56an angle,
30:57an extra hustle.
30:58Feel like a matador
30:59going out in the bullring.
31:02Nailed it
31:03in the last city
31:04of my tour of Vietnam.
31:06I feel the closest yet
31:07to becoming a local.
31:09But I do feel
31:10that I've earned the right
31:11to do something quite normal,
31:13and that is
31:13nip to the post office
31:15and pick up a package.
31:17Back in Ho Chi Minh City,
31:20I mailed one of my
31:21drawings to myself
31:22of one of my first
31:24impressions of Vietnam.
31:25And now I'm here
31:26to pick it up
31:27to see if those
31:28first impressions
31:29are still as strong.
31:31Well, let's made it here.
31:34My drawing
31:35of a lotus.
31:38And, uh,
31:39I was trying to
31:41draw something
31:43that seemed to
31:45encapsulate
31:45my impressions
31:47of Vietnam.
31:48And as if
31:49to reinforce
31:50that point,
31:51right here,
31:52under the sign
31:53that says
31:53Vietnam Post,
31:55look at that,
31:56what is there?
31:57Lotus.
32:00So,
32:00I might be on to something.
32:05The little lotus
32:06first appealed to me
32:07back in the early stages
32:08of my journey.
32:10It was
32:10in the centre
32:12of a roundabout
32:12in Ho Chi Minh City,
32:14and it was a
32:15huge fountain
32:17in the shape
32:18of a lotus.
32:19And I just liked
32:20the shape of it.
32:21It was just sort of
32:21aesthetically very pleasing.
32:23Oh,
32:24come in.
32:26So,
32:27the lotus flower
32:28continues its life
32:29here in Ha Long.
32:30Not reborn as such,
32:31but repurposed.
32:33You know,
32:33the lotus often
32:34grows out of mud,
32:35so it sort of
32:35represents that
32:36from hardship
32:37to prosperity,
32:40which is very much
32:41the story
32:41of modern Vietnam
32:42in a short period
32:44of time.
32:45So,
32:45I might just
32:46finish this off,
32:46actually.
32:47I'd started the sketch
32:48in one part of Vietnam,
32:50and I'm going to
32:51finish it off here.
32:51And fast forward
32:53to the final creation.
32:55A little drawing
32:56that may make it
32:57into a new book
32:58sometime soon.
33:06From artistic expression
33:08to the far more
33:09pressing matter
33:09of lunch,
33:10there's a scent
33:11of sausage in the air,
33:13and I'm on a mission
33:13to find it.
33:15Who are they?
33:16I need to know.
33:18Need to find out.
33:19I suppose I'll just
33:19buy one and find out.
33:21I've got 1,000 dong.
33:24Is that?
33:24For one?
33:25Is that right?
33:27I don't even know
33:28what it is,
33:28but I'm game.
33:32Mmm.
33:34Good.
33:37It's some kind
33:38of delicious thing.
33:40I'm guessing
33:41it's some sort of
33:42fried rice flour
33:44arrangement,
33:45but it's very good.
33:47But 2,000 dong,
33:49I mean,
33:49you can't go wrong,
33:50can you?
33:50I don't even know.
33:54Delicious,
33:55but I still have
33:56no idea what it was.
33:58Either way,
33:58it was an appetizer,
34:00and I'm craving
34:01the main course.
34:02Well, that actually
34:03wasn't what
34:03I'm looking for.
34:06I'm looking for
34:07something a little bit
34:08more substantial,
34:09which is a local treat,
34:11a squid sausage.
34:11and I believe
34:14one can be procured
34:16in this locale.
34:19Let's have a look.
34:20Hello.
34:21Hello.
34:22You have squid?
34:23Squid.
34:24Sausage.
34:25I think I'm in
34:26the right place.
34:27This is an interesting
34:28combination of
34:30translation
34:31and getting
34:35the right money.
34:36An opportunity
34:37to prove to you
34:38that despite appearances,
34:39I'm actually
34:40a bit of a tech wizard.
34:42I've got this
34:42app on the phone
34:44which if you hold
34:45your camera
34:45over the menu
34:47or any language,
34:49it will read it
34:50and translate it
34:51onto the screen.
34:53So it is
34:54very simple.
34:56Okay.
34:56That's squid
34:57sticky rice,
34:58it says.
34:59Sticky rice.
35:01Special sticky rice.
35:03Oh, hang on.
35:04Meat succulents.
35:06I'm not sure
35:07the translation app
35:08is quite accurate
35:10because one of
35:12these dishes,
35:13it says,
35:13is a tongue tunnel.
35:15I didn't even know
35:16tongues had a tunnel.
35:17Another one is
35:18stomach stew
35:19with pepper.
35:20Well,
35:20I've had tripe
35:21before now
35:21so that's no
35:22stomach stew,
35:24tongue tunnel.
35:26Oh,
35:26grilled squid.
35:27This might be it.
35:28Here we go.
35:30Bạn có xúc xích mực hông.
35:32Bạn có xúc xích mực hông.
35:36Oh,
35:37xin chào.
35:38Bạn có xúc xích mực hông?
35:42Xúc xích mực hông?
35:46Ah.
35:48Oh,
35:48yes.
35:52Well,
35:52clearly,
35:52you do.
35:54This looks
35:55absolutely
35:56fantastic.
36:03One of the great
36:04delights
36:04of Vietnam
36:05is the street food.
36:07Now,
36:08this
36:08is a local
36:09speciality.
36:10This is squid sausage.
36:11And why wouldn't you make a sausage out of squid?
36:15I mean,
36:15you can make sausage out of anything.
36:18Squid is a big favourite in Vietnam.
36:22In fact,
36:22people come to
36:24Ha Long,
36:26Ha Long,
36:26Ha Fong,
36:27Cat Bile,
36:27and just for the squid.
36:29I do feel these are not technically sausages.
36:32They are shaped more like squid cakes,
36:34but they're so good,
36:36I'm not quibbling.
36:36Great.
36:39Delicious.
36:39So fresh,
36:41straight out the sea.
36:48In the Ha Long Bay region,
36:50water is a common theme,
36:52and it's the essential element
36:53in one of the area's
36:55most eccentric
36:56and unique art forms.
36:58I'm off to the theatre.
37:04This is
37:05Tsao Tuk
37:06Water Puppet Theatre,
37:08where local stories
37:09are brought to vivid life
37:11on a semi-submerged stage.
37:16I've never seen anything like this before.
37:18This is extraordinary.
37:19Backstage,
37:20my guide,
37:21Kim,
37:21explains how physically demanding
37:23the work is
37:24for the puppeteers
37:25like Truong,
37:26who stand in a pool of water
37:28to manoeuvre
37:29the handmade wooden puppets
37:30from behind a screen.
37:32So,
37:32as you can see,
37:33this is a water buffalo.
37:34Yeah.
37:35And a farmer.
37:37Yeah.
37:37And they're going out
37:39to the farm together.
37:40This figure is made of
37:42some made of bow
37:44and some of fig wood.
37:46Right.
37:47So it's light
37:48and can float on top of water.
37:50It can float, I see, yeah.
37:51Yeah.
37:51You see the board under here?
37:53Yeah.
37:53This part will be underwater,
37:56so you won't see it.
37:57When you're out there.
38:02Ah.
38:03There.
38:05Ah, I see.
38:07Yeah.
38:07And that's how they move.
38:10That's great.
38:10Oh, well,
38:11well,
38:12well,
38:12well,
38:12well,
38:13it doesn't do it.
38:13It's fantastic.
38:19I feel very at home here,
38:21backstage,
38:22in a theatre.
38:23This is my natural habitat.
38:24See, right now,
38:26I'm getting excited for the show.
38:28And that's what I get there.
38:30You see,
38:30everyone's just getting,
38:32just getting worked up.
38:33The people are coming in.
38:35The auditorium's filling up
38:36with a sense of anticipation
38:38for the crowd.
38:39Welcome to my world.
38:41And it's showtime.
38:49The legend of Ha Long Bay,
38:51the descending dragon begins.
38:54Farmers and villagers face northern invaders
38:56and call the dragon mother
38:58to fight them off
38:59to keep the peace.
39:01It's a celebration
39:02of patriotism,
39:03resilience
39:03and the belief
39:05in divine intervention.
39:07During the 12th century
39:08Lee dynasty,
39:09water puppetry
39:10went from a peasant folk art
39:12to a prestigious show
39:13for royalty.
39:14One, two, three, go.
39:18The puppeteers breathe life
39:20into the whole thing.
39:22They're working
39:22with inanimate objects,
39:23but they really come alive.
39:25It looks chaotic out front,
39:38but out back,
39:39even more so.
39:41I've been invited backstage
39:42to see the puppeteers in action.
39:45I mean,
39:46it's so ingenious
39:49and it's unique.
39:52The puppeteers
39:53are up to their
39:55waists in water
39:57with waders on,
39:59gloves,
40:00operating the puppets
40:01from backstage
40:04which are then
40:07being seen
40:08in front of these screens.
40:10But it's amazingly
40:11lifelike,
40:12the movements.
40:15They know how to make it
40:17look very real.
40:18Yeah.
40:19Yeah.
40:20They're really
40:21bringing them to life,
40:22you know,
40:22are these?
40:22Yeah.
40:23Because they're
40:25wooden puppets,
40:26so they haven't got
40:27much expression,
40:29but all of that
40:31comes from the movement.
40:32Yeah.
40:34Look at the
40:35little ducklings.
40:37They're about to
40:39come out too.
40:40Oh, yeah,
40:40the little ducks.
40:42Ha!
40:44So sweet.
40:45What an absolutely
40:46brilliant show.
40:47I love the music
40:49and it's heartwarming
40:50to see an old tradition
40:51that nearly died out,
40:52now thriving,
40:54and fitting
40:54that it's an artistic
40:56reflection
40:56of the semi-submerged
40:58nature
40:59of this stunning
41:00corner of Vietnam.
41:04Time
41:05for a final paddle.
41:07Well, I'm coming
41:15to the end
41:15of my time
41:16here in
41:16Halong Bay
41:17and
41:18I have to say
41:20this place
41:21is just
41:22otherworldly.
41:24I've seen
41:25photographs of it,
41:26pictures online,
41:28about a million
41:29Instagram photos,
41:31but not one
41:32does it justice.
41:34It's only when
41:36you get up close
41:37to it
41:37you can really
41:38appreciate it.
41:40And it's one
41:40of those places
41:41in the world
41:41that genuinely
41:43makes you just
41:45gape in wonderment
41:46and laugh
41:49in disbelief
41:50that such a place
41:52even exists.
41:53There's a line
41:54in the famous
41:55novel by Graham Greene
41:57set in Vietnam,
41:58A Quiet American,
41:59and it says,
42:00I can't say
42:01what made me
42:02fall in love
42:02with Vietnam.
42:03Everything is
42:04so intense.
42:06The colour,
42:07the taste.
42:09And I have to say
42:11that I agree.
42:13That chimes
42:14very much
42:14with my experience.
42:17The mosaic
42:18of colours
42:19in the market,
42:21the deep green
42:22of the rice terrace,
42:24the gold
42:25and reds
42:26of the pagodas,
42:27and the taste.
42:29Oh, my word.
42:30I mean,
42:30the food
42:31is just
42:32astonishing.
42:34Every meal
42:35has zing
42:37and snap.
42:39It's like
42:40a firework
42:41of flavours
42:41bursting on your tongue.
42:43And I have had
42:44some extraordinary
42:45experiences here.
42:47There's no doubt.
42:48a lot of firsts,
42:51actually.
42:52Foraging
42:52for herbs
42:54in the forest.
42:55Taking a herbal
42:56bath in a barrel.
42:57I took a bath
42:57in a barrel.
42:59I mean,
42:59that's a first.
43:01Jamming with
43:02Vietnamese folk
43:03rock bands,
43:05luteists,
43:07ancient bamboo
43:10pipers.
43:11every one
43:13of those
43:13experiences
43:14I will
43:15remember,
43:16I think,
43:16forever.
43:17But there's
43:17one thing
43:18I disagree
43:18with Graham Greene
43:19on,
43:20and that is
43:20that
43:21I can say
43:23what made me
43:24fall in love
43:25with Vietnam.
43:26It's very simple.
43:28It's the people.
43:29Cheers.
43:30People
43:30who have shown me
43:31nothing but
43:32kindness
43:33and hospitality
43:34and
43:35an extraordinarily
43:36warm
43:37welcome.
43:37They've
43:39invited me
43:41into their homes.
43:43I've cooked
43:43with them,
43:44had a laugh
43:45with them,
43:45and
43:46the greatest
43:47compliment
43:48I think
43:49I can give
43:49to the
43:50Vietnamese people
43:50is this.
43:53Throughout
43:54my entire
43:55time here,
43:56Dave
43:56made me feel
43:57at home.
44:07I can give
44:23a
44:24kiss
44:25with
44:25a
44:26kiss
44:27and
44:30to
44:31make
44:32a
44:32kiss
44:32and
44:33love
44:33and
44:34ray
44:34and
44:35share
44:36with
44:36my
44:36life
44:36and
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