Obama Combo

On our first day in Hanoi we were still apprehensive about leaving our hotel. Mark thought it would be a great idea to take an organized tour of the city to get acquainted with the place, so we signed up. We were the last of 19 tourists on the minibus. The tour was to last all day, and included lunch. Our first stop was to one of the cities many temples and pagodas. The next stop was to the mausoleum of the country’s famed ruler President Ho Chi Min, or Uncle Ho, as the people affectionately call him. We learned that he refused to live in the palace as long as the Vietnamese people still experienced extreme poverty. He chose to live in a modest and minimal home similar to the average Vietnamese family. (Any chance of Trump following suite?) We toured his home and grounds and then back to the bus.

On another stop we were taken to a place where handicapped people created art for sale. The guide explained that there was no welfare in the country, and even disabled people had to work for a living if at all possible. All proceeds for the sales went directly to the disabled. A large and poorly translated sign in the store read “All for Defective”. 

After another couple of short stops, we were dropped off at a restaurant for lunch, which was included in the price of the tour. It was absolutely delicious, whatever it was (we couldn't really tell, but at least it wasn't moving). Back on the bus, we were taken to a museum that highlighted the many minority tribes of indigenous Vietnam. We saw their traditional tribal costumes, learned of some of their customs, and saw many different styles of rough hewn homes made from materials locally available. Upon leaving the museum we were shuttled back to our hotel. 

While all the stops were interesting, by far the most captivating part of the tour was just seeing the people, the streets, and the traffic of Hanoi. We were repeatedly stunned by what we were seeing. The masses of people in the streets were amazing to behold; streets so packed with vendors and vehicles and people that it didn’t seem possible to have all that squeezed into the same area. Traffic was indescribable and often terrifying. The sheer number of scooters, cars and trucks on the roadway all zipping back and forth in every direction without any apparent direction left us speechless. There were traffic signs and signals yet it seemed that no one paid them any regard. There were so many vehicles that attempting to cross the street seemed like it was playing a real live game of Frogger, but with only one life to lose. Our guide told us the population of Hanoi was seven million, and there were approximately five and a half million motorbikes. We were terribly intimidated by the chaotic traffic to say the least. 

The tour definitely helped us get acquainted with the city, but it only strengthen our fear of going anywhere on foot. Still, we pushed through our fear and ventured out. That evening we went out in search of food and found that it was literally everywhere. The streets were lined with non-stop shops, restaurants, and street vendors. Food was plentiful, yet the condition of most places we saw made us too apprehensive to try them. Patrons sat in tiny little plastic stools like we would have in preschool back home, sitting around tiny little makeshift tables barely a foot off the ground. Owners were cooking the food on little grills right on the sidewalk, and dish washing was done at the curb using a large pan of water. Soap often appeared to be optional. Most of the eating places followed this pattern, yet the locals loved them and they were typically packed.

President Obama visited the city only a few months prior to our visit, and had some traditional Vietnamese food from a restaurant near our hotel. We decided to try that place since he obviously survived his experience. We easily located the restaurant, and come to find out they now only served one item on the menu: the Combo Obama. It was the same meal that he had and shared with TV personality Anthony Bourdain.

The place has become an attraction and business is booming for them. The restaurant was several levels high, but we found room on the second floor and decided not to ascend any higher. Pictures of Obama's visit were on every wall. There was absolutely no question we were in the right place. Unfortunately for me everything in the Obama Combo contained either shrimp or pork, so I wasn't even able to eat it. I had a drink as the others ate and grabbed a pizza for myself from the nearby Pizza Hut. After dinner, we made our way directly back to the hotel. Fortunately there were only a minimum number of streets to cross, which we were grateful for. We were still all quite terrified of crossing the streets as the traffic was just too overwhelming. We tried taking pictures, but the organized chaos in the streets and the frantic pace made it impossible to capture a good picture. We knew we would eventually have to face it again, but for the rest of the night we stayed safely tucked in our hotel.