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00:04I've left behind the noise and the traffic and the hustle and bustle of Saigon for the elegant
00:10colonial retreat, the lofted verdant hills of Dalat, where I hope to breathe some clean mountain
00:18in air and to achieve a zen state of calm. But before I do that, send it! Woo-hoo! Hold
00:29that thought.
00:34Vietnam. Of course, it's a place of tea plantations, traffic, temples, but then it's something else entirely.
00:47Come with me on an unusual, unfiltered, unforgettable adventure. My mind's off on a whole
01:01bunch of other tangents. I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982. As this nation commemorates
01:0750 years since the end of the war. You say it's safe, right? I'll explore this fertile land,
01:13ask the big questions. Am I in the right place? Embrace new experiences, even my own future.
01:20Problem? You are smart and tested. Is there any, you know, good news? Navigate tight spaces.
01:28I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out. Make some new friends. Separated at birth.
01:34This is a voyage of discovery, of strange encounters. This is your whole life in a plant.
01:39And kindred spirits. An enchanted stroll to one of the most fascinating places on earth.
01:46This is Bill Bailey's Vietnam.
02:01Before we get back to my scenic flight, I want to show you where I am. This is the central
02:08highlands of
02:09Vietnam, where thanks to the altitude and the lush green hills, things grow well up here. And I've
02:15heard so do tourist attractions. I'm just outside the picturesque town of Dalat, about six hours drive
02:22north from the big smoke of Ho Chi Minh City. And boy, do I feel a world away from all
02:27the scooters.
02:28By the time you reach Dalat, you've already realized in Vietnam, things are done a little differently.
02:34And up here in the hills, I reckon they might be different again, in the most unexpected of ways.
02:41Starting with this place.
02:45This is the de Tandler Waterfall Park. Some kind of adrenaline adventure sports town, where you can be at
02:52one with nature and simultaneously satisfy the daredevil in you. It's a big drawcard for locals and
02:58international tourists alike. I'm suiting up for a zip line, way above the tree line. And while
03:04I look remarkably like some kind of gormless window cleaner, I can assure you there are no office
03:10buildings in sight. I'm feeling a little nervous, a little anxious, but here goes nothing.
03:29And just like that, I'm flying 1500 meters on a zip line in Vietnam.
03:35I love the feeling of wind through my trots.
03:38It's not necessarily what I came for, but no complaints.
03:43Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
04:01The whole thing's over in just two minutes. I would happily have had more.
04:06And the good news is, I can have more. This park has something for everyone,
04:11especially adrenaline junkies. I shall next conquer the Alpine Coaster,
04:16an ambitious 2,400 meter track, the longest coaster in Vietnam, and also the most informative.
04:24Welcome to the Tha Tha Tha Tha Alpine Coaster.
04:27Yes. Before you ride, you must listen to and understand the important instructions.
04:32What? What? What important instructions?
04:38Avoiding collision. Use an actual brake. Okay.
04:45Keep yourself back and keep your arms and legs inside the coaster car.
04:51Yep. Yes.
04:52Ascending into the trees, I feel a sense of trepidation,
04:55that I haven't quite understood the instructions.
05:01Whoa! Whoa!
05:07Whoa!
05:15That's been clappers.
05:17I think I just hit maximum speed on this thing.
05:20It's a wonder my teeth didn't fly out.
05:24As you wind your way around the park, you hear the sound of the mighty de Tanler Falls.
05:29This is nature at its best. But there are some other features of the park not to be missed.
05:36You see, nothing says natural beauty like a giant gold frog playing the saxophone.
05:43Or this.
05:44Oh, I mean, he's got some tackle on him.
05:48I'm not sure that was ever a thing in Jurassic Park, was it?
05:51Whoa, look at the size of his .
05:57It is a lovely spot. I mean, it's genuinely beautiful here. You know, there's a beautiful
06:03waterfall. We're in a lovely lush valley. But it's almost like, that's not quite enough.
06:10We need a few other things to bring in the tourists. You know, we need a cutesy little bridge.
06:16We need some pitch statues. We need a couple of T-rex and some dinosaur eggs.
06:22Somewhere for people to take selfies. Because that's after all what this is about.
06:27But then again, that's what tourism is about. People want to, they see things on Instagram and
06:32TikTok and they want to take the picture themselves. I can't believe I'm doing this.
06:40Yeah, well, come on. I couldn't help myself.
06:42It's the roar of Datanla Falls that really grabs people here. It's nature's own roller coaster
06:48thundering through the trees. But there could be another reason that punters flock to this park.
06:54I can't quite believe what this is. This is cheese-flavored ice cream.
07:00Look, it's in the shape of a piece of cheese.
07:05A popular dessert in Asia, its unexpected sweet yet savory flavor, like so much of Vietnam,
07:12leaves you wanting more.
07:17Yeah.
07:20Tastes like cheese.
07:22In ice cream form.
07:25I think I've found my favorite thing in the world ever.
07:29What? That's unbelievable.
07:32Oh, my word.
07:36But the cheesy ice cream is just one of the many delights
07:39luring people to this Alpine oasis.
07:42The town of Dalat was dreamt up by a homesick Frenchman named Yersin,
07:47who fell in love with the Alpine region, founding it in 1893.
07:52You know the guy, Yersin. You know, the famous Swiss-born French bacteriologist,
07:57who discovered the bubonic plague Bacillus. Come on. It's named after him, Yersinia pestis.
08:03Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know him, yeah. Anyway, Dalat became renowned for growth and abundance,
08:10for pine forests, tea, asparagus, and would you believe, growing artichokes.
08:15This is a vegetable I knew nothing about before today.
08:18So a trip to an artichoke farm in the central highlands of Dalat was high on my list.
08:26Hello.
08:26Hey.
08:27If we flash forward to the end of my time with Dalat artichokes,
08:30you might be surprised to see how much my love for them grew.
08:37You have captured my heart with all your different qualities.
08:42I have looked upon you and I have maybe underestimated you.
08:48I have looked at the other vegetables and plants and thought, well, they are more attractive,
08:51but now I look at you and I think, my God, you are truly the queen of the vegetable patch.
09:00Let me show you how this love affair began.
09:04This successful farm is called Artichoke Valley in the Lam Dong Highlands of Dalat,
09:10a popular region for these magnificent plants.
09:12I didn't expect to see it here in Vietnam.
09:15This is a vegetable that's, you know, we see it in Europe a lot.
09:20We take it from France.
09:22The French, yeah.
09:23Yeah.
09:24This farm is run by Twan, who left the real estate game to join his parents,
09:28who have been harvesting artichokes for decades.
09:31I've never been to an artichoke farm and I really want to understand more about them.
09:35Down there?
09:36Yeah, okay.
09:37Okay.
09:38It's quite tough, isn't it?
09:46What a beauty.
09:48The Vietnam government once collectivised farming,
09:51stripping away incentive and nearly crippling its food supply.
09:55But today, with a freer market and growing opportunity,
09:59farmers like Twan and his mother, Cern, are thriving on their own.
10:03And it turns out they're lucrative and rather magical in more ways than one.
10:08A lot of things you see are good for liver, for kidney, sleeping well.
10:14It's good for skin, you know, or not good in your thing.
10:17So it's kind of like a cleansing.
10:19Yes, yes.
10:20Like medicine.
10:21Like medicine, yeah.
10:22It's a powerhouse in holistic Eastern medicine.
10:25And for sceptics out there, research from Western medicine proves its efficacy.
10:29I'm waking up to the potential this precious plant has, and the best is yet to come.
10:35So you can use every part of those?
10:37Yes, yes.
10:38Some men use the root, the old one, put in alcohol for drinking.
10:42It's good for men, stronger.
10:43Really?
10:44Yeah.
10:45Yeah, sometimes.
10:45So you can make this into...
10:46The root, but the old one.
10:49Alcoholic drink?
10:49Yeah, yeah.
10:50We dry on the sun and then put in strong alcohol.
10:53And maybe for six months or a few years, it's really good.
10:56Really good.
10:57Artichoke whisky.
10:58I had no idea this had so many different uses.
11:01Yes.
11:03That's amazing.
11:05The choke is chopped up, boiled, and used in everything from tea to simple soup,
11:09to medicinal whisky.
11:11Now I'm listening.
11:13So this is artichoke hooch.
11:15I never thought I'd be drinking artichoke whisky.
11:18My whole perception of this vegetable has changed.
11:22I'm going to rename it.
11:23I'm going to call it the party choke.
11:25Yes.
11:26Cheers.
11:29Cheers.
11:37This stuff is potent.
11:39Just the one for me, for now.
11:42I genuinely had no idea the humble artichoke was so versatile.
11:47I've underestimated it pretty much my whole life.
11:50It has so many uses.
11:52I mean, you can get up in the morning, have a cup of artichoke tea.
11:56Lunchtime, have some artichoke stew.
11:59And then take various parts of the leaf for health properties, liver cleansing.
12:07Helps you sleep at night.
12:08It's good for fertility.
12:10And then in the evening, you have a few glasses of happy water.
12:14This is your whole life in a plant.
12:17It's amazing.
12:18I'm sorry I've misjudged you.
12:22It's all right.
12:28Sorry, I've had...
12:30It's quite strong, that happy water, isn't it?
12:32I don't know.
12:39I don't know.
12:42I don't know.
12:42Dalat is a town where contradictions collide.
12:46Especially at this place, the Valley of Love, where legend has it.
12:50Couples who visit are known to break up after they come here.
12:53Risky business, if you ask me.
12:56The Valley of Love is a grand tourist destination with a reputation to match.
13:00I'm curious to see what all the hype is about.
13:03Just a few kilometres north of Dalat town, this love-themed wonderland has me feeling a little uneasy.
13:11So this is it.
13:13I get a whole buggy to myself.
13:16Brilliant.
13:17Things are looking up.
13:18All right.
13:20Flooring.
13:32I'm flying solo in the Valley of Love, but I get my own private tour of the park.
13:39Amongst the splendour, I spot some familiar faces.
13:48What the is that?
13:51Hang on a minute.
13:53Wait a minute.
14:01Mighty.
14:01Mighty.
14:05I mean, that is truly...
14:08Terrifying.
14:27What am I...
14:28What is happening?
14:29I've had two sips of artichoke whisky and I'm...
14:33Dancing with Trump.
14:35This day has not turned out, as I imagined, at all.
14:41Why there is a wannabe Madame Tussauds in a love park, I don't know.
14:45But here I am.
14:46It doesn't really look like Dwayne Johnson.
14:53This is really...
14:54It's really eerie because there's no one here.
14:57It's just me and these sort of slightly strange-looking wax words.
15:08Oh, no, no, no.
15:10Frozen in time and a strange sort of paradox.
15:15This is quickly becoming the most bizarre exhibit in a park full of oddities.
15:19And I thought I'd seen it all.
15:24Oh, s***.
15:27Oh, sweet mother of s***.
15:30What the s*** is that?
15:41Having said that, I may end up here one day.
15:43In fact, let's just recreate what that might look like.
16:02See you in your nightmares.
16:06My friends at the wax attraction seem like the only ones here.
16:10The Valley of Love is apparently one of the most popular attractions in Dalat.
16:14But no matter where I look, there's no love to be found.
16:19What is the flamingo obsession? I just don't get it.
16:26Some bloke locally that makes flamingos and he's just cleaning up.
16:32He's got a bunch of flamingo molds and he's just trying to flog them to anywhere he'll take them.
16:37And the tunnel of, you know, the Valley of Love people have said,
16:40yeah, Will, how many have you got? And he goes, how many do you want?
16:44Four dozen? More than that, even.
16:48But they all look a bit grubby.
16:50Like I think every one of them could do with a jet wash.
16:55I think the Trump wax work was in better shape and that's saying something.
17:00Nothing says I love you like 64 knackered flamingos.
17:11As I leave this touristy park, I'm reminded that for about 10 years after the end of the war,
17:17Vietnam was closed off to the world.
17:20Since then, tourism has really picked up in huge numbers.
17:23And for Dalat, they flock here for the romantic landscapes.
17:27One of the most beautiful locations that I'm keen to see
17:30is less about kitschy romance and more to do with contentment and inner peace.
17:37Nestled into the hills of Dalat and overlooking the serene Tuenlum Lake
17:41is the Truklam Monastery, a more authentic kind of tourist attraction.
17:46Hello.
17:47Hello.
17:48Hi, lovely to meet you.
17:49Nice to meet you.
17:50My name's Bill.
17:51My name's Bon Huynh.
17:53Bon Huynh.
17:53My name's Bon Dat.
17:54Nice to meet you.
17:55Good to meet you.
17:56The grounds of the monastery are stunning,
17:58with around 60 monks ranging in age from 20 to 93 years old,
18:03tending to the gardens.
18:05My guides, Su Bon Dat and Su Bon Huynh,
18:09have dedicated their lives to Buddhism and life here.
18:12So how long have you been here at this monastery?
18:1611 years.
18:1711 years?
18:18Yeah.
18:18This is my third year here.
18:20Third year, right.
18:21Su Bon Huynh tells me that Buddhism came from India
18:24and was established here during the second century.
18:28It surprises me that Vietnam is an atheist country,
18:31with Buddhism the second most popular religion.
18:41What is so spiritual about Buddhism,
18:47it's the fact that you can gain so much from it.
18:52You can get a sense of enlightenment.
18:56Yes.
18:56A bit of peace and a sense of, I don't know,
19:02just what we would call happiness, I suppose.
19:04Yeah, correct.
19:05Happiness, yes.
19:06Happiness.
19:07No more pain.
19:07No more sad.
19:09Yeah.
19:09And no more stress.
19:12No more stress.
19:16Sounds great.
19:18Where do I sign up?
19:20The Buddhist monk's commitment is so fascinating.
19:23I'm imagining how I would fare trying to live this life.
19:27I mean, do you leave the monastery and do you have families?
19:32I mean, how does that work?
19:34The monastery is their home.
19:36Yeah.
19:37So they don't have the contract with their family members anymore.
19:42So they have their time to focus on the practice.
19:47So once you join the monastery, this is your family?
19:51Yes.
19:51We are like brothers and sisters.
19:53Yeah.
19:53For me, that would be difficult, you know, a sacrifice in a way.
20:02I would have to give up something.
20:04Correct.
20:05Yeah.
20:05It's really tough for the people who decide to take this role seriously
20:09when they become a monk.
20:12Is there a way that I can achieve all that enlightenment and have all the other things?
20:19I'm slowly realizing that you can't have your cake and eat it too.
20:23I'm willing to give it a try.
20:25True happiness is from...
20:26From inside.
20:27Within.
20:27Yes.
20:28You can come and stay with Earth.
20:30Yeah.
20:30I'd love to.
20:31How long?
20:32Maybe some day or one week.
20:36Yes.
20:37Or end up staying there for 11 years.
20:41Who knows?
20:42I'll define my family.
20:44Yeah, I'm not coming back.
20:46I've achieved a state of inner peace.
20:50I need to give meditation a try before I commit to 11 years.
20:55Not sure how I'm going to go with this.
20:57The monks are going to teach me how to relax my mind.
21:00No small undertaking.
21:09Let the thoughts go away.
21:10Yes.
21:11But how do you do that?
21:13It's difficult.
21:14That's what we practice.
21:16It's hard.
21:17Yeah.
21:17I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982.
21:20So that's why when you have many years of practice, you have the power to control your thoughts.
21:26Okay.
22:08How about your main audition?
22:11It's very peaceful.
22:14I mean, it's just an unusual for me to be this quiet and still for that amount of time.
22:25Right.
22:25And I can see, actually, it's something that if I would practice more, I'd get a lot out
22:33of it because I can start to sort of sense things slowing down.
22:38So that's one version of how the meditation was for me.
22:41I wanted to protect the monks from the mayhem inside my mind.
22:45I found meditating quite hard because my mind's always active.
22:50It's always churning, thinking about things.
22:53He said, if you close your eyes, you might fall asleep.
22:56So I thought, I won't do that then because I probably will fall asleep.
23:00So I used to keep your eyes slightly open.
23:02So I kept my eyes slightly open.
23:04I was focusing on the carpet.
23:06And then I couldn't help thinking, that's quite a busy design for a meditation carpet.
23:12You know?
23:13I mean, there's a lot going on.
23:15And then I'm thinking, I used to live in a flat that had that same carpet.
23:19And then I'm thinking, oh, I remember that time.
23:21And I remember the people I stayed in the flat with.
23:22And suddenly, my mind's off on a whole bunch of other tangents.
23:27So I thought, I better close my eyes.
23:29And then I'm closing my eyes and thinking, oh, I've got a little bit of a wobbly tooth.
23:32I've got to get that scene to.
23:34Oh, I'm on my toe.
23:35And it's like, it's so hard.
23:37It's so hard.
23:39I'm just thinking about stuff all the time.
23:42It would take me a long time to get to where these guys are.
23:46The dedication required to achieve enlightenment is impressive.
23:51But it's also stressing me out.
23:54I don't know whether I could make that sacrifice.
23:57My life, you know, career, family.
24:01And I get an enormous amount of happiness from that.
24:05But I wouldn't mind a bit of that spiritual enlightenment, you know.
24:09Just a bit of meditation.
24:11I think maybe I could learn from that.
24:12If I could do maybe an hour a week.
24:15Or maybe like the second Thursday in every month.
24:19And get a glimpse of spiritual enlightenment.
24:22I think that would do me.
24:26For me, it's about finding moments of peace in everyday life.
24:30In the back streets of Dalat, I may just have found such a moment on the side of the road.
24:36I've never had the desire for a head wash until now.
24:39Or a fried banana, for that matter.
24:42What is it, though?
24:43Banana, you know?
24:44Banana?
24:45Yeah, banana.
24:46Oh!
24:47Is this, like, fried banana?
24:50Yeah.
24:51Good.
24:52Yummy.
24:53Oh.
24:53I know this.
24:54It doesn't say hair washing.
24:56Just head.
24:57Yeah.
24:59Yeah.
24:59Well, yeah, go on, then.
25:00Yeah, yeah.
25:01No, that's right.
25:02No hair.
25:03No hair, that's right.
25:04It's just a head.
25:05You're all right.
25:06You don't need to rub it in.
25:10What's happening?
25:11Mmm, it smells very fragrant.
25:19Is this bliss?
25:20Well, it's a curious sensation, but not unpleasant.
25:24It's been a hell of a day, I've got to say.
25:26It's been an amazing day.
25:29I've done, you know, I've had a bit of enlightenment.
25:34Meditation.
25:36Cheesy ice cream.
25:38And now a deep fried banana and a head wash.
25:41I mean, that is, it's like the best day ever.
25:48Oh.
25:54I don't think I've had my ears cleaned out like that since I was about five.
26:03That was fantastic.
26:05I'm in a bit of a daze, I've got to say.
26:08If the Buddhist monks don't do it for you, then the head wash and the neck massages will.
26:14I feel truly in a state of...
26:19Zed car.
26:34Life up in the fresh mountain air is treating me well.
26:38Dalat has captivated me with this curious mix of east and west.
26:43You can see the French influence in the architecture around town.
26:47Many of the houses look like they're straight out of the French Alps.
26:50But there's one house that's a bit bigger, a bit fancier.
26:54Well, it's more of a palace.
26:55This is Bao Dai's palace, the last emperor of Vietnam.
27:00He was a leaf in the wind of the shifting powers of this nation.
27:03He's long gone now.
27:05But I'm intrigued to see how a monarch lived in Vietnam.
27:09If only I can sort out my footwear.
27:12So you have to wear protective booties over your shoes, but...
27:17I'm...
27:18It seems to have defeated me.
27:21I don't quite know.
27:23Am I supposed to take...
27:24If I take my shoe off...
27:28Oh, maybe that's it.
27:29That's it.
27:30You're supposed to take your shoe off.
27:31It's like I'm entering some sort of crime scene,
27:34which you could say it was an imperial crime.
27:39So, yes, in some ways, ideologically, it is.
27:42My feet are just so inordinately big or something.
27:46What are we doing with shoes?
27:47Excuse me.
27:48I haven't even got in yet, and I'm already confused.
27:51No glass slippers required here.
27:53Just the kind that won't scuff the royal floorboards.
27:58So far, my first impressions are...
28:01It's not quite Buckingham Palace.
28:03More art deco on a budget.
28:07Tucked into the corner of the drawing room is Baudet's grand piano
28:12that's no longer looking so grand.
28:15Come on.
28:16It'd be rude not to.
28:18Yeah, this could do with a lot of tea, I'll see.
28:20I mean, it is a bit knackered.
28:21Look at it.
28:23Oh, dear.
28:24The palace was built in the 1930s,
28:27just after Baudet ascended the throne under French colonial rule,
28:30and it served as a summer retreat for the emperor,
28:33who took to hunting in the woods around Dalat.
28:36He also took to philandering, gambling, and general debauchery.
28:41I mean, I'm no brilliant artist myself,
28:44but I wouldn't be happy with that.
28:50This was the queen's bedroom.
28:52It was a kind of political marriage between her and Baudet.
28:57He was a bit of a playboy.
28:58She said, look, you have to stop all that.
29:01I'll only marry you if you make me a queen.
29:04And so he agreed.
29:06It's not rashly.
29:07Sort of thing a bloke would do.
29:08Yeah, yeah, I'll do that.
29:09He couldn't help himself.
29:11He was, you know, born into this privilege.
29:15But this privilege wasn't to last.
29:18His life became a story of riches to rags,
29:21which is never the right way around.
29:23When the French rule ended abruptly in 1954,
29:26he went into exile in France and never returned to Vietnam.
29:30He died in a modest apartment in Paris in 1997.
29:38Now, it wouldn't be a Vietnamese tourist attraction
29:40without a photo opportunity.
29:43And at the palace,
29:44visitors are offered the chance
29:45to dress up in full emperor garb.
29:48How do you get fitted up to one of these?
29:51I'll take these off.
29:52Got some proper shoes on.
29:53Take these things off.
29:55As they say, if you can't beat them, join them.
29:57I think it's important to get a sense of what it feels like
30:00to walk in someone else's shoes.
30:02Yeah, this is it.
30:03This is the stuff.
30:04Well, perhaps not literally.
30:05I've got my shoes on the wrong way around.
30:07Hold on a minute.
30:09I can't do that.
30:10It's ridiculous.
30:12This particular subtle gold number
30:14is the emperor's ceremonial dress,
30:16perfect for this occasion.
30:19I might just start wearing this around the house.
30:28Bring me a toasted cheese sandwich.
30:40While the French may have finally bid adieu to Vietnam,
30:44the spirit they planted in Dalat
30:46has grown into something wonderfully Vietnamese.
30:48Shortly, I'll be heading out of town by train
30:51to a local tea plantation.
30:52And for the trip,
30:53I'll need some sustenance.
30:56It's a great little market.
30:57It's got everything.
30:58It's a perfect place
30:59to load up on sort of travel snacks.
31:05Oh, strawberry.
31:07Oh, it's dried.
31:09I'm very happy with these.
31:14Look at that.
31:16Delicious.
31:22Oh, yeah.
31:24Yes.
31:25Really good.
31:28Might be my new favourite thing.
31:30Oh, artichoke tea.
31:32Smell it.
31:35Sorry, it's just...
31:36The cab's a bit hot.
31:37Nom, nom, nom.
31:38Very hot.
31:38No, no, no.
31:39It burnt my fingers.
31:42Artichoke tea, of course.
31:43Another use for this wondrous plant.
31:46But I want to get a taste for real tea,
31:48which has been quietly brewing for centuries in the highlands.
31:51My mode of transport, the Dalat Plateau Rail.
31:56I'm departing from the Dalat train station,
31:59a revered historical landmark.
32:01Built in the 1930s,
32:03it proudly holds the title of Vietnam's oldest railway station.
32:07We've got the three pointed sort of pediments in the middle,
32:13which some say echo the three peaks of the Lamb Yang mountain range.
32:21Me and my strawberries are bound for the hills of Trimat.
32:24It's a 30-minute heritage train journey
32:27with the prospect of a proper brew at the end of it.
32:30But first, I need to find my seat.
32:34It's a big thing in Britain.
32:37If you get the wrong seat, the wrong coach,
32:39it's just the worst kind of bad behaviour.
32:44It's just so disrespectful.
32:47So I'm slightly anxious because it says,
32:52Coach 5, seat 19, but I don't know which one that is.
32:54It goes to the core of my British embarrassment
32:58to feel that I'm sitting in the wrong seat.
33:00I'd be mortified.
33:03Is this the right...
33:04Am I in the right place?
33:05It says, Coach 5, seat 19.
33:08I mean, this isn't 19.
33:10Is this Coach 5?
33:11It seems the train comes with a resident saxophonist.
33:18I've got a feeling this might be the least of my worries.
33:22I mean, it's not quite the Orient Express,
33:25but it does have its own peculiar charm.
33:28During the war in 1973,
33:30the railway line was heavily damaged,
33:32but after the country's reunification in 1975,
33:35it was restored
33:36and now serves as a reminder
33:38of Vietnam's colonial past.
33:42Take one.
33:43Take one.
33:44I love a train ride,
33:44especially when sharing local produce with new friends.
33:47Take two, yeah?
33:55Knock yourselves out.
34:00Nice, eh?
34:01Yeah, you're welcome.
34:06Produce, which turned out to be very popular.
34:16Well, I mean, I've been enjoying the train journey very much.
34:20I just hadn't counted on to Vietnamese Kenny G.
34:25But, uh...
34:26I just, you know, just roll with it, I suppose.
34:30All my strawberries went down well.
34:32They didn't last long.
34:34I nearly bought the big tub.
34:35I should have bought a big tub.
34:38I'm making friends here already.
34:41Okay, ready?
34:42One, two, three.
34:46Woo!
35:00The cool air, the rolling hills,
35:03and the lush landscape of Dalat
35:05all conspire to create the perfect ingredients
35:08for a decent cup of tea.
35:14Drinking tea is such a big part of British life.
35:16It's like we've claimed it
35:17as a hard national brew.
35:20But, of course, tea's been around for thousands of years.
35:23And, in fact, it started in the 3rd century B.C. in China.
35:26It's gradually spread throughout Asia.
35:29And here in the cool hills of Dalat is very conducive for tea cultivation.
35:37And, in fact, it's now become one of Vietnam's major exports.
35:43At 1,650 metres above sea level,
35:47and with an average temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius,
35:50these hills are fertile.
35:52Farmer Tack's family has passed down the art of cultivation over generations.
35:57And just break it off?
35:58Yeah, you can break it.
35:59Yeah.
35:59Yeah, like this.
36:00Like that.
36:01Just the green ones.
36:01Yeah.
36:02OK.
36:02The dark ones we don't use, OK?
36:04OK.
36:05So they leave that.
36:06So all of these...
36:07Yeah, waiting for you.
36:08OK.
36:09Help us.
36:10Yeah, I will.
36:12Just a couple more leaves to pick.
36:14Won't take me long.
36:16Tack's going to make me work for it.
36:18There's a few days' worth of harbours in here.
36:20One kilogram, the people earn 5,000 dong only.
36:26That means one US dollar, they have to pick five kilogram.
36:30OK.
36:31If you want to have the noodle for today,
36:33you have to pick, like, ten kilogram.
36:36That's a lot.
36:37Yeah, work.
36:38Yeah, you've got to work fast.
36:39Yeah.
36:40If you want to have the beef noodle.
36:42If you want noodles, yeah.
36:43Yeah, sir.
36:44Well, I like noodles.
36:45So you have to pick ten kilogram.
36:48Picking.
36:48It's no...
36:49You know, it's...
36:49Yeah.
36:49No time to hang about.
36:51No time-saving machinery here.
36:54The preference is to pick by hand
36:56to maintain a high quality of leaves,
36:58ensuring that no brown bits get through.
37:00My mum had this great expression.
37:02She said,
37:03I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China.
37:05Which is, when you think about it, it's a lot.
37:08No, I don't know what she'd do with all the tea in China.
37:10Do you know what else?
37:11I mean, she wouldn't have the distribution network, so...
37:15And you look around here and you sort of think,
37:17yeah, I can see where...
37:18I can see where that comes from.
37:20You can't hang about.
37:23You've got to get amongst it.
37:26Yeah.
37:27Another hundred grams.
37:29There you go.
37:29Good.
37:31Our culture, we have the tea culture as well.
37:33Yes.
37:34Well, that's the same.
37:35Yeah.
37:35Honestly, it's the same in Britain.
37:37Really?
37:37Every time anyone comes in the house,
37:39somebody says,
37:40a cup of tea.
37:41Ah, really?
37:42Yeah.
37:42I just think that's a cup of whiskey.
37:45No, whiskey's later.
37:47All right.
37:48Yeah.
37:48You wouldn't start the day with what?
37:49You might start the day with whiskey,
37:50but there wouldn't be much left of the day.
37:53Life on the land, quite physical work,
37:55so I'm grateful for a lift back to the factory.
37:59See you.
38:04This is a great old wagon.
38:06I noticed it was Russian.
38:08Yeah.
38:08I see the old Russian car
38:10to support from the Vietnam War before.
38:12Right.
38:13Yes.
38:14A big, too older than me.
38:16Yes.
38:17It's vintage.
38:18About my age.
38:19Yeah.
38:19Really?
38:20Oh, you look young.
38:21Oh, thanks.
38:23High five.
38:24Give me five.
38:29I've never been more ready for a cup of tea.
38:31What a beautiful color as well.
38:33Look at that.
38:34Yes.
38:34Thank you very much.
38:36In Vietnamese, we say
38:42In Vietnam, we just say, enjoy the tea.
38:45Enjoy the tea.
38:45Yeah, but we don't cheer.
38:46No, you don't do that?
38:47We don't cheer with the tea.
38:48There you go.
38:49Cheers.
38:51Cheers.
38:52Be careful, it's too hot.
38:55Oh, that's delicious.
38:57As a Brit, I thought I knew tea,
39:00but here in Vietnam, it's a ritual,
39:02not just a cuppa.
39:04Well, I go back to Builders Brew at home, probably,
39:06but I'll drink with a little more reverence
39:08for the leaves and how they ended up in my cup.
39:14Away from the day-to-day routine of tea cultivation,
39:17a much older rhythm runs through these hills,
39:20the ancient music of the Cahoe people,
39:23whose roots here go back far beyond the plantations.
39:26One of my favorite things to do when traveling
39:28is listening to the sounds of local musicians,
39:31connecting to the traditional culture through music.
39:34The Cahoe ethnic minority is one of the oldest indigenous groups
39:39in Vietnam's central highlands,
39:41believed to have existed for around two and a half thousand years.
39:45I'm visiting their music room
39:47to understand more about how they lived
39:49and their instruments might hold the key.
39:55Oh, what an amazing sound you guys make.
39:58Hello, I'm Bill.
40:00Hey.
40:01Nice to meet you.
40:03Nice to meet you too.
40:04So this follows like a pattern of, you know, a scale.
40:13Such a beautiful sound.
40:15I can't help myself.
40:16Got to get on the tools.
40:18So you just sort of,
40:20like each stone has a different...
40:31It's a lovely sound, isn't it?
40:33Beautiful.
40:34Renowned for musical traditions,
40:36particularly gong festivals,
40:37in 2008,
40:39the Cahoe Gong culture was recognized by UNESCO
40:42as an oral masterpiece of humanity.
40:45Where do these stones come from?
40:47Mostly they come from the river.
40:49The first purpose of them is to scare.
40:51Oh.
40:52And scare the animals.
40:53The animals come in,
40:54they just scare them,
40:55they shake, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
40:56Like that, and they're able to run away.
40:58Yeah.
40:58It's amazing.
40:59I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
41:00The Cahoe have lived in harmony
41:02in the Longbyang Mountains for generations
41:05and still pass their songs and stories
41:07on by word of mouth.
41:10Funny how the French have even influenced this ancient music,
41:13adapting their traditional sound
41:15into a recognizable tune.
41:27I think he just played Frère Jacques.
41:31It's like an old French song.
41:33Yeah, that old French song.
41:35The Cahoe people express their emotions,
41:37share stories,
41:39and connect with their natural environment.
41:41All the instruments are, you know, handmade.
41:44So all of these are, you know,
41:46just made from wood and twine and bamboo.
41:50They're using hand for shaping them.
41:53Yeah.
41:53And make from bamboo and use hand.
41:55They don't have any technology
41:56to creating this kind of sound.
41:58So most of them use hand.
41:59I love the simplicity of these instruments.
42:02No fancy gear, no big production,
42:04just a purity of tone,
42:06a sound that's been echoing
42:07through the hills for generations.
42:10This is more traditional,
42:11sort of like a xylophone.
42:26Seems like you're missing a note here.
42:31Where's the C?
42:32You need another C there.
42:38Right up my alley, as it were.
42:41I mean,
42:44any chance I get to play with musicians,
42:48wherever they are in the world,
42:49whatever instrument,
42:50whatever culture,
42:51I will take
42:52because it just proves to me,
42:55yet again,
42:56that there's this language
42:57that music is
42:59which transcends
43:00all kinds of cultural barriers.
43:07playing with these guys today
43:08gave me that little glimpse
43:10into this rich history
43:13that we perhaps
43:16don't know much about.
43:17I certainly don't,
43:18of Vietnam.
43:20And it's mountain people
43:21and it's more than 50,
43:24I think,
43:24different ethnic groups.
43:34I'm getting the feeling
43:36that Dalat
43:37is the kind of place
43:38where you come looking
43:39for misty pine forests
43:40and can discover
43:41something quite different.
43:43It keeps you guessing
43:44in the best possible way.
43:46It's Vietnam's
43:47highland wild card.
43:49Expect the unexpected
43:51and then something
43:52comes along stranger still.
43:55Cloud hunting
43:55is a popular
43:56pre-dawn mission
43:57to the hilltops
43:58to capture the sunrise
43:59over the endless rolling hills.
44:02And it's all about timing.
44:04Hundreds of young peoples,
44:06couples,
44:07all dressed up to the nines.
44:10A hush of anticipation
44:11as their fingers poised
44:14over the record buttons
44:15of their devices.
44:18A sense of romance
44:19in the air
44:20as the sun
44:21gradually creeps
44:22over the horizon,
44:24illuminating
44:24the fog-filled valleys
44:27and initiating
44:28a sense of wonder
44:29in all of those
44:31gathered here
44:31to capture this moment
44:33forever
44:34on their Instagram reels
44:36and their TikToks.
44:38Yeah, this all sounds lovely,
44:40but it means you have
44:41to get up
44:41at the crack of dawn.
44:43But if you come a bit later,
44:44then, um,
44:46you get the place yourself.
44:48Which, for me,
44:49is much nicer.
44:54Ah, the cynic in me
44:56is alive and well.
44:57A well-rested cynic
44:59at that.
45:02I could see why
45:04when Alexandre Yersin
45:06first came here
45:07in the end of the 19th century,
45:10why he was so taken
45:10with the place
45:12and why it was so popular
45:13with the French
45:14during colonial rule.
45:18There's something
45:19about this place
45:21that really kind of
45:22gets under your skin
45:23with the natural beauty
45:26of it,
45:27the welcoming nature
45:28of the local people.
45:31It's a place
45:32that's very easy
45:33to fall in love with.
45:40Next time
45:41on Bill Bailey's Vietnam.
45:43I'm just about to
45:43take part
45:44in a bit of laughing yoga.
45:46My ears have never been hairier.
45:48Get a bit of a trim.
45:49Some people shouting.
45:51Help!
45:51Help me!
45:52See, this is like
45:53a health and safety nightmare.
45:58More from Bill
45:59thermally on home turf
46:00tonight.
46:00His stand-up show
46:01from 10 years back
46:02see him on top form
46:03in Limbo Land.
46:04That's on E4 Extra
46:05from 11.
46:06Or for unlikely pairings
46:08and plenty of flashpoints
46:09we've handcuffed
46:10last pair standing.
46:11It continues Monday at 9
46:12but you can also
46:13stream that right now.
46:15A journey of redemption
46:16and a journey of acceptance
46:17next as Matt Damon
46:18stars in Stillwater.
46:20Stillwater.
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