.vn: Hanoi: Off the tourist track into people's homes

In Hanoi, we had the opportunity to veer off the tourist track and into people's homes, meeting some of the friends and colleagues Jim has developed through his work with the Veteran's Administration and his most recent endeavor, the Veterans' Peace Initiative. One friend, Linh (far left), and her family welcomed us for Tet, with traditional Tet snacks such as spicy, gingered apricot and bean cakes. Linh was an able translator and we found plenty to laugh about, despite not having a language in common.



We were also invited to Jim's colleague Nghi's home for a Tet banquet with his family: boiled shrimp, spring rolls, various traditional sticky rice dishes, stir-fried vegetables, and more! Nghi's wife had been cooking for two days. Here I also became acquainted with the communal rice wine jug of the north, the Vietnamese custom of toasting, and the ubiquitous jasmine tea! A fun and educational evening. Binh (far left) also impressed me by having visited fifty countries in the course of his work for the Vietnamese foreign service.



The next day we went on a few official visitsto the Vietnamese-American Friendship Society, hopefully adding a small bit to the relationship between Vietnam and the U.S.