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Bill Baileys Vietnam Season 1 Episode 03 Da Lat br EnglishMovie cdrama drama engsub chinesedramaengsub movieshortfull
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00:00I've left behind the noise and the traffic and the hustle and bustle of Saigon for the elegant
00:05colonial retreat, the lofted verdant hills of Dalat, where I hope to breathe some clean mountain
00:13air and to achieve a zen state of calm. But before I do that, send it! Woo-hoo!
00:24Hold that thought.
00:25Vietnam. Of course, it's a place of tea plantations, traffic, temples. But then, it's something
00:38else entirely. Come with me on an unusual, unfiltered, unforgettable adventure.
00:51Give me five.
00:56And a whole bunch of other tangents. I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982.
01:01As this nation commemorates 50 years since the end of the war, I'll explore this fertile land, ask the big questions.
01:09Am I in the right place?
01:11Embrace new experiences, even my own future.
01:15The problem, you are smart and tested. Is there any, you know, good news?
01:21Navigate tight spaces.
01:23I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out.
01:25Make some new friends.
01:27Separate it at birth.
01:29This is a voyage of discovery, of strange encounters.
01:32This is your whole life in a plant.
01:34And kindred spirits.
01:35An enchanted stroll to one of the most fascinating places on earth.
01:41Welcome to Bill Bailey's Vietnam Adventure.
01:44Before we get back to my scenic flight, I want to show you where I am.
02:01This is the central highlands of Vietnam, where thanks to the altitude and the lush green hills, things grow well up here, and I've heard so do tourist attractions.
02:11I'm just outside the picturesque town of Dalat, about six hours' drive north from the big smoke of Ho Chi Minh City, and boy, do I feel a world away from all the scooters.
02:23By the time you reach Dalat, you've already realized, in Vietnam, things are done a little differently, and up here in the hills, I reckon they might be different again, in the most unexpected of ways.
02:35Starting with this place.
02:38This is the Datanla Waterfall Park.
02:43Some kind of adrenaline adventure sports town, where you can be at one with nature, and simultaneously satisfy the daredevil in you.
02:51It's a big drawcard for locals and international tourists alike.
02:55I'm suiting up for a zip line, way above the tree line, and while I look remarkably like some kind of gormless window cleaner, I can assure you there are no office buildings in sight.
03:09I'm feeling a little nervous, a little anxious, but here goes nothing.
03:14Send it!
03:15Woo-hoo!
03:16Ha-ha!
03:17And just like that, I'm flying 1,500 metres on a zip line in Vietnam.
03:30I love the feeling of wind through my trots.
03:33It's not necessarily what I came for, but no complaints.
03:37Bum-ba-bum-bum-bum-bum!
03:39Ha-ha-ha!
03:40Whoa-ho-ho!
03:41Ha-ha-ha!
03:46Woo-hoo!
03:52The whole thing's over in just two minutes.
03:58I would happily have had more.
04:01And the good news is, I can have more.
04:04This park has something for everyone, especially adrenaline junkies.
04:09I shall next conquer the Alpine Coaster,
04:11an ambitious 2,400-metre track,
04:15the longest coaster in Vietnam and also the most informative.
04:19Welcome to the Tatarla Alpine Coaster.
04:22Yes.
04:22Before you ride, you must listen to and understand the important instructions.
04:27What?
04:29What? What important instructions?
04:33Avoiding collisions using an annual break.
04:37Okay.
04:40Keep yourself back and keep your arms and legs inside the coaster car while riding.
04:46Yes.
04:46Ascending into the trees, I feel a sense of trepidation
04:50that I haven't quite understood the instructions.
04:56Whoa!
04:57Whoa!
05:01Whoa!
05:09That's like a...
05:10That's been clappers!
05:11I think I just hit maximum speed on this thing.
05:15It's a wonder my teeth didn't fly out.
05:20As you wind your way around the park,
05:22you hear the sound of the mighty Tatarla Falls.
05:25This is nature at its best.
05:27But there are some other features of the park not to be missed.
05:31You see, nothing says natural beauty
05:34like a giant gold frog playing a saxophone.
05:37Or this.
05:40Oh, I mean, he's got some tackle on him.
05:43I'm not sure that was ever a thing in Jurassic Park, was it?
05:46Whoa, look at the size of his...
05:48It is a lovely spot.
05:53I mean, it's genuinely beautiful here.
05:57You know, there's a beautiful waterfall.
05:59We're in a lovely lush valley.
06:00But it's almost like, that's not quite enough.
06:05We need a few other things to bring in the tourists.
06:09You know, we need a cutesy little bridge.
06:11We need some pitch statues.
06:13We need a couple of T-Rex and some dinosaur eggs.
06:17Somewhere for people to take selfies.
06:19Because that's, after all, what this is about.
06:22But then again, that's...
06:23That's what tourism is about.
06:25People want to...
06:26They see things on Instagram and TikTok
06:28and they want to take the picture themselves.
06:32I can't believe I'm doing this.
06:35Yeah, well, come on.
06:36I couldn't help myself.
06:38It's the roar of Tatarla Falls
06:40that really grabs people here.
06:42It's nature's own roller coaster
06:43thundering through the trees.
06:44But there could be another reason
06:46that punters flock to this part.
06:50I can't quite believe what this is.
06:51This is cheese-flavoured ice cream.
06:55Look, it's in the shape of a piece of cheese.
07:00A popular dessert in Asia,
07:03its unexpected sweet yet savoury flavour,
07:06like so much of Vietnam,
07:07leaves you wanting more.
07:12Yeah.
07:14Tastes like cheese.
07:18In ice cream form.
07:20I think I've found
07:21my favourite thing in the world ever.
07:25That's unbelievable.
07:28Oh, my word.
07:31But the cheesy ice cream
07:32is just one of the many delights
07:34luring people to this alpine oasis.
07:37The town of Dalat
07:39was dreamt up
07:40by a homesick Frenchman
07:41named Yersin
07:42who fell in love
07:43with the alpine region,
07:45founding it in 1893.
07:47You know the guy, Yersin.
07:49You know,
07:50the famous Swiss-born
07:51French bacteriologist
07:52who discovered
07:53the bubonic plague Bacillus.
07:55Come on.
07:56It's named after him.
07:57Yersinia pestis.
07:58Yeah, yeah, yeah,
07:59you know him, yeah.
08:00Anyway,
08:01Dalat became renowned
08:02for growth and abundance,
08:05for pine forests,
08:06tea,
08:07asparagus,
08:07and, would you believe,
08:08growing artichokes.
08:10This is a vegetable
08:11I knew nothing about
08:12before today.
08:13So a trip
08:14to an artichoke farm
08:15in the central highlands
08:16of Dalat
08:17was high on my list.
08:20Hello.
08:21If we flash forward
08:23to the end of my time
08:24with Dalat artichokes,
08:25you might be surprised
08:26to see how much
08:27my love for them grew.
08:32You have captured my heart
08:34with all your different qualities.
08:38I have looked upon you
08:39and I have maybe
08:41underestimated you.
08:43I have looked at
08:44the other vegetables
08:44and plants
08:45and thought,
08:45well, I'm more attractive,
08:46but now I look at you
08:48and I think,
08:49my God,
08:49you are truly the queen
08:51of the vegetable patch.
08:55Let me show you
08:56how this love affair began.
08:59This successful farm
09:01is called Artichoke Valley
09:02in the Lam Dong highlands
09:04of Dalat,
09:05a popular region
09:06for these magnificent plants.
09:07I didn't expect
09:08to see it here in Vietnam.
09:10This is a vegetable
09:11that's, you know,
09:13we see it in Europe a lot.
09:15We take it from France.
09:17The French, yeah.
09:18Yeah.
09:18This farm
09:19is run by Twan,
09:21who left the real estate game
09:22to join his parents
09:23who have been harvesting
09:24artichokes for decades.
09:26I've never been
09:27to an artichoke farm
09:28and I really want
09:28to understand
09:29more about them.
09:30Down there?
09:31Yeah.
09:31OK.
09:32OK.
09:33It's quite tough, isn't it?
09:41What a beauty.
09:42The Vietnam government
09:44once collectivised farming,
09:46stripping away incentive
09:47and nearly crippling
09:49its food supply.
09:50But today,
09:51with a freer market
09:52and growing opportunity,
09:54farmers like Twan
09:55and his mother,
09:55Cern,
09:56are thriving on their own.
09:58And it turns out
09:59they're lucrative
10:00and rather magical
10:01in more ways than one.
10:03A lot of things
10:04you see
10:05are good for liver,
10:07for kidney,
10:08sleeping well,
10:09it's good for skin,
10:10you know.
10:11All the not good
10:11in your thing is...
10:13So it's kind of like
10:13a cleansing...
10:14Yes, yes.
10:15Like medicine.
10:16Like medicine, yeah.
10:17It's a powerhouse
10:18in holistic
10:19eastern medicine.
10:20And for sceptics out there,
10:22research from western medicine
10:23proves its efficacy.
10:25I'm waking up
10:26to the potential
10:26this precious plant has
10:28and the best
10:29is yet to come.
10:30So you can use
10:31every part of that?
10:32Yes, yes.
10:33Some men,
10:33they use the root,
10:35the old one,
10:35put in alcohol
10:36for drinking.
10:37It's good for men,
10:38stronger.
10:39Really?
10:39Yeah.
10:40So you can make this into...
10:42The root,
10:43but the old...
10:44Alcoholic drink?
10:44Yeah, yeah.
10:45We dry on the sun
10:46and then put in
10:46strong alcohol.
10:48And it be for six months
10:49or a few years.
10:50It's really good.
10:51Really good.
10:52Artichoke whiskey.
10:53I had no idea
10:55this had so many
10:55different uses.
10:57Yes.
10:58It's amazing.
11:00The choke is chopped up,
11:01boiled,
11:02and used in everything
11:03from tea to simple soup
11:04to medicinal whiskey.
11:06Now I'm listening.
11:08So this is artichoke hooch.
11:10I never thought
11:11I'd be drinking artichoke whiskey.
11:13Yeah.
11:14My whole perception
11:16of this vegetable
11:16has changed.
11:17I'm going to rename it.
11:18I'm going to call it
11:19the party choke.
11:20Yes.
11:21Cheers.
11:21This stuff is potent.
11:35Just the one for me,
11:36for now.
11:37I genuinely
11:38had no idea
11:39the humble artichoke
11:41was so versatile.
11:42I've underestimated it
11:43pretty much my whole life.
11:45It has so many uses.
11:47I mean,
11:48you can get up in the morning,
11:49have a cup of artichoke tea,
11:51lunchtime,
11:52have some artichoke stew,
11:54and then take various
11:56parts of the leaf
11:58for health properties,
12:01liver cleansing,
12:02helps you sleep at night.
12:04It's good for fertility.
12:06And then in the evening,
12:07you have a few glasses
12:08of happy water.
12:09This is your whole life
12:11in a plant.
12:12It's amazing.
12:13I'm sorry I misjudged you.
12:17It's all right.
12:18It's quite strong,
12:26that happy water,
12:27isn't it?
12:34Dalat is a town
12:35where contradictions collide,
12:37especially at this place,
12:39the Valley of Love,
12:40where legend has it,
12:41couples who visit
12:42are known to break up
12:43after they come here.
12:45Risky business,
12:45if you ask me.
12:46The Valley of Love
12:47is a grand tourist destination
12:50with a reputation to match.
12:52I'm curious to see
12:53what all the hype is about.
12:54Just a few kilometres
12:55north of Dalat town,
12:57this love-themed wonderland
12:59has me feeling
13:00a little uneasy.
13:02So this is it.
13:04I get a whole buggy to myself.
13:07Brilliant.
13:08Things are looking up.
13:09All right.
13:11Flooring.
13:16I'm flying solo
13:25in the Valley of Love,
13:27but I get my own
13:28private tour of the park.
13:31Amongst the splendour,
13:32I spot some familiar faces.
13:39What the f*** is that?
13:42Hang on a minute.
13:43Wait a minute.
13:52Mighty.
13:56I mean,
13:56that is truly
13:57terrifying.
14:00Terrifying.
14:00What am I?
14:19What is happening?
14:20I've had two sips
14:22of Artichoke whiskey
14:23and I'm dancing with Trump.
14:26This day has not turned out
14:27as I imagined at all.
14:32Why there is a wannabe
14:34Madame Tussauds
14:35in a love park,
14:36I don't know.
14:37But here I am.
14:38It doesn't really look
14:38like Dwayne Johnson.
14:44This is really,
14:45it's really eerie
14:46because there's no one here.
14:48It's just me
14:49and these
14:50sort of
14:51slightly strange
14:54looking waxworks.
14:59Oh, no, no, no.
15:01Frozen in time
15:03and a strange
15:04sort of paradox.
15:06This is quickly
15:07becoming the most
15:08bizarre exhibit
15:08in a park
15:09full of oddities
15:10and I thought
15:11I'd seen it all.
15:15Oh,
15:15Oh, sweet
15:19mother of
15:21what the
15:21is that?
15:33Having said that,
15:34I may end up here
15:34one day.
15:35In fact,
15:36let's just recreate
15:37what that might look like.
15:38See you in your nightmares.
15:58My friends
15:58at the wax attraction
15:59seem like
16:00the only ones here.
16:01The Valley of Love
16:02is apparently
16:03one of the most
16:03popular attractions
16:04in Dalat
16:05but no matter
16:06where I look
16:07there's no love
16:08to be found.
16:10What is the
16:11flamingo obsession?
16:12I just don't get it.
16:17Some bloke
16:18locally
16:18makes flamingos
16:20and he's just
16:21cleaning up.
16:23He's got a bunch
16:24of flamingo moulds
16:25and he's just
16:25trying to flog them
16:26to anywhere
16:27where he'll take them.
16:28And the tunnel of,
16:29you know,
16:29the Valley of Love
16:30people have said,
16:31yeah, well,
16:32how many have you got?
16:33And he goes,
16:34how many do you want?
16:36Four dozen?
16:37More than that,
16:38even.
16:39But they all look
16:40a bit grubby.
16:41Like every one of them
16:42could do with a jet wash.
16:46I think the Trump waxwork
16:48was in better shape
16:49and that's saying something.
16:51Nothing says I love you
16:52like 64 knackered flamingos.
16:54As I leave this touristy park,
17:05I'm reminded that
17:06for about ten years
17:07after the end of the war,
17:09Vietnam was closed off
17:10to the world.
17:11Since then,
17:12tourism has really picked up
17:13in huge numbers
17:14and for Dalat,
17:16they flock here
17:16for the romantic landscapes.
17:19One of the most beautiful locations
17:20that I'm keen to see
17:22is less about
17:23kitschy romance
17:24and more to do
17:25with contentment
17:26and inner peace.
17:28Nestled into the hills
17:29of Dalat
17:30and overlooking
17:30the serene
17:31Tuen Lom Lake
17:33is the Truklam Monastery,
17:35a more authentic kind
17:36of tourist attraction.
17:37Hello.
17:38Hello.
17:39Hi,
17:39lovely to meet you.
17:40Nice to meet you.
17:41My name's Bill.
17:42My name's Bong Huynh.
17:44Bong Huynh.
17:44My name's Bon Da.
17:45Nice to meet you.
17:46Good to meet you.
17:47The grounds of the monastery
17:49are stunning
17:50with around 60 monks
17:51ranging in age
17:52from 20 to 93 years old
17:54tending to the gardens.
17:57My guides,
17:58Su Bon Dat
17:59and Su Bon Huynh
18:00have dedicated their lives
18:01to Buddhism
18:02and life here.
18:03So how long
18:04have you been
18:05here at this monastery?
18:0711 years.
18:0811 years?
18:09This is my third year here.
18:11Third year, right.
18:12Su Bon Huynh
18:13tells me that
18:14Buddhism came from India
18:15and was established here
18:17during the 2nd century.
18:19It surprises me
18:20that Vietnam
18:21is an atheist country
18:22with Buddhism
18:23the second most popular religion.
18:32What is so
18:34spiritual
18:36about
18:37Buddhism
18:38it's the
18:39fact that
18:40you
18:40can
18:41gain so much
18:43from it
18:43you can get
18:44a sense of
18:46enlightenment
18:46a bit of peace
18:49and
18:50a sense of
18:51I don't know
18:52just what we would call
18:54happiness I suppose.
18:55Yeah, correct.
18:56Happiness.
18:57Happiness.
18:58No more pain
18:58no more sad
18:59Yeah.
19:00And
19:01no more stress.
19:03No more stress.
19:07Sounds great.
19:08Where do I sign up?
19:11The Buddhist monk's commitment
19:13is so fascinating.
19:15I'm imagining
19:15how I would fare
19:17trying to live this life.
19:19I mean
19:19do you
19:19leave the monastery
19:20and
19:21do you have families?
19:24I mean
19:24how does that work?
19:26The mastery
19:26is their home.
19:28Yeah.
19:28So
19:28they don't have
19:29the contract
19:30with their
19:31family members
19:33anymore
19:33so they have
19:34their
19:34time
19:36to focus
19:37on the
19:37practice.
19:38So once you
19:39join the monastery
19:40this is your
19:41family?
19:42Yes.
19:42We are like
19:43brother and sister.
19:44For me
19:45that would
19:47be
19:48difficult
19:49you know
19:50a sacrifice
19:51in a way
19:53I would have to
19:53give up
19:54something.
19:56Correct.
19:56It's really tough
19:57for the people
19:58who decide
19:59to take this role
20:00seriously
20:00when they
20:02become
20:02a monk.
20:04Is there
20:04a way
20:05that I can
20:05achieve all
20:06that enlightenment
20:07and have
20:08all the other
20:09things?
20:10I'm slowly
20:11realizing that
20:12you can't
20:13have your cake
20:13and eat it too.
20:14I'm willing
20:15to give it a try.
20:16True happiness
20:16is from
20:17inside.
20:19You can
20:19come and
20:20stay with us.
20:21I'd love to.
20:23How long?
20:24Maybe
20:24someday
20:25or one week.
20:27Yes.
20:28Or I end up
20:29staying there
20:29for 11 years.
20:32Who knows?
20:34I'd love to
20:34find my family.
20:35Yeah,
20:36I'm not
20:36coming back.
20:37I've achieved
20:38a state
20:38of peace.
20:41I need
20:42to give
20:42meditation
20:43a try
20:43before I
20:44commit
20:44to 11 years.
20:46Not sure
20:47how I'm
20:47going to
20:47go with this.
20:48The monks
20:49are going
20:49to teach me
20:50how to
20:50relax my
20:51mind.
20:52No
20:52small
20:53undertaking.
20:56Oh.
20:57Let the
21:01thoughts go
21:01away.
21:02Yes.
21:03But how
21:03do you
21:03do that?
21:04It's difficult.
21:05That's what
21:06we practice.
21:07It's hard.
21:08Yeah.
21:08I'm thinking
21:09about a
21:09sandwich I
21:10had in
21:101982.
21:11So that's
21:12why when
21:12you have
21:13many years
21:13of practice
21:14you have
21:14the power
21:16to control
21:16your thoughts.
21:17Okay.
21:47How about
22:00I'm in
22:01addition?
22:02It's very
22:03peaceful.
22:06I mean
22:06it's just
22:07unusual
22:08for me
22:09to be
22:10this
22:10quiet
22:11and
22:13still
22:14for that
22:15amount
22:16of time.
22:16Right.
22:17And
22:17I can
22:19see
22:19actually
22:19it's
22:20something
22:20that
22:20if
22:20I
22:21would
22:21practice
22:21more
22:22I'd
22:23get
22:23a lot
22:24out
22:24of
22:24because
22:24I
22:25can
22:25start
22:26to
22:26sense
22:27things
22:28slowing
22:28down.
22:30So that's
22:30one version
22:30of how
22:31the
22:31meditation
22:31was
22:32for
22:32me.
22:33I
22:33wanted
22:33to
22:33protect
22:34the
22:34monks
22:34from
22:35the
22:35mayhem
22:35inside
22:36my
22:36mind.
22:37I
22:37found
22:37meditating
22:37quite
22:38hard
22:38because
22:39my
22:39mind
22:40is
22:40always
22:40active.
22:42It's
22:42always
22:42churning
22:43thinking
22:43about
22:43things.
22:44He
22:44said
22:44if
22:44you
22:45close
22:45your
22:45eyes
22:45you
22:46might
22:46fall
22:46asleep.
22:47So I
22:48thought
22:48I
22:49won't
22:49do
22:49that
22:49then
22:50because
22:50I
22:50probably
22:50will
22:51fall
22:51asleep.
22:52So I
22:52used to
22:52keep
22:52your
22:52eyes
22:53slightly
22:53open.
22:54So I
22:54kept
22:54my eyes
22:54slightly
22:55open.
22:55I
22:55was
22:55focusing
22:55on
22:56the
22:56carpet
22:56and
22:57then
22:57I
22:58couldn't
22:58help
22:58thinking
22:58that's
22:59quite
22:59a
22:59busy
23:00design
23:01for
23:01a
23:02meditation
23:02carpet.
23:03You
23:03know?
23:04I
23:04mean
23:04there's
23:05a lot
23:05going
23:05on.
23:06And
23:06then
23:06I
23:06used
23:07to
23:07live
23:08in
23:08a
23:08flat
23:08that
23:08had
23:08that
23:08same
23:09carpet.
23:10And
23:10then
23:10I'm
23:10thinking
23:10I
23:11remember
23:11that
23:11time
23:12and
23:12I
23:12remember
23:12the
23:12people
23:13I
23:13stayed
23:13in
23:13the
23:13flat
23:13with
23:14and
23:14suddenly
23:14my
23:15mind's
23:15off
23:16on a
23:17whole
23:17bunch
23:17of
23:17other
23:17tangents.
23:18So I
23:19thought
23:19I
23:19better
23:19close
23:19my
23:20eyes.
23:20And
23:20then
23:20I'm
23:20closing
23:21my
23:21eyes
23:21and
23:21thinking
23:21oh
23:22I've
23:22got
23:22a
23:22little
23:22bit
23:22of
23:22a
23:23wobbly
23:23tooth.
23:24I've
23:24got to
23:24get
23:24that
23:24scene
23:24to.
23:25Oh
23:25toe
23:26and
23:26it's
23:27so
23:27hard.
23:28It's
23:28so
23:29hard.
23:30I'm
23:30just
23:31thinking
23:31about
23:31stuff
23:32all
23:32the
23:32time.
23:33It
23:33would
23:33take
23:34me
23:34a
23:34long
23:34time
23:35to
23:35get
23:36to
23:36where
23:36these
23:36guys
23:36are.
23:38The
23:38dedication
23:38required
23:39to
23:40achieve
23:40enlightenment
23:40is
23:41impressive
23:41but
23:42it's
23:42also
23:43stressing
23:43me
23:44out.
23:45I
23:45don't
23:45know
23:46whether
23:46I
23:46could
23:46make
23:47that
23:47sacrifice.
23:48My
23:49life,
23:49career,
23:51family,
23:52and I
23:52get an
23:53enormous
23:53amount
23:54of
23:54happiness
23:55from
23:55that.
23:56But
23:56I
23:56wouldn't
23:57mind
23:57a
23:57bit
23:57of
23:57that
23:58spiritual
23:59enlightenment.
24:00Just a
24:01bit of
24:01meditation.
24:02I
24:02think
24:02maybe
24:02I
24:02could
24:02learn
24:03from
24:03that.
24:03If
24:03I
24:03could
24:04do
24:04maybe
24:04an
24:04hour
24:04a
24:05week
24:05or
24:07maybe
24:07like
24:07the
24:07second
24:08Thursday
24:08in
24:09every
24:09month
24:09and
24:10get
24:11a
24:11glimpse
24:11of
24:12spiritual
24:12enlightenment
24:13I
24:14think
24:14that
24:14would
24:14do
24:14me.
24:17For
24:18me
24:18it's
24:18about
24:18finding
24:19moments
24:19of
24:20peace
24:20in
24:20everyday
24:20life.
24:22In
24:22the
24:22back
24:22streets
24:23of
24:23Dalat
24:23I
24:24may
24:24just
24:24have
24:24found
24:25such
24:25a
24:25moment
24:26on
24:26the
24:26side
24:26of
24:26the
24:26road.
24:27I've
24:27never
24:28had
24:28the
24:28desire
24:28for
24:29a
24:29head
24:29wash
24:29until
24:29now
24:30or
24:31a
24:31fried
24:31banana
24:32for
24:32that
24:32matter.
24:33What is
24:34it though?
24:35Banana?
24:35Banana?
24:36Oh!
24:38Is this
24:38like fried
24:39banana?
24:41Yeah.
24:42Good.
24:43Yummy.
24:44Oh!
24:45I know
24:45this.
24:46It doesn't
24:46say hair
24:47washing,
24:47just
24:48head.
24:48Yeah,
24:49I have
24:49one.
24:50Yeah,
24:50go on
24:50then.
24:53No,
24:53that's
24:53right.
24:54No hair,
24:54that's
24:55right,
24:55just
24:55the
24:55head.
24:57You're
24:57all right,
24:57you don't
24:57need to
24:57rub it
24:58in.
25:01What's
25:01happening?
25:02Mmm,
25:03smells
25:03very
25:04fragrant.
25:10Is
25:10this
25:11bliss?
25:12Well,
25:12it's a
25:13curious
25:13sensation,
25:14but
25:14not
25:14unpleasant.
25:15It's
25:15been a
25:16hell of
25:16a
25:16day,
25:16I've
25:16got
25:16to
25:17say.
25:17It's
25:17been an
25:17amazing
25:18day.
25:20I've
25:20done,
25:21you know,
25:22I've
25:23had a
25:23bit of
25:23enlightenment,
25:24meditation,
25:27cheesy
25:27ice cream,
25:29and now
25:29a deep
25:30fried
25:30banana
25:30and a
25:31head
25:31wash.
25:32I mean,
25:33that is
25:33like the
25:34best day
25:35ever.
25:39Oh.
25:45I don't
25:46think I've
25:46had my
25:46ears cleaned
25:47hanged out
25:47like that
25:47since I
25:48was about
25:48five.
25:54That was
25:54fantastic.
25:56I'm in a bit
25:56of a
25:57daze,
25:57I've got to
25:57say.
25:59If the
26:00Buddhist monks
26:00don't do it
26:01for you,
26:01then the
26:03head wash
26:03and the
26:03neck massage
26:04will.
26:05I feel
26:06truly in a
26:07state of
26:08zen,
26:10calm.
26:11life up in
26:22the fresh
26:22mountain air
26:23is treating
26:24me well.
26:25Dalat has
26:26captivated me
26:27with this
26:27curious mix
26:28of east
26:29and west.
26:30You can see
26:30the French
26:31influence in
26:31the architecture
26:32around town.
26:33Many of the
26:34houses look like
26:35they're straight out
26:35of the French
26:36Alps.
26:37But there's
26:37one house
26:38that's a bit
26:38bigger, a bit
26:39fancier.
26:40Well, it's more
26:41of a palace.
26:42This is Bao Dai's
26:43palace, the last
26:45emperor of Vietnam.
26:46He was a leaf in the
26:47wind of the shifting
26:48powers of this nation.
26:50He's long gone now.
26:52But I'm intrigued to
26:53see how a monarch
26:53lived in Vietnam.
26:56If only I could
26:57sort out me footwear.
26:58So you have to wear
26:59protective booties
27:01over your shoes,
27:02but it seems
27:05to have defeated
27:05me.
27:08I don't quite know.
27:09Am I supposed to
27:10take my shoe off?
27:14Oh, maybe that's it.
27:16That's it.
27:16You're supposed to
27:17take your shoe off.
27:18It's like I'm
27:18entering some
27:19sort of crime scene,
27:20which you could
27:21say it was
27:22an imperial crime.
27:26So yes, in some
27:26ways, ideologically,
27:27it is.
27:29My feet are just
27:30so inordinately
27:31big or something.
27:32What are we doing
27:33with shoes?
27:33Excuse me.
27:35I haven't even got
27:35in yet and I'm
27:36already confused.
27:38No glass slippers
27:39required here,
27:40just the kind that
27:41won't scuff the
27:42royal floorboards.
27:44So far, my first
27:45impressions are
27:46it's not quite
27:48Buckingham Palace,
27:50more art deco
27:51on a budget.
27:53Tucked into the
27:54corner of the
27:55drawing room is
27:56Bao Dai's
27:57grand piano
27:57that's no longer
28:00looking so grand.
28:02Come on.
28:03It'd be rude not to.
28:04Yeah, this could
28:05do with a lot of
28:05tea, I'll see.
28:06I mean, it is a bit
28:07knackered.
28:08Look at it.
28:09Oh, dear.
28:11The palace was built
28:12in the 1930s,
28:13just after Bao Dai
28:14ascended the throne
28:15under French colonial
28:16rule, and it served
28:18as a summer retreat
28:19for the emperor,
28:20who took to hunting
28:21in the woods
28:21around Dalat.
28:23He also took to
28:24philandering,
28:25gambling,
28:26and general debauchery.
28:27I mean, I'm no
28:28brilliant artist myself,
28:30but I wouldn't be
28:32happy with that.
28:36This is the queen's
28:37bedroom.
28:39It was a kind of
28:39political marriage
28:40between her and Bao Dai.
28:43He was a bit of a
28:44playboy.
28:45She said, look,
28:45you have to stop all that.
28:47I'll only marry you
28:48if you make me a queen.
28:51And so he agreed.
28:52It was a rashly
28:53sort of thing a bloke
28:54would do.
28:55Yeah, yeah, I'll do that.
28:56He couldn't help himself.
28:57He was, you know,
28:59born into this privilege.
29:02But this privilege
29:03wasn't to last.
29:05His life became a story
29:06of riches to rags,
29:07which is never the
29:08right way round.
29:09When the French rule
29:10ended abruptly in 1954,
29:12he went into exile in
29:14France and never
29:15returned to Vietnam.
29:17He died in a modest
29:18apartment in Paris
29:19in 1997.
29:25Now, it wouldn't be
29:25a Vietnamese tourist
29:26attraction without
29:27a photo opportunity.
29:29And at the palace,
29:31visitors are offered
29:31the chance to dress up
29:33in full emperor garb.
29:35How do you get fitted
29:35up to one of these?
29:37I'll take these off.
29:39I've got some proper
29:39shoes on.
29:40Take these things off.
29:41As they say,
29:42if you can't beat them,
29:43join them.
29:44I think it's important
29:45to get a sense of
29:45what it feels like
29:46to walk in someone
29:47else's shoes.
29:49Yeah, this is it.
29:50This is the stuff.
29:51Well, perhaps not literally.
29:52I've got my shoes on
29:53the wrong way round.
29:54Hold on a minute.
29:55I can't do that.
29:57It's ridiculous.
29:58This particular subtle gold
30:00number is the emperor's
30:01ceremonial dress,
30:03perfect for this occasion.
30:05I might just start
30:06wearing this around the house.
30:15Bring me a toasted cheese sandwich.
30:17While the French may have finally bid adieu to Vietnam,
30:30the spirit they planted in Dalat
30:32has grown into something wonderfully Vietnamese.
30:35Shortly, I'll be heading out of town by train
30:37to a local tea plantation.
30:39And for the trip,
30:40I'll need some sustenance.
30:42It's a great little market.
30:44It's got everything.
30:44It's a perfect place to load up on
30:47sort of travel snacks.
30:52Oh, strawberry.
30:54Oh, it's dried.
30:56Very happy with these.
31:00Look at that.
31:03Delicious.
31:04Oh, yeah.
31:11Yes.
31:11Really good.
31:14Might be my new favourite thing.
31:16Oh, artichoke tea.
31:18Smell it.
31:21Sorry, it's just...
31:22The cab's a bit hot.
31:23Nom, nom, nom.
31:24Very hot.
31:25No, no, no.
31:25It burnt me.
31:26Fingers.
31:29Artichoke tea, of course.
31:30Another use for this wondrous plant.
31:32But I want to get a taste for real tea,
31:34which has been quietly brewing for centuries in the highlands.
31:38My mode of transport, the Dalat Plateau Rail.
31:42I'm departing from the Dalat train station,
31:45a revered historical landmark.
31:48Built in the 1930s,
31:49it proudly holds the title of Vietnam's oldest railway station.
31:53It's got the three pointed sort of pediments in the middle,
31:58which, some say, echo the three peaks of the Lambian mountain range.
32:07Me and my strawberries are bound for the hills of Trimat.
32:11It's a 30-minute heritage train journey
32:13with the prospect of a proper brew at the end of it.
32:17But first, I need to find my seat.
32:19It's a big thing in Britain.
32:23If you get the wrong seat, the wrong coach,
32:25it's just the worst kind of bad behaviour.
32:30It's just so disrespectful.
32:33So I'm slightly anxious,
32:36because it says,
32:38Coach 5, seat 19,
32:40but I don't know which one that is.
32:41It goes to the core of my British embarrassment
32:44to feel that I'm sitting in the wrong seat.
32:47I'd be mortified.
32:49Is this the right...
32:51Am I in the right place?
32:52It says, Coach 5, seat 19.
32:55I mean, this isn't 19.
32:57Is this Coach 5?
32:58It seems the train comes with a resident saxophonist.
33:04I've got a feeling this might be the least of me worried.
33:09I mean, it's not quite the Orient Express,
33:11but it does have its own peculiar charm.
33:13During the war in 1973,
33:16the railway line was heavily damaged,
33:18but after the country's reunification in 1975,
33:22it was restored
33:22and now serves as a reminder
33:25of Vietnam's colonial past.
33:29I love a train ride,
33:31especially when sharing local produce with new friends.
33:34Oh, take two, yeah.
33:35Take two, yeah.
33:42Lock yourselves out.
33:46Nice, eh?
33:47Yeah, you're welcome.
33:53Produce, which turned out to be very popular.
33:55Well, I mean, I'm enjoying the train journey very much.
34:06I just hadn't counted on to Vietnamese Kenny G.
34:10But, er...
34:11I just, you know, just roll with it, I suppose.
34:17All my strawberries went down well.
34:19They didn't last long.
34:20I nearly bought the big tub.
34:22I never should have bought a big tub.
34:25I'm making friends here already.
34:28OK, ready?
34:29One, two, three, hey!
34:32Woo!
34:42The cool air, the rolling hills,
34:45and the lush landscape of Dalat
34:46all conspire to create the perfect ingredients
34:50for a decent cup of tea.
34:52Drinking tea is such a big part of British life.
34:58It's like we've claimed it
34:59as a hard national brew.
35:02But, of course, tea's been around for thousands of years.
35:04In fact, it started in the 3rd century B.C.
35:07in China
35:08and has gradually spread throughout Asia.
35:11And here in the cool hills of Dalat,
35:16it's very conducive, the tea cultivation.
35:19And, in fact, it's now become one of Vietnam's major exports.
35:25At 1,650 metres above sea level
35:28and with an average temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius,
35:31these hills are fertile.
35:33Farmer Tack's family has passed down the art of cultivation over generations.
35:38And just break it off?
35:40Yeah, you can break it.
35:41Yeah.
35:41Yeah, like this.
35:42Like that.
35:42Just the green ones?
35:43Yeah.
35:44OK.
35:44The dark one we don't use, OK?
35:46OK.
35:47So they leave that.
35:48So all of these...
35:49Yeah, waiting for you.
35:50OK.
35:51Help us.
35:52Yeah, I will.
35:54Just a couple more leaves to pick.
35:56Won't take me long.
35:58Tack's going to make me work for it.
36:00There's a few days' worth of harbours in here.
36:02One kilogram, the people earn 5,000 don only.
36:07That means one US dollar, they have to pick five kilograms, OK?
36:12If you want to have the noodle for today, you have to pick, like, 10 kilograms.
36:18That's a lot.
36:19Yeah, work.
36:19Yeah, you've got to work fast.
36:21Yeah.
36:22If you want to have the beef noodle.
36:24If you want noodles, yeah.
36:25Yeah, sir.
36:25Well, I like noodles.
36:27So you have to pick 10 kilograms.
36:29Picking.
36:30It's no, you know, it's...
36:31Yeah.
36:31It's no time to hang about.
36:33No time-saving machinery here.
36:35The preference is to pick by hand, to maintain a high quality of leaves,
36:40ensuring that no brown bits get through.
36:42My mum had this great expression, she said.
36:45I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China.
36:47Which is, when you think about it, it's a lot.
36:50I don't know what she'd do with all the tea in China, do you know this?
36:53I mean, she wouldn't have the distribution network, so...
36:56And you look around here and you sort of think, yeah, I can see where...
37:00I can see where that comes from.
37:02You can't hang about.
37:04You've got to get amongst it.
37:07Yeah.
37:09Another 100 grams.
37:11There you go.
37:11Good.
37:12Our culture, we have the tea culture as well.
37:15Yes.
37:16Well, that's the same.
37:17Honestly, it's the same in Britain.
37:19Really?
37:19Every time anyone comes in the house, somebody says, cup of tea.
37:23Ah, really?
37:24Yeah.
37:24I just think that a cup of wiki.
37:26No, whisky's later.
37:28All right.
37:29Yeah.
37:30You wouldn't start the day with what?
37:31You might start the day with whisky, but there wouldn't be much left of the day.
37:34Life on the land, quite physical work, so I'm grateful for a lift back to the factory.
37:40Bye.
37:40See ya.
37:46This is a great old wagon.
37:48I noticed it was Russian.
37:50Yeah.
37:51I see that old Russian car, too, supposed to be that word before.
37:54Right.
37:54A bit too old than me.
37:58Yes.
37:59It's vintage.
38:00About my age.
38:01Yeah.
38:01Really?
38:02Oh, you look young.
38:03Oh, thanks.
38:04High five.
38:05Give me five.
38:11I've never been more ready for a cup of tea.
38:13What a beautiful color as well.
38:15Look at that.
38:15Yes.
38:16Thank you very much.
38:18In Vietnamese, we say, come on.
38:20Come on.
38:21Yeah, like, come on.
38:22Yes.
38:22Come on.
38:23I know.
38:24In Vietnam, we just say, enjoy the tea.
38:26Enjoy the tea.
38:27Yeah, but we don't cheer.
38:28No, you don't do that?
38:29We don't cheer with the tea.
38:30There you go.
38:31Cheers.
38:32Cheers.
38:34Be careful, it's too hot.
38:37Nighty.
38:37Oh, that's delicious.
38:39As a Brit, I thought I knew tea, but here in Vietnam, it's a ritual, not just a cuppa.
38:45Will I go back to Builders Brew at home, probably, but I'll drink with a little more reverence for
38:50the leaves and how they ended up in my cup.
38:52Away from the day-to-day routine of tea cultivation, a much older rhythm runs through these hills,
39:01the ancient music of the Cahoe people, whose roots here go back far beyond the plantations.
39:07One of my favourite things to do when travelling is listening to the sounds of local musicians,
39:13connecting to the traditional culture through music.
39:17The Cahoe ethnic minority is one of the oldest indigenous groups in Vietnam's central highlands,
39:23believed to have existed for around two and a half thousand years.
39:26I'm visiting their music room to understand more about how they lived, and their instruments
39:32might hold the key.
39:33Oh, what an amazing sound you guys make.
39:40Hello, I'm Bill.
39:41Nice to meet you.
39:44Nice to meet you, too.
39:45So this follows like a pattern of, you know, a scale.
39:55Such a beautiful sound.
39:56I can't help myself.
39:58Got to get on the tools.
39:59So you just sort of, like each, each stone has a different.
40:13It's a lovely sound, isn't it?
40:14It's beautiful.
40:16Renowned for musical traditions, particularly gong festivals, in 2008, the Cahoe gong culture
40:22was recognised by UNESCO as an oral masterpiece of humanity.
40:27Where do these stones come from?
40:28I mentioned mostly they come from the river.
40:30The first purpose of them, to scare, and scare the animals.
40:34The animals come in, they just scare them, they shake, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, and the animal will run away.
40:39Yeah.
40:39It's amazing.
40:40I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
40:42The Cahoe have lived in harmony in the Longbyang Mountains for generations,
40:47and still pass their songs and stories on by word of mouth.
40:52Funny how the French have even influenced this ancient music,
40:54adapting their traditional sound into a recognisable tune.
41:09I think he just played Frère Jacques.
41:12Yeah.
41:13It's like an old French song.
41:15Yeah, that old French song.
41:16The Cahoe people express their emotions, share stories, and connect with their natural environment.
41:23All the instruments are, you know, handmade.
41:26So all of these are, you know, just made from wood and twine and bamboo.
41:32They're using hand for shaping them, and made from bamboo, and use hand.
41:36They don't have any technology to creating this kind of sound.
41:40I love the simplicity of these instruments.
41:44No fancy gear, no big production, just a purity of tone,
41:47a sound that's been echoing through the hills for generations.
41:51This is more traditional, sort of like a xylophone.
41:55It seems like you're missing a note here.
42:12Where's the C?
42:14You need another C there.
42:17Yeah.
42:19Right up my alley, as it were.
42:21I mean, any chance I get to play with musicians, wherever they are in the world,
42:31whatever instrument, whatever culture, I will take.
42:34Because it just proves to me, yet again, that there's this language that music is,
42:40which transcends all kinds of cultural barriers.
42:44Playing with these guys today gave me that little glimpse into this rich history
42:54that we perhaps don't know much about.
42:59I certainly don't, of Vietnam.
43:02And it's mountain people, and it's more than 50, I think, different ethnic groups.
43:07I'm getting the feeling that Dalat is the kind of place
43:19where you come looking for misty pine forests
43:22and can discover something quite different.
43:25It keeps you guessing in the best possible way.
43:28It's Vietnam's highland wildcard.
43:31Expect the unexpected,
43:33and then something comes along stranger still.
43:35Cloud hunting is a popular pre-dawn mission to the hilltops
43:40to capture the sunrise over the endless rolling hills.
43:43And it's all about timing.
43:46Hundreds of young peoples, couples, all dressed up to the nines.
43:52A hush of anticipation
43:53as their fingers poised over the record buttons of their devices.
43:59Sense of romance in the air
44:01as the sun gradually creeps over the horizon.
44:04Illuminating the fog-filled valleys
44:07and initiating a sense of wonder
44:11in all of those gathered here
44:13to capture this moment forever
44:15on their Instagram reels
44:18and their TikToks.
44:20Yeah, this all sounds lovely,
44:22but it means you have to get up at the crack of dawn.
44:24But if you come a bit later,
44:26then you get the place yourself.
44:28Which, for me, is much nicer.
44:36Ah, the cynic in me is alive and well.
44:39A well-rested cynic, at that.
44:41I can see why, when Alexandre Yersin first came here
44:49in the end of the 19th century,
44:51why he was so taken with the place
44:53and why it was so popular with the French
44:55during colonial rule.
44:57There's something about this place
45:01that really kind of gets under your skin
45:04with the natural beauty of it
45:08and the welcoming nature of the local people.
45:12It's a place that's very easy to fall in love with.
45:22Next time on Bill Bailey's Vietnam...
45:24And I'm just about to take part
45:26in a bit of laughing yoga.
45:28My ears have never been hairier.
45:30Get a bit of a trim.
45:31People shouting.
45:32This is a health and safety nightmare.
46:02It's a health in a bit.
46:03It's a health in a bit.
46:04It's a health in a carnival olacak.
46:05These are health in a family.
46:05But we're not even experiencing it.
46:06We have never had a business in a talk today.
46:07People looking at this hearing.
46:10наж provide a link to this meeting
46:15and start there because
46:16the prosecution talks about
46:28everythingéis do.
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