Bill Baileys Vietnam - Season 1 Episode 06- Ha Long Bay
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00:00On the Bay of Ha Long in Vietnam's north, the idea was to glide gracefully across the water.
00:07Oops.
00:09I 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, but 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 is it 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.
01:12Rob them, you are smart and tested.
01:15Is there any, you know, good news?
01:18Navigate tight spaces.
01:19I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out.
01:22Make some new friends.
01:25Separated at first.
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.
01:41Ha Long Bay.
02:03The breathtaking natural wonder of North Vietnam.
02:07This extraordinary archipelago of nearly 2,000 limestone casts spreads out over an area of 130 miles of ocean.
02:20And it is genuinely awe-inspiring and very beautiful.
02:27And 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, a strategic naval base, a place to repel invaders.
02:50It's also a place of real Vietnamese identity.
02:54It's threaded through the cultural memory of Vietnam.
02:58It's in the poetry, 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.
03:12You're sailing through a place of myths and legend.
03:16Any online search for Vietnam will throw up a picture of Ha 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 Ha Long Bay,
03:48I've boarded a junk boat with Happy as my guide.
03:52You grew up in Ha Long?
03:54Yeah, I grew up in the Lan Ha Bay.
03:57Yeah.
03:57And before the tour guide, I was a fishing boy.
04:00Oh.
04:00Yeah.
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, birds, wildlife.
04:10Do we think we might see something like that?
04:12Yeah.
04:13On these islands?
04:13The monkey or the seahawk.
04:15Seahawk?
04:15The bird.
04:16The bird flies over there, looking for the fish under the water.
04:19We go with the seahawk.
04:21Seahawk, right.
04:21Yeah.
04:22But the fishermen, we don't know them.
04:23We don't like them.
04:25Sometimes they try to stolen 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 is very much tied up with the dragon, which
04:44is a 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.
05:11When it was done, the mother dragon was so enamored of the place, she decided to stay, giving it
05:19the name Ha Long, Descending Dragon.
05:22And actually, if you look at the landscape, it does kind of resemble a submerged dragon's
05:30back.
05:32Cruising these glassy waters can be extraordinarily peaceful.
05:36Other times, though, not so much.
05:38Hello.
05:38Hello.
05:38I'm going to have a word with the local council.
05:44I mean, that's just outrageous.
05:45It'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.
06:08There you go.
06:10You see, that's more like it.
06:12Captain Bailey bossing about these hooligans on the high seas.
06:15Oh, you f***ing say.
06:19Quite a tiny stool now.
06:21I'd throw it at them.
06:23Pull steam ahead.
06:25The old wooden junk boats in this bay are a living link to the past, with a long history
06:31of use for fishing and trading in Southeast Asia.
06:33But 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 paddleboard, so I'm proud
06:45to reveal I can do it.
06:47But I recommend a lower centre of gravity at this stage.
06:50This place is just stunningly impressive, somewhere that I've wanted to see for years.
06:59And the photos that appear in brochures online, and of course in a million Instagram feeds, just
07:10don't do it justice.
07:11You can't really capture the scale of it in a photo.
07:15You have to see it for yourself.
07:18I mean, it's immense.
07:20These huge towers just rising out of an emerald sea.
07:26I mean, it's like a, it is like another world.
07:29And also the forces at work that created this.
07:32It's just monumental.
07:35Rising up in the middle of nowhere are these casts, or limestone pillars.
07:40And if you're on a small vessel like this, you can come ashore.
07:45So you really get a sense of how these casts are formed when you get really up close to
07:52it.
07:53Something like between 400 and 250 million years ago, marine life settled to the bottom
08:01of the sea.
08:02Remains of shellfish, shells, the remains of dead marine life.
08:08And it would just settle to the bottom of the sea, accumulate over eons of time.
08:14Eventually forming a solid slab of rock, limestone.
08:19And something like 100 million years ago, just a mere hop and a skip in geological terms,
08:25huge powers were brought to bear, tectonic uplift.
08:31And these slabs of rock were forced up.
08:35Sea level changed and they created these towers or casts.
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 drown casts.
08:50And 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.
09:02As you can see it, it's like a sort of, you know, like teeth that have been gradually
09:08decayed 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
09:24happy and a fine oarsman to power us along.
09:28Step by step.
09:29The key is to have a vessel that sits low enough so you can access the caves.
09:34All 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.
09:45Yeah.
09:47So we go to one of the most beautiful caves in Vietnam.
09:51Right.
09:51We tell the name is Bright Cave.
09:54We are headed to Bright Cave, also called Light and Dark Cave.
09:57And with extreme tidal changes every day, you need to have your wits about you.
10:03It's very dark inside and it's very dangerous with the twirl.
10:05You know, the important thing, when you come into the cave, with the low tide, when the
10:10water is 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 is going down, you go outside, maybe forever.
10:25Wow.
10:26Wow.
10:26Well, I'm glad you're here, then.
10:28Yeah, that's why.
10:29It's really important for the tour.
10:31So when there's people going in there in kayaks, you have to tell them.
10:35Yeah, tell them, yeah.
10:36This can be quite treacherous.
10:37Yeah, yeah.
10:37Yeah.
10:40Light Cave is a classic frogmouth-shaped cave, with its floor underwater and ceiling above sea level.
10:46If you were in here and the tide went up, it would be, the roof would be very low, wouldn't it?
10:56Yeah, yeah.
10:56It would be difficult to negotiate your way up.
10:59And your head will hit the rock.
11:01Yeah.
11:01Look at this, for example, this one.
11:04Oh.
11:04Yeah.
11:05When the water's going up.
11:06When the water's going up.
11:07That one goes under the water, and if I'm tired, it'll be submerged.
11:10Yeah.
11:11The light cave opens up to a tranquil lagoon, where you can hear a pin drop.
11:16Is that a quiet?
11:20It's quiet.
11:21You can only hear the sound of the boat singing.
11:23Yeah.
11:24It's a bird song.
11:27So peaceful, except for the sound of...
11:29...a British bloke trying to make contact with the local wildlife.
11:37To give my sea legs a breather, I'm taking off for a day trip to the secluded Viet Hai village
11:58on Khat Vah Island, hidden deep in the national park.
12:01It's very peaceful here.
12:04You know, obviously, the way that the formations are forms this sort of natural harbour.
12:12So you get these anchorages in some of the inlets, which are extremely calm.
12:19It's just like a mirror here today.
12:22But yeah, I mean, these islands vary hugely in size, from, you know, just a single tower
12:30to this particular island, Viet Hai, which is actually much bigger and can sustain a village.
12:38And a road, brilliantly, so it's good to be on dry land for a bit.
12:44Accessible only by boat, this remote village is tucked away from the main attraction of Harlong Bay.
12:49And on route, something has caught my eye.
12:51It's what I love about the tropics,
12:57is that even the common butterflies are extraordinarily beautiful.
13:02You know, this one is just a common swallowtail, but it's got these gossamer wings and beautiful
13:10markings on the lower wings and 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, these are everywhere. They've been following me the whole way.
13:29Joining me is another human resident of the island, who's going to show me around the village.
13:34Hello. Hello. Hi, Bill.
13:36Hey. How are you? How are you doing?
13:38Yeah.
13:38All right. Just part in the bike. Hey, I'm Bill.
13:42What's your name? My name is Tang.
13:43Tang? Yeah. Good to meet you.
13:4534-year-old Tang has seen a lot of change in Viet Hai over the years.
13:49How long has there been a village here?
13:52Uh, like, really long time ago, but start from like 100 years ago.
13:59The story goes that Tang's ancestors were fishermen who encountered a big storm,
14:03so they took refuge and settled on Cat Bar Island.
14:07The Vietnam War interrupted things, but they've retained the traditional way of life ever since.
14:13Oh, 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 with what has become an old friend in Vietnam.
14:30Oh, look, a tiny stool.
14:34My favourite.
14:35If I'm doing this, so is my guide, Tang.
14:38The tiny, nibbling therapists await, ready to exfoliate my feet in a mildly alarming manner.
14:44And they're extra famished.
14:47We don't give them too much food.
14:48Right.
14:49So they're hungry.
14:51So then when the foot goes in, they're straight over.
14:55Oh, I see.
14:57They're hungry.
14:58Tang leaves the way.
15:00He's keeping me company in this tickle torture.
15:03Oh, yeah.
15:04Oh, yeah.
15:05Right, I'm going in.
15:06One, two, three.
15:07Full-foot immersion.
15:09God!
15:09Dick it!
15:10Woo-hoo!
15:11Yee-hah!
15:13Get it!
15:18That's why I said, like, they cannot keep, like, for the long times.
15:21Oh.
15:21No.
15:21No.
15:23They're so hungry.
15:24Oh!
15:25Oh!
15:26Oh!
15:26God!
15:29Someone, they can, like, swimming in here.
15:32Really?
15:33Yeah.
15:33What, they've got their whole body in?
15:35Oh.
15:35It's all done.
15:37No, I don't know about that.
15:38Ten seconds is about enough.
15:39That's all I can stand.
15:40Good.
15:41Fill your boots, lads.
15:42It tickles.
15:48It tickles.
15:48While the practice of having fish nibble away at your dead skin isn't a cultural tradition,
15:53the doctor fish, or garra rufa fish, are supposed to make you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
16:00We will eat them later.
16:03They taste a bit of feet, though.
16:04That'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, nine, eight, seven, three, two.
16:18One.
16:18Two, one.
16:19Three, two, one, go.
16:19Yes.
16:20Oh.
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.
16:27Mm-hmm.
16:28So, I suppose there is some benefit.
16:36After getting close and personal with these tiny nibblers,
16:39I felt it was only fair that I meet their larger cousins,
16:42who sustain more than a few softest tourists.
16:48My guide, Happy, is taking me to a floating fishing village out on Ha Long Bay.
16:52I'm Bill.
16:53Ah, good to meet you.
16:56Yeah.
16:56Good to meet you.
16:57And have a little look around.
16:58Villagers like Mr. Tum mainly earn their living by fishing.
17:02It's a tough life.
17:04The stories of typhoons and a life lived entirely at the mercy of the elements.
17:09The first, the fishermen, they kept the fish on the sea and lived on the ocean.
17:15But 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.
17:23And they live here with a family.
17:25So, they actually live out here?
17:28Yeah.
17:28On the platform?
17:29Yeah.
17:30So, do they have electricity that comes here?
17:34In the past, they used electric by the battery.
17:38But after the storm, the edge drop is broken.
17:41Now they use the solar panel.
17:44Proof that even here, the modern world is catching up with this ancient tradition.
17:48And they go to school by taxi boat.
18:01They go to school.
18:02Yeah.
18:03Yeah, look like this.
18:03A school by taxi boat?
18:05Taxi boat like this.
18:06This one, the maximum 10 people.
18:07Right.
18:08The children go to school every day.
18:09And the school's on the, in the island.
18:11In the Kappa.
18:12Yeah.
18:12No school here.
18:13Yeah.
18:14The morning, the taxi boat takes the children from here to the pier.
18:18And then from the pier, go to school by taxi, motorbike.
18:21My boat and bike.
18:22Right, motorbike, yeah.
18:23Taxi boat and then taxi motorbike.
18:25That is a, that is a fun way.
18:27Yeah.
18:28Fun, but it's fun.
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?
18:43He want to retire at 60 years old.
18:4760, that's it.
18:48Yeah.
18:48But now he's 63.
18:52He, he working until he, until he feel tired.
18:55Yeah.
18:55Yeah.
18:56Now he, he has a song.
18:57Yeah, sure.
18:58Good health.
18:58That's it.
18:59You look, he's strong.
19:00Yeah.
19:00He looks good.
19:02He told me, uh, he retired when, when he's tired.
19:05But he's no song.
19:06Now he's sure he can working for more money.
19:08Look in his face.
19:09Wow.
19:10He looks all right.
19:11No need to retire yet.
19:12Yeah.
19:13Yeah.
19:13He's sure I'm young customer here.
19:15Oh, yeah.
19:16He's fine.
19:17No hair, though.
19:18No hair, same.
19:19It's similar, yeah.
19:21Same with me.
19:22That's the problem.
19:23Yeah, same with me.
19:23Yeah, same with me.
19:25Yeah.
19:25All right.
19:27All right.
19:28All right.
19:29OK.
19:29See you later.
19:30In a classic scene from history, goodbye, two old geezers set off in a fishing boat.
19:36See 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 top.
19:49I'm off to, I'm not sure where, to see net fishing up close.
19:54So what we've got is, we've got a little net, and we're going to try and see if we can try our luck.
20:01In the waters of Harlong Bay, Mr. Tom is expertly navigating the boat with one oar,
20:08and at the same time laying out a net.
20:11Obviously, this is something that he's been doing since he was a little kid.
20:19So the net is out set.
20:20There's a little float over there, a little weighted float on one end of the net.
20:31No fish today, but plenty of stories from Mr. Tom.
20:34Learning about life on a floating village isn't always about the catch,
20:56especially when you don't catch anything.
20:57In this case, not even a story about the one that got away.
21:08I 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. Tom has invited me to his house to cook up something he's prepared earlier.
21:24You want it all chopped?
21:26Oh, quite fine like that.
21:27Okay.
21:27An upgrade of sorts, from fish to fresh mussels on the menu.
21:31Two bald blokes on a floating platform.
21:35Two baldies.
21:36Yeah.
21:37Hey, what do you want to do with these?
21:38No.
21:40Yeah?
21:42Oh, you want to?
21:43I'll do that.
21:44You do the clam.
21:45I'll do this.
21:47What was that cooking show?
21:48Two fat ladies.
21:49Two bald blokes.
21:52Trying 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 has to go on your head as well.
22:01So 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.
22:10Bit of garlic.
22:13Oh, that looks good.
22:15This doesn't get much fresher.
22:21They look great.
22:23Smell really good.
22:24Yeah, smell really good.
22:26Can you tell them that we should start a cooking show?
22:29Two bald men on a boat.
22:33Yes.
22:36Plating up on the water's edge.
22:39This is the moment we've been waiting for.
22:45We have something here.
22:46This one for the party more fun.
22:51Right.
22:52Okay, now, wait, wait, wait, wait.
22:53I know how to do this.
22:53Yeah.
22:54One, two, three, three, two.
22:59One, two, three, three, four.
23:00Yeah.
23:01Yeah.
23:02Yeah.
23:02Yeah.
23:03Yeah.
23:04Yeah.
23:04Yeah.
23:09Hey, this is so good.
23:11Yeah.
23:12Delicious.
23:13I mean, no, you have one.
23:15You have one.
23:16Come on, come on.
23:16Eat, eat, eat, eat.
23:17Eat 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.
23:24Yeah.
23:26This is delicious.
23:27I want to tell them this, um, what, what a real treat this is.
23:30This is amazing.
23:32You know, to have food like this prepared by Mr. Tamiya, fisherman in this place.
23:40What a, what a treat.
23:42It's amazing.
23:42Yeah.
23:43Thank you very much for me.
23:47These were in the sea not long ago.
23:49This is about as fresh as you can get.
23:51They were there, and then really fresh, delicious.
23:57And to know more about our recipes, go to our website, twobaldmenonaboat.com.
24:05You know, look you, with him, look like brother.
24:08Oh, here we go.
24:10Look, look, you see, look at that.
24:12You see, separated at birth.
24:15Oh, this is new life.
24:35As I navigate my way around this place of otherworldly beauty, there's a myriad of different
24:41islands to explore, nearly 2,000 in fact, in this gigantic archipelago.
24:51I 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.
25:07But what's equally impressive is what you can't see.
25:11Inside these islands are huge cave systems, some as cavernous as cathedrals,
25:18some yet to be discovered.
25:22As a welcome reprieve from the heat and the humidity, I'm venturing inside the cool darkness
25:28of Truong Trang Cave, the largest in Vietnam and the third largest limestone cave system in the world.
25:35There's these stalagmites, incredibly dramatic features.
25:42The vaulted beauty of these rock formations throws up all manner of weird and wonderful shapes
25:47that feeds the imagination.
25:49This one here looks like a vulture, hunched on top of a tree stump.
25:54That's what I'm seeing.
25:58That's a bulldog with a trifle in its mouth.
26:01I had quite a lot of cheese last night.
26:06Maybe it's the altitude I'll get started tripping.
26:09This is absolutely amazing.
26:10It's incredible.
26:11Incredible sort of features that have been carved out by this chemical weathering.
26:17You know, the rain contains a little bit of carbon dioxide, so it sort of, it dissolves over many,
26:25many thousands of years.
26:26It dissolves the limestone, creates all these features, these crevices, cracks,
26:33and eventually huge cave systems like this.
26:36This vast cavern also provided a vital function during the American war.
26:43It was a command post and hospital, providing shelter from US bombardment.
26:51It's like crawling through a giant brain made up of billions of cells.
26:57Oh, that's quite, look at that.
27:05A bit of shadow puppetry.
27:18Maybe it's my Neanderthal DNA, but I could live in a place like this.
27:21I could amuse myself for hours.
27:25I mean, that looks like a church organ.
27:28Ah, look at that.
27:32I mean, they look like petrified bats.
27:34I wonder what, something just moved up there.
27:38I saw something flicker.
27:41Most probably a little bat.
27:43I've got to say, these stalactites, these almost look like installations.
27:50They're man-made.
27:51In fact, actually, these remind me a little bit of the designs of H.R. Giger
27:57for the original Alien films.
28:00I wonder if he ever got inspiration for these, from things like this.
28:05Maybe.
28:08It seems the petrified bats have come alive.
28:11Is this a dream?
28:13I need a closer look.
28:14And like the intrepid traveller I am, I have come prepared for anything.
28:18I've got that nice kit.
28:21I've got coffee, sweets, mints.
28:27I'll be clothes, two hats.
28:29OK.
28:30OK.
28:37These are Griffin's leaf-nosed bats, and they're found only in Vietnam, and only at two places,
28:44one of which is here on Catbar Island.
28:46Obviously, it's during the day, so they're all kind of just snoozing.
28:53But I can just, I can make out their features quite well.
28:57See their little ears, and they're just sort of, a little bit of movement.
29:02They found a great spot here.
29:06Islands are these little laboratories of evolution, where creatures can evolve,
29:12free from predators, free from competition.
29:15So, each one of these casts individually can sustain a multitude of species.
29:32Just scratching the surface of the extensive cave system here gives you a glimpse into the
29:37geological wonder of the region.
29:39But if for some reason, the majesty of the natural world is not your thing, fear not.
29:45But there's much to enjoy in the culinary delights of Harlong City.
29:57An Englishman in Harlong City.
30:00I'm an Englishman in Harlong City.
30:06Oh, you probably can't move, walk out in the middle of this, you get mullered.
30:11What?
30:11I'm feeling confident to make a crossing.
30:17I've come a long way from Ho Chi Minh City, where crossing the road was a daunting prospect.
30:21I've certainly noticed that they're quite assertive here in the north, there's no quarter given.
30:27Yes, you have to be bold when crossing the road here.
30:33It's no point being English and polite.
30:34No, after you.
30:35No, no, after you.
30:36No, please, you go.
30:38No, you have to just go for it.
30:40So I could twirl it.
30:43Note that nobody stops here for pedestrians on crossings.
30:48This is clearly the way to cross the road here.
30:55You've just got to have an angle, an extra hustle, feel like a matador, going out in the bullring.
31:02Nailed it, in the last city of my tour of Vietnam.
31:05I feel the closest yet to becoming a local.
31:09But I do feel that I've earned the right to do something quite normal.
31:13And that is, nip to the post office and pick up a package.
31:18Back in Ho Chi Minh City, I mailed one of my drawings to myself,
31:23of one of my first impressions of Vietnam.
31:25And now I'm here to pick it up, to see if those first impressions are still as strong.
31:31Well, let's made it here.
31:34My drawing of a lotus.
31:38And, er, I was trying to draw something that seemed to encapsulate my impressions of Vietnam.
31:49And, as if to reinforce that point, right here, under the sign that says Vietnam Post,
31:56look at that, what is here?
31:59Lotus.
32:00So, I might be on to something.
32:05The little lotus first appealed to me back in the early stages of my journey.
32:10It was in the centre of a roundabout in Ho Chi Minh City.
32:15And it was a huge fountain in the shape of a lotus.
32:19And I just liked the shape of it.
32:21It was just sort of aesthetically very pleasing.
32:23Oh, come in.
32:27So, the lotus flower continues its life here in Ha Long.
32:30Not reborn as such, but repurposed.
32:33You know, the lotus often grows out of mud, so it sort of represents that
32:36from hardship to prosperity, which is very much the story of modern Vietnam in a short period of time.
32:45So, I might just finish this off, actually.
32:47I'd started the sketch in one part of Vietnam, and I'm going to finish it off here.
32:52And fast forward to the final creation.
32:55A little drawing that may make it into a new book sometime soon.
32:59From artistic expression to the far more pressing matter of lunch,
33:10there's a scent of sausage in the air, and I'm on a mission to find it.
33:14What are they? I need to know.
33:18I need to find out. I suppose I'll just buy one and find out.
33:21I've got a thousand dong.
33:23Is that for one?
33:25Is that right?
33:26I don't even know what it is, but I'm game.
33:38Some kind of delicious thing.
33:41I'm guessing it's some sort of fried rice flour arrangement, but it's very good.
33:47But two thousand dong, I mean, you can't go wrong, can you?
33:50Delicious, but I still have no idea what it was.
33:58Either way, it was an appetiser, and I'm craving the main course.
34:02Well, that actually wasn't what I'm looking for.
34:06I'm looking for something a little bit more substantial,
34:09which is a local treat, a squid sausage.
34:13And I believe one can be procured in this locale.
34:17Let's have a look.
34:21Hello. Hello.
34:22You have squid? Squid. Sausage.
34:25I think I'm in the right place.
34:27This is an interesting combination of translation and getting the right money.
34:35An opportunity to prove to you that despite appearances,
34:39I'm actually a bit of a tech wizard.
34:41I've got this app on the phone, which if you hold your camera over the
34:46menu or any language, it will read it and translate it onto the screen.
34:53So it is very simple.
34:56OK, that's squid sticky rice, it says.
35:00Sticky rice. Special sticky rice.
35:03Oh, hang on.
35:04Meat succulents.
35:06I'm not sure the translation app is quite accurate.
35:10Because one of these dishes, it says is a tongue tunnel.
35:15I didn't even know tongues out of tunnel.
35:17Another one is stomach stew with pepper.
35:20Well, I've had tripe before now, so that's no stretch.
35:23Stomach stew, tongue tunnel.
35:26Oh, grilled squid.
35:27This might be it.
35:28Here we go.
35:29Oh, yes, well, clearly you do.
35:53This looks absolutely fantastic.
36:03One of the great delights of Vietnam is the street food.
36:07Now, this is a local speciality.
36:10This is squid sausage.
36:13And why wouldn't you make a sausage out of squid?
36:15I mean, you can make the sausage out of anything.
36:17Squid is a big favourite in Vietnam.
36:22In fact, people come to Ha Long, Ha Phong, Cat Vile,
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, I'm not quite great.
36:39Delicious. So fresh. Straight out the sea.
36:47In the Ha Long Bay region, water is a common theme.
36:52And it's the essential element in one of the area's
36:55most eccentric and unique art forms.
36:59I'm off to the theatre.
37:04This is Tsao Tuk Water Puppet Theatre,
37:08where local stories are brought to vivid life
37:11on a semi-submerged stage.
37:13I've never seen anything like this before.
37:18This is extraordinary.
37:19Backstage, my guide Kim explains how physically demanding the work is
37:24for the puppeteers, like Truong, who stand in a pool of water
37:28to manoeuvre the handmade wooden puppets from behind a screen.
37:31So, as you can see, this is a water buffalo.
37:34Yeah. And a farmer.
37:36Yeah. And they're going out to the farm together.
37:40This figure is made of some made of foam and some of fig wood.
37:46Right.
37:47So, it's light and can float on top of water.
37:50I see, yeah.
37:50Yeah.
37:51You see the board under here?
37:53Yeah.
37:54This part will be under water.
37:56So, you won't see it when you're out there.
37:59There.
38:02Oh.
38:03There.
38:04There you go.
38:05I see.
38:07Yeah.
38:07And that's how they move.
38:09That's great.
38:17It's fantastic.
38:18I feel very at home here, backstage in a theatre.
38:23This is my natural habitat.
38:25See, right now, I'm getting excited for the show.
38:29And that's what I get there.
38:30You see, everyone's just getting worked up.
38:33The people are coming in.
38:35The auditorium's filling up with a sense of anticipation for the crowd.
38:39Welcome to my world.
38:40And it's showtime.
38:49The legend of Ha Long Bay, the descending dragon, begins.
38:54Farmers and villagers face northern invaders and call the dragon mother to fight them off to keep the peace.
39:01It's a celebration of patriotism, resilience and the belief in divine intervention.
39:07During the 12th century Lee dynasty, water puppetry went from the peasant folk art to a prestigious show for royalty.
39:19The puppeteers breathe life into the whole thing.
39:21They're working with inanimate objects, but they really come alive.
39:36It looks chaotic out front, but out back, even more so.
39:41I've been invited backstage to see the puppeteers in action.
39:45I mean, it's so ingenious.
39:48The puppeteers are up to their waists in water with waders on, gloves, operating the puppets
40:03from backstage, which are then being seen in front of these screens.
40:09But it's amazingly lifelike, the movements.
40:15They know how to make it look very real.
40:18Yeah.
40:20They're really bringing them to life, you know.
40:22These, because they're wooden puppets, so they haven't got much expression,
40:28but all of that comes from the movement.
40:32Yeah.
40:34Look at the little ducklings.
40:38They're about to come out too.
40:39Oh, yeah, the little ducks.
40:41What an absolutely brilliant show.
40:47I love the music, and it's heartwarming to see an old tradition that nearly died out,
40:52now thriving, and fitting that it's an artistic reflection
40:57of the semi-submerged nature of this stunning corner of Vietnam.
41:05Time for a final paddle.
41:11Well, I'm coming to the end of my time here in Halong Bay, and I have to say,
41:20this place is just otherworldly.
41:24I've seen photographs of it, pictures online, about a million Instagram photos,
41:31but not one does it justice.
41:35It's only when you get up close to it, you can really appreciate it.
41:39And it's one of those places in the world that genuinely makes you just gape in wonderment,
41:48and laugh in disbelief that such a place even exists.
41:53There's a line in the famous novel by Graham Greene, set in Vietnam, A Quiet American,
41:59and it says, I can't say what made me fall in love with Vietnam.
42:04Everything is so intense, the color, the taste.
42:08And I have to say that I agree. That chimes very much with my experience.
42:15The mosaic of colors in the market, the deep green of the rice terrace,
42:23the gold and reds of the pagodas.
42:27And the taste. Oh, my word. I mean, the food is just astonishing.
42:34Every meal has zing and snap.
42:38It's like a firework of flavors bursting on your tongue.
42:43And I have had some extraordinary experiences here. There's no doubt.
42:47A lot of firsts, actually. Foraging the herbs in the forest.
42:55Taking a herbal bath in a barrel. I took a bath in a barrel.
42:59I mean, that's a first.
43:00I was just jamming with Vietnamese folk rock bands, luteists, ancient bamboo pipers.
43:12Every one of those experiences I will remember, I think, forever.
43:17But there's one thing I disagree with Graham Greene on, and that is that
43:23I can say what made me fall in love with Vietnam.
43:26It's very simple. It's the people.
43:29Cheers.
43:30People who have shown me nothing but kindness and hospitality,
43:34and an extraordinarily warm welcome.
43:39They've invited me into their homes.
43:43I've cooked with them, had a laugh with them.
43:45And the greatest compliment I think I can give to the Vietnamese people is this.
43:54Throughout my entire time here, Dave made me feel at home.
43:59I'm sorry.
44:17Transcription by CastingWords
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