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00:04On the Bay of Ha Long in Vietnam's north, the idea was to glide gracefully across the water.
00:11Oops. I suffered no injury, except perhaps to my dignity.
00:20But undeterred, I sailed out across the misty majesty of Ha Long Bay.
00:31Vietnam. Of course, it's a place of tea plantations, traffic, temples, but then it's something else entirely.
00:44Come with me on an unusual, unfiltered, unforgettable adventure.
00:55My mind's off on a whole bunch of other tangents.
00:59I'm thinking about a sandwich I had in 1982.
01:02As this nation commemorates 50 years since the end of the war.
01:06So is it safe, right?
01:08I'll explore this fertile land, ask the big questions.
01:11Am I in the right place?
01:13Embrace new experiences, even my own future.
01:17Rob them, you are smart and tested.
01:20Is there any, you know, good news?
01:23Navigate tight spaces.
01:25I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get out.
01:27Make some new friends.
01:30Separated at birth.
01:31This is a voyage of discovery, of strange encounters.
01:34This is your whole life in a plant.
01:36And kindred spirits.
01:38An enchanted stroll to one of the most fascinating places on earth.
01:42Welcome to Bill Bailey's Vietnam Adventure.
02:07Har Long Bay.
02:08The breathtaking natural wonder of North Vietnam.
02:13This extraordinary archipelago of nearly 2,000 limestone casts spreads out over an area of 130 miles of ocean.
02:26And it is genuinely awe-inspiring and very beautiful.
02:32And it's also been the cradle of civilization in this part of Vietnam.
02:38There's archaeological evidence that points to fishing settlements that go back 18,000 years.
02:44And after that, it became a natural stronghold, a strategic naval base, a place to repel invaders.
02:54It's also a place of real Vietnamese identity.
02:59It's threaded through the cultural memory of Vietnam.
03:03It's in the poetry, songs, even in the royal records of ancient dynasties.
03:08So when you sail through these islands, you're not just sailing through this beautiful, awe-inspiring landscape.
03:18You're sailing through a place of myths and legend.
03:24Any online search for Vietnam will throw up a picture of Har Long Bay.
03:30It's so popular, so known around the world, that I want to see if it lives up to all the
03:35hype.
03:35Millions of years in the making, this mystical aquatic enclave forms part of the coastline of northern Vietnam.
03:43And, as you've seen, I'm going to immerse myself in it.
03:48As I embark on an exploration of the emerald green waters around Har Long Bay,
03:53I've boarded a junk boat with Happy as my guide.
03:57You grew up in Har Long?
03:59Yeah, I grew up in the Lanha Bay.
04:02Yeah.
04:02And before the tour guide, I was a fishing boy.
04:05Oh.
04:05Yeah.
04:06So you're really born and bred here, then?
04:09Mm-hmm.
04:10Well, good. I'm looking forward to it.
04:11Because I'm interested in all sorts of things, birds, wildlife.
04:15Do we think we might see something like that?
04:17Yeah.
04:18On these islands?
04:18The monkey or the seahawk.
04:20Seahawk?
04:20The bird, the bird flying over there, looking for the fish under the water.
04:24We go with the seahawk.
04:25Seahawk, right?
04:26Yeah.
04:27But the fishermen, we don't know them.
04:28We don't like them.
04:30Sometimes they try to stolen my feet.
04:32They steal your fish, right.
04:35Birds of prey are not the only airborne creatures that tell the story of this region.
04:43So the legend of the creation of Ha Long Bay is very much tied up with the dragon, which
04:49is a symbol of power and prosperity in Vietnam.
04:54A long time ago, when Vietnam was just a young country, it was in danger of naval invasion.
05:00So the jade emperor in the skies sent down a family of dragons to protect the country.
05:05And they descended from the heavens, casting out their jewels, their emeralds and pearls,
05:13creating this natural fortress to protect Vietnam.
05:17When it was done, the mother dragon was so enamored of the place, she decided to stay,
05:23giving it the name Ha Long, Descending Dragon.
05:26And actually, if you look at the landscape, it does kind of resemble a submerged dragon's back.
05:37Cruising these glassy waters can be extraordinarily peaceful.
05:41Other times, though, not so much.
05:43Hello!
05:44Hello!
05:47I'm going to have a word with the local council.
05:49I mean, that's just outrageous.
05:50It's just, there's no need for it.
05:54This is more of a sedate paste.
05:56Look at this fellow here.
05:57That's how, that's how fast you should be going.
06:03Just gently hootling along, not sending a wash.
06:08I mean, there's erosion here enough as it is.
06:12Hello!
06:14There you go, you see, that's more like it.
06:16Captain Bailey bossing about these hooligans on the high seas.
06:21Oh, you, for f***ing sake.
06:24Quite a tiny stool now, I'd throw it at them.
06:28Pull Steve ahead!
06:30The old wooden junk boats in this bay are a living link to the past, with a long history of
06:36use for fishing and trading in Southeast Asia.
06:39But if you want to get right into the landscape, like I'm keen to do, this is your best bet.
06:45Well, I mean, you've seen my attempt earlier on, on the stand-up paddleboard.
06:48So, I'm proud to reveal I can do it, but I recommend a lower centre of gravity at this stage.
06:55This place is just stunningly impressive, somewhere that I've wanted to see for years.
07:04And the photos that appear in brochures online, and of course, in a million Instagram feeds, just don't do it
07:15justice.
07:16You can't really capture the scale of it in a photo.
07:20You have to see it for yourself.
07:22I mean, it's immense.
07:26These huge towers, just rising out of an emerald sea.
07:30I mean, it's like a, it is like another world.
07:34And also, the forces at work that created this, it's just monumental.
07:40Rising up in the middle of nowhere are these casts, or limestone pillars.
07:45And if you're on a small vessel like this, you can come ashore.
07:51So, you really get a sense of how these casts are formed when you get really up close to it.
07:58Something like between 400 and 250 million years ago, marine life settled to the bottom of the sea.
08:07Remains of shellfish, shells, the remains of dead marine life.
08:13And it would just settle to the bottom of the sea, accumulate over eons of time, eventually forming a solid
08:21slab of rock, limestone.
08:24And something like 100 million years ago, just a mere hop and a skip in geological terms, huge powers were
08:32brought to bear.
08:33Tectonic uplift.
08:35And these slabs of rock were forced up.
08:40Sea level changed, and they created these towers or casts.
08:46You see them all over the world.
08:48Limestone forests on land.
08:51You don't often see them in the sea.
08:53These are called drown casts.
08:55And what makes Harlong Bay unique is the sheer scale of them.
09:00I mean, this is absolutely vast.
09:03And the limestone is gradually being dissolved, as you can see it.
09:08It's like a sort of, you know, like teeth that have been gradually decayed over time.
09:14And that will continue over the next, however, millions of years.
09:19And to see these forces at work, I want to visit one of the many caves in the area.
09:24I'm upgrading from the kneeling board to a little boat and a proper seat, with my guide Happy and a
09:30fine oarsman to power us along.
09:32Thanks, mate.
09:33Oh, step by step.
09:34The key is to have a vessel that sits low enough so you can access the caves.
09:39All right, here we go.
09:41Here we go.
09:48This is the way to travel.
09:50Yeah.
09:52So we go to one of the most beautiful caves in Vietnam.
09:55Right.
09:56Which calls the name Bright Cave.
09:59We are headed to Bright Cave, also called Light and Dark Cave.
10:02And with extreme tidal changes every day, you need to have your wits about you.
10:08It's very dark inside and it's very dangerous with the children.
10:10You know, the important thing when you come into the cave, with the low tide, when the water is going
10:15up and the current is very strong.
10:18When you're tired, you cannot go back and the water puts you more deep.
10:23You're stuck inside.
10:25You're stuck there.
10:25Yeah, maybe one half day.
10:26When the water is going down, you go outside, maybe forever.
10:30Wow.
10:31Well, I'm glad you're here.
10:33Yeah, that's why it's really important for the tour.
10:36So when there's people going in there in kayaks, you have to tell them, you know, this can be quite
10:41treacherous.
10:42Yeah, yeah.
10:45Light Cave is a classic frogmouth-shaped cave with its floor underwater and ceiling above sea level.
10:55If you were in here and the tide went up, it would be, the roof would be very low, wouldn't
11:01it?
11:01Yeah, yeah.
11:01It would be difficult to negotiate your way up.
11:04And your head will hit the rock.
11:06Yeah.
11:07Because this, for example, this one.
11:09Oh.
11:09Yeah.
11:10When the water is going up.
11:11That one goes under the water.
11:13You can see that, yeah.
11:13If I'm tired, it'll be submerged.
11:16The Light Cave opens up to a tranquil lagoon where you can hear a pin drop.
11:23Is that quiet?
11:25It's quiet.
11:26Only hear the sound of the boat singing.
11:29Yeah.
11:31Just a bird song.
11:32So peaceful, except for the sound of...
11:39A British bloke trying to make contact with the local wildlife.
11:58To give my sea legs a breather, I'm taking off for a day trip
12:01to the secluded Viet Hai village on Cat Bar Island,
12:05hidden deep in the national park.
12:07It's very peaceful here.
12:09You know, the...
12:10Obviously, the way that the formations are
12:14forms this sort of natural harbour.
12:17So, you get these anchorages in some of the inlets,
12:22which are extremely calm.
12:24It's just like a mirror here today.
12:26But, yeah, I mean, these islands, they vary hugely in size.
12:31Some from, you know, just a single tower
12:34to this particular island, Viet Hai,
12:38which is actually much bigger and can sustain a village.
12:43And a road, brilliantly.
12:45So, it's good to be on dry land for a bit.
12:49Accessible only by boat,
12:50this remote village is tucked away
12:52from the main attraction of Harlong Bay.
12:54And en route, something has caught my eye.
12:59It's what I love about the tropics
13:02is that even the common butterflies
13:04are extraordinarily beautiful.
13:08You know, this one's just a common swallowtail,
13:11but it's got these gossamer wings
13:14and beautiful markings on the lower wings
13:18and these sort of teardrop-like swallowtails
13:20and this bright red abdomen as well.
13:23It's just a variety of colour.
13:27And these are everywhere.
13:29They've been following me the whole way.
13:34Joining me is another human resident of the island
13:37who's going to show me round the village.
13:39Hello.
13:40Hello, hi, Bill.
13:41Hey.
13:41How are you?
13:42How are you doing?
13:43Yeah.
13:44All right, just part and...
13:45Goodbye.
13:46Hey, I'm Bill.
13:47What's your name?
13:48My name is Tang.
13:49Tang?
13:49Yeah.
13:50Good to meet you.
13:5034-year-old Tang has seen a lot of change
13:53in Viet Hai over the years.
13:55How long has there been a village here?
13:58Uh, like, really long time ago,
14:01but start from, like, 100 years ago.
14:04The story goes that Tang's ancestors were fishermen
14:07who encountered a big storm,
14:08so they took refuge and settled on Cat Bar Island.
14:12The Vietnam War interrupted things,
14:14but they've retained the traditional way of life ever since.
14:18Oh, look, there we go.
14:21The village has adopted a tourist attraction,
14:23which, at the very least, keeps the fish entertained.
14:27We're about to experience a fish massage,
14:29which involves reacquainting myself
14:31with what has become an old friend in Vietnam.
14:35Oh, look, a tiny stool.
14:38My favourite.
14:40If I'm doing this, so is my guide, Tang.
14:43The tiny, nibbling therapists await,
14:45ready to exfoliate my feet in a mildly alarming manner.
14:49And they're extra famished.
14:52We don't give them too much food.
14:54Right.
14:54So they're hungry.
14:56So then when the foot goes in,
14:58they're straight over.
15:00Oh, I see.
15:02They're hungry.
15:03Tang leaves the way.
15:05He's keeping me company in this tickle torture.
15:09Oh, yeah.
15:10Right, I'm going in.
15:11One, two, three.
15:12Four-foot immersion.
15:14God!
15:14Tick it!
15:16Woo-hoo!
15:16Yee-haw!
15:18Get it!
15:23It's why I say, like,
15:24they cannot keep, like, for the long times.
15:26Oh.
15:26No.
15:27Oh!
15:28They're so hungry.
15:30Oh!
15:31Oh!
15:32God!
15:33But someone, they can, like,
15:35swimming in here.
15:37Really?
15:38Yeah.
15:38What, they've got their whole body in?
15:40Oh.
15:41It's all done.
15:42No, I don't know about that.
15:43Ten seconds is about enough.
15:44That's all I can stand.
15:46Good.
15:46Fill your boots, lads.
15:52It tickles.
15:53It tickles.
15:53While the practice of having fish nibble away at your dead skin
15:56isn't a cultural tradition,
15:58the doctor fish, or garra-rufa fish,
16:00are supposed to make you feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
16:04We will eat them later.
16:06Yeah.
16:08They taste a bit of feet, though.
16:09That's the other thing.
16:10Mm-hmm.
16:11It's like being attacked by a gang of aquatic dentists.
16:14Oddly therapeutic.
16:15Count us down from ten.
16:16Ten.
16:17Nine.
16:19Eight.
16:21Seven.
16:22Three, two, one.
16:23Two, one.
16:24Three, two, one, go.
16:25Yeah.
16:25Oh.
16:27Oh.
16:28Oh, I'm not sure about that.
16:30But, I mean, my feet do feel a lot cleaner, I've got to say.
16:33Mm-hmm.
16:33So, I suppose there is some benefit.
16:41After getting close and personal with these tiny nibblers,
16:44I felt it was only fair that I meet their larger cousins,
16:47who sustain more than a few softest tourists.
16:53My guide, Happy, is taking me to a floating fishing village out on Ha Long Bay.
16:58I'm Bill.
16:59Ah, good to meet you.
17:01Yeah.
17:01Good to meet you.
17:02And have a little look around here.
17:03Villagers like Mr. Tum mainly earn their living by fishing.
17:07It's a tough life, the stories of typhoons and a life lived entirely at the mercy of the elements.
17:16The first, the fishermen, they kept the fish on the sea and lived on the ocean.
17:20But when the ocean is very dangerous, when the storm and typhoon.
17:23Right.
17:24They come here, you see, around is a mountain.
17:27It's a cover for them.
17:28Right.
17:28And they live here with a family.
17:30So, they actually live out here?
17:33Yeah.
17:33On the platform?
17:34Yeah.
17:35So, do they have electricity that comes here?
17:39In the past, they use electricity by the battery.
17:42But after the storm, the edge drop is broken.
17:45Now they use the solar panel.
17:48Proof that even here, the modern world is catching up with this ancient tradition.
17:58We have the house over there, the bedroom, everything.
18:02The house over there, the feet, the children, they live here.
18:04And they go to school by taxi boat.
18:06They go to school.
18:07Yeah.
18:08Yeah, look like this.
18:08They go to school by taxi boat.
18:10Taxi boat, like this.
18:10This one, the maximum 10 people.
18:13They go to school every day.
18:14And the school's on the, in the island?
18:16In the katba.
18:17Yeah.
18:17No school here.
18:19The morning, the taxi boat take the children from here to the pier.
18:23And then from the pier, go to school by taxi motorbike.
18:26By, by boat and bike.
18:27Right, motorbike, yeah?
18:28Taxi boat and then taxi motorbike.
18:29That is a, that is a fun way.
18:32Yeah.
18:33For being a kid, that's fun.
18:35Getting on a boat and a motorbike every morning.
18:38Mr. Tom has lived a long life on the floating village.
18:41What age is he going to retire, do you think?
18:48He wants to retire at 60, 60 years old.
18:5260, that's it.
18:53Yeah.
18:53But now he's 63.
18:56Yeah.
18:57He's working until he, until he feels tired.
19:00Yeah.
19:00Yeah.
19:01Now he, he has a strong, yeah, good health.
19:03That's it.
19:04You look, he's strong.
19:05Yeah.
19:05He looks good.
19:07He told me he retired when, when he's tired, but he's no strong.
19:11Now he's strong, he can work for more money.
19:13Look at his face.
19:14Wow.
19:15It looks all right.
19:16No need to retire yet.
19:18Yeah.
19:18He's strong.
19:19One of the customers here.
19:21Oh, yeah.
19:22No hair though.
19:23No hair.
19:24Same, a little similar, yeah.
19:26Same with me, that's the problem.
19:28Yeah, same.
19:31All right.
19:32All right.
19:32All right.
19:35See you later.
19:35In a classic scene from history, goodbye, two old geezers set off in a fishing boat.
19:41See you in a few days.
19:43With hopes of a great catch and tales of those that got away.
19:46It's a very homemade boat.
19:49It's very lovely.
19:50And I have ultimate faith in this at the top.
19:54I'm off to, I'm not sure where, to see net fishing up close.
19:58So, all we've got is, we've got a little net.
20:02And we're going to try and see if we can try our luck.
20:05In the waters of Harlong Bay, Mr. Tom is expertly navigating the boat with one oar and, at the same
20:14time, laying out a net.
20:16Obviously, this is something that he's been doing since he was a little kid.
20:24So, the net is out, set, there's a little float over there, a little weighted float on one end of
20:31the net.
20:36No fish today, but plenty of stories from Mr. Tom.
20:56Learning about life on a floating village isn't always about the catch, especially when you don't catch anything.
21:03In this case, not even a story about the one that got away.
21:13I take full responsibility for the failed mission.
21:16No, there's nothing biting.
21:18We are abandoning ship.
21:20Never mind.
21:23Despite no fish, Mr. Tom has invited me to his house to cook up something he's prepared earlier.
21:29You want it all chopped?
21:30Oh, quite fine like that.
21:32OK.
21:33An upgrade of sorts, from fish to fresh mussels on the menu.
21:36Two bald blokes on a floating platform.
21:40Two baldies.
21:42Hey, what do you want to do with these?
21:47Oh, you want it?
21:48I'll do that.
21:49You do the clam.
21:50I'll do this.
21:52What was that cooking show?
21:53Two fat ladies.
21:54Two bald blokes.
21:57Trying to find cures for baldness through cooking.
22:00There you go.
22:01That's a cooking show for you.
22:02Whatever you cook, whatever you chop up has to go on your head as well.
22:06So, what's going on here?
22:07Salt.
22:07We've got salt in here.
22:09We've got some chopped onion.
22:11Bit of chilli.
22:14Bit of garlic.
22:18Oh, that looks good.
22:20This doesn't get much fresher.
22:26They look great.
22:28Smell really good.
22:29Yeah, smell really good.
22:31Can you tell him that we should start a cooking show?
22:35Two bald men on a boat.
22:38Yes.
22:41Plating up on the water's edge.
22:44This is the moment we've been waiting for.
22:49We have something here.
22:51This one for the party more fun.
22:53Yeah.
22:56All right.
22:57Okay, now wait, wait, wait, wait.
22:58I know how to do this.
22:59Một, hai, ba, du.
23:02So, like this.
23:07One count?
23:08One.
23:08Yeah.
23:09Oh, right.
23:10Yeah.
23:10Beat of the basement.
23:12Man.
23:12That's right.
23:13Good.
23:14Hey, this is so good.
23:17Yeah.
23:18Delicious.
23:18I mean...
23:19No, you have one.
23:20You have one.
23:21Come on, come on.
23:21Eat, eat, eat, eat.
23:22Come on, do it.
23:23Mm.
23:24He eats this one every day.
23:26Oh, right.
23:26Oh, okay.
23:27In that case, I won't.
23:28I'm not going to say no.
23:29Yeah.
23:31This is delicious.
23:32I want to tell you this, what a real treat this is.
23:35This is amazing.
23:37You know, to have food like this prepared by Mr. Tamiya,
23:41Yeah, Mr. Tamiya.
23:42Fisherman in this place, what a treat.
23:47It's amazing.
23:47Thank you very much for me, Wayne.
23:52These were in the sea not long ago.
23:54This is about as fresh as you can get.
23:56They were there, and then...
23:58Yeah.
23:59Really fresh, delicious.
24:02And to know more about our recipes,
24:04go to our website, twobaldmenonaboat.com.
24:10You know, look, you...
24:11With him, look like brother.
24:13Ah, there we go.
24:15Look, you see?
24:16Look at that.
24:16You see?
24:17Look at that.
24:18You see?
24:19Separated at birth.
24:45All right.
24:55I've found a ride on Katbar Island to take me from the town into the national park to head inside
25:02a subterranean world.
25:03The towering limestone castes of Harlong Bay are iconic, dramatic features.
25:11But what's equally impressive is what you can't see.
25:16Inside these islands are huge cave systems, some as cavernous as cathedrals, some yet to be discovered.
25:26As a welcome reprieve from the heat of the humidity, I'm venturing inside the cool darkness of Trung Trang Cave,
25:34the largest in Vietnam and the third largest limestone cave system in the world.
25:39There's these stalagmites, incredibly dramatic features.
25:46The vaulted beauty of these rock formations throws up all manner of weird and wonderful shapes that feeds the imagination.
25:54This one here looks like a vulture punched on top of a tree stump.
26:01That's what I'm seeing.
26:03That's a bulldog with a trifle in its mouth.
26:06I had quite a lot of cheese last night.
26:11Maybe it's the altitude, I guess, slightly trippy.
26:14This is absolutely amazing, incredible, incredible sort of features that have been carved out by this chemical weathering.
26:23You know, the rain contains a little bit of carbon dioxide, so it sort of, it dissolves over many, many
26:30thousands of years.
26:31It dissolves the limestone, creates all these features, these crevices, cracks, and eventually huge cave systems like this.
26:42This vast cavern also provided a vital function during the American war.
26:47It was a command post and hospital providing shelter from U.S. bombardment.
26:55It's like crawling through a giant brain, made up of billions of cells.
27:04Oh, that's quite, look at that.
27:09A bit of shadow puppetry.
27:23Maybe it's my Neanderthal DNA, but I could live in a place like this.
27:26I could amuse myself for hours.
27:29I mean, that looks like a church organ.
27:33Ah, look at that.
27:37I mean, they look like petrified bats.
27:39I wonder, something just moved up there.
27:43I saw something flicker.
27:45Well, it's probably a little bat.
27:48I've got to say, these stalactites, these almost look like installations.
27:55They're man-made.
27:56In fact, actually, these remind me a little bit of the designs of H.R. Giger for the original Alien
28:03films.
28:05I wonder if he ever got inspiration for these, from things like this.
28:10Maybe.
28:13It seems the petrified bats have come alive.
28:16Is this a dream?
28:18I need a closer look.
28:19And like the intrepid traveller I am, I have come prepared for anything.
28:23Okay.
28:24I've got that nice kit.
28:25I'll just give it.
28:26I'll eat.
28:27They've got coffee, sweets, mints.
28:32I'll be closed.
28:33Two hats.
28:38Okay.
28:40Okay.
28:41Okay.
28:42These are Griffin's leaf-nosed bats, and they're found only in Vietnam, and only at two places,
28:49one of which is here on Cat Bar Island.
28:51Obviously, it's during the day, so they're all kind of just snoozing.
28:58But I can just, I can make out their features quite well.
29:02See their little ears, and they're just sort of, a little bit of movement.
29:07They found a great spot here.
29:11The islands are these little laboratories of evolution, where creatures can evolve free
29:18from predators, free from competition.
29:22So, each one of these casts individually can sustain a multitude of species.
29:36Just scratching the surface of the extensive cave system here gives you a glimpse into
29:42the geological wonder of the region.
29:44But if for some reason, the majesty of the natural world is not your thing, fear not,
29:50for there's much to enjoy in the culinary delights of Ha Long City.
30:01I'm an Englishman in Ha Long City.
30:05I'm an Englishman in Ha Long City.
30:11Oh.
30:12You probably can't move, walk out in the middle of this.
30:14You're getting mullered.
30:15What?
30:19I'm feeling confident to make a crossing.
30:21I've come a long way from Ho Chi Minh City, where crossing the road was a daunting prospect.
30:26I've certainly noticed that they're quite assertive here in the north.
30:31There's no quarter given.
30:35Yes, you have to be bold when crossing the road here.
30:38It's no point being English and polite.
30:40No, after you.
30:41No, no, after you.
30:41No, please, you go.
30:43No, you have to just go for it.
30:47So I could twirl it.
30:50Note that nobody stops here for pedestrians on crossings.
30:56This is clearly the way we've crossed the road here.
31:00You've just got to have an angle, an extra hustle.
31:03Feel like a matador.
31:05Going out in the full ring.
31:07Nailed it.
31:08In the last city of my tour of Vietnam.
31:10I feel the closest yet to becoming a local.
31:14But I do feel that I've earned the right to do something quite normal.
31:18And that is, nip to the post office and pick up a package.
31:22Back in Ho Chi Minh City,
31:25I mailed one of my drawings to myself
31:28of one of my first impressions of Vietnam.
31:30And now I'm here to pick it up
31:32to see if those first impressions are still as strong.
31:36Well, let's made it here.
31:39My drawing of a lotus.
31:43And, er...
31:45I was trying to draw something that seemed to encapsulate
31:51my impressions of Vietnam.
31:53And, as if to reinforce that point,
31:56right here, under the sign that says Vietnam Post.
32:00Look at that. What is there?
32:04Lotus.
32:06So...
32:07Might be on to something.
32:10The little lotus first appealed to me back in the early stages of my journey.
32:14It was in the centre of a roundabout in Ho Chi Minh City.
32:19And it was a huge fountain in the shape of a lotus.
32:24And I just liked the shape of it.
32:26It was just sort of aesthetically very pleasing.
32:28Oh. Come in.
32:31So, the lotus flower continues its life here in Ha Long.
32:35Not reborn as such, but repurposed.
32:38You know, the lotus often grows out of mud,
32:40so it sort of represents that from hardship to prosperity,
32:45which is very much the story of modern Vietnam in a short period of time.
32:50So I might just finish this off, actually.
32:52I'd started the sketch in one part of Vietnam,
32:55and I'm going to finish it off here.
32:57And fast forward to the final creation.
33:00A little drawing that may make it into a new book sometime soon.
33:11From artistic expression to the far more pressing matter of lunch,
33:15there's a scent of sausage in the air,
33:17and I'm on a mission to find it.
33:19What are they? I need to know.
33:23I need to find out.
33:24I suppose I'll just buy one and find out.
33:26I've got a thousand dong.
33:28Is that? For one?
33:30Is that right?
33:31I don't even know what it is, but I'm game.
33:39It's good.
33:42It's some kind of delicious thing.
33:45I'm guessing it's some sort of fried rice flour arrangement,
33:50but it's very good.
33:52Two thousand dong.
33:53I mean, you can't go wrong, can you?
33:59Delicious, but I still have no idea what it was.
34:03Either way, it was an appetizer,
34:04and I'm craving the main course.
34:07Well, that actually wasn't what I'm looking for.
34:10I'm looking for something a little bit more substantial,
34:14which is a local treat, a squid sausage.
34:16And I believe one can be procured in this locale.
34:23Let's have a look.
34:25Hello.
34:26Hello.
34:27You have squid?
34:28Squid. Sausage.
34:30I think I'm in the right place.
34:32This is an interesting combination of translation
34:39and getting the right money.
34:41An opportunity to prove to you that, despite appearances,
34:44I'm actually a bit of a tech wizard.
34:46I've got this app on the phone, which, if you hold your camera
34:50over the menu or any language, it will read it and translate it
34:56onto the screen.
34:58So it is very simple.
35:00OK.
35:01That's squid sticky rice, it says.
35:04Sticky rice.
35:06Special sticky rice.
35:08Oh, hang on.
35:09Meat succulents.
35:11I'm not sure the translation app is quite accurate,
35:16because one of these dishes, it says, is a tongue tunnel.
35:20I didn't even know tongues had a tunnel.
35:22Another one is stomach stew with pepper.
35:25Well, I've had tripe before now, so that's no stretch.
35:28Stomach stew.
35:29Tongue tunnel.
35:31Oh, grilled squid.
35:32This might be it.
35:33Here we go.
35:35Bạn có xúc xích mục hông.
35:37Bạn có xúc xích mục hông.
35:41Xin chào.
35:43Bạn có xúc xích mục hông.
35:47Xúc xích mục hông.
35:49Bạn có.
35:53Oh.
35:56Yes.
35:57Well, clearly you do.
35:59This looks absolutely fantastic.
36:07This is one of the great delights of Vietnam,
36:11is the street food.
36:12And this is a local specialty.
36:15This is squid sausage.
36:17and why wouldn't you make a sausage out of squid i mean you can make the sausage out of anything
36:23squid is a is a big favorite in vietnam in fact people come to
36:30harlong hai phong cap island just for the squid i do feel these are not technically sausages
36:37they are shaped more like squid cakes but they're so good i'm not quick break
36:43delicious so fresh straight out the sea
36:53in the harlong bay region water is a common theme and it's the essential element in one of the area's
37:00most eccentric and unique art forms i'm off to the theater
37:09this is sal took water puppet theater where local stories are brought to vivid life
37:16on a semi-submerged stage i've never seen anything like this before this is extraordinary backstage
37:25my guide kim explains how physically demanding the work is for the puppeteers like true on who stand
37:32in a pool of water to maneuver the handmade wooden puppets from behind a screen so as you can see
37:38this is a water buffalo yeah and a farmer yeah and they're going out to the farm together this figure
37:46is made of some made of foam and some of thick wood right so it's light and can float on
37:54it can float
37:55i see yeah yeah you see the board under here yeah this part will be under water so you won't
38:02see it
38:02ah when you're out there ah yeah that's how they move that's great
38:21it's fantastic i feel very at home here backstage in a theater this is my natural habitat
38:30see right now i'm getting excited for the show and that's what i get there you see everyone's just
38:36getting just getting worked up the people are coming in the auditorium's filling up with a sense of
38:42anticipation for the crowd welcome to my world and it's showtime
38:53the legend of harlong bay the descending dragon begins farmers and villagers face northern invaders
39:01and call the dragon mother to fight them off to keep the peace it's a celebration of patriotism
39:08resilience and the belief in divine intervention during the 12th century lee dynasty water puppetry went
39:15from the peasant folk art to a prestigious show for royalty
39:23the puppeteers breathe life into the whole thing they're working with inanimate objects but they
39:29really come alive
39:41it looks chaotic out front but out back even more so i've been invited backstage to see the puppeteers in
39:49action i mean it's so ingenious and it's unique the puppeteers are up to their waists in water with
40:02waders on gloves operating the puppets from backstage which are then being seen in front of these screens
40:15but it's amazingly lifelike the movements it's they know how to make it look very real yeah
40:25they're really bringing them to life you know these because they're wooden puppets so they haven't got much
40:33expression but that that all of that comes from the movement yeah look at the little ducklings
40:42they're they're about to come out too oh yeah the little ducks
40:49so sweet what an absolutely brilliant show i love the music and it's heartwarming to see an old
40:55tradition that nearly died out now thriving and fitting that it's an artistic reflection of the
41:02semi-submerged nature of this stunning corner of vietnam
41:09time for a final paddle
41:19well i'm coming to the end of my time here in halong bay and i have to say this place
41:26is just
41:28otherworldly i've seen photographs of it pictures online about a million instagram photos
41:36but not one does it justice it's only when you get up close to it you can really appreciate it
41:44and it's one of those places in the world that genuinely makes you just gape in wonderment
41:52and laugh in disbelief that such a place even exists there's a line in the famous novel by graham
42:01green set in vietnam the quiet america and it says i can't say what made me fall in love with
42:07vietnam
42:09everything is so intense the color the taste and i have to say that i agree that chimes very much
42:19with my experience the mosaic of colors in the market the deep green of the rice terrace the gold
42:30and reds of the pagodas and the taste oh my word i mean the food is just astonishing every meal
42:41has zing and snap it's like a firework of flavors bursting on your tongue and i have had some extraordinary
42:50experiences here there's no doubt a lot of firsts actually foraging for herbs in the forest taking a
43:00herbal bath in a barrel i took a bath in a barrel i mean that's a first jamming with vietnamese
43:08folk rock
43:09bands luteists ancient bamboo pipers every one of those experiences i will remember i think forever
43:22but there's one thing i disagree with graham green on and that is that
43:27i can say what made me fall in love with vietnam it's very simple it's the people
43:34yes people who have shown me nothing but kindness and hospitality and an extraordinarily warm welcome
43:44they've invited me into their homes i've cooked with them had a laugh with them and the greatest
43:53compliment i think i can give to the vietnamese people is this
43:56yes throughout my entire time here dave made me feel at home
44:03so
44:16so
44:17so
44:34Transcription by CastingWords
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