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But the more I travel and meet the more people, the more I realize that each of us is actually living by our own "clock." Not everyone becomes an adult at 18, gets married at 25, and achieves success at 30. So why try to chase someone else's "clock"? Why are those carefree moments spent with loved ones considered "wasted"?
Perhaps, as John Lennon once said, "Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted." I've gradually come to enjoy those moments of strolling along the sidewalks.
Vietnamese sidewalks are full of interesting things; you can find everything: bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli), nem ran (fried spring rolls), com xao (stir-fried green rice flakes), cigarettes… In Hanoi, iced tea on the sidewalk has become a distinctive and proud cultural feature. Sidewalks are simple, but Vietnamese history is written on them; if you're superficial, you won't be able to write or speak the truth. Don't believe me? Try watching the film "Trò Đời" (based on a book by Vũ Trọng Phụng). Seeing the scene of cigarette vendors piled high on Hanoi sidewalks is strange. In Vũ Trọng Phụng's time, those things were only for Westerners or wealthy Vietnamese; where would they get them from to sell on the sidewalks?
Watching old movies, I especially loved the scenes of children carrying heavy teapots (earthenware or tin) and stacks of bowls, hawking them around markets, train stations, bus terminals, or on trains. Nowadays, nobody sells iced tea for just a few thousand dong. If you want some, just go to a tea shop and sit there. You can sit until you're tired and then go home; nobody will glare at you, and sometimes the shop owner even acts as a storyteller.
The places selling iced tea are quite quirky; an old-fashioned thermos, a teapot, and a few plastic chairs make up a stall. Iced tea isn't anything special, just mildly fragrant, and if you add too much water, it tastes just like plain water. But if you're in Hanoi, don't be so busy that you forget to invite your friends to the sidewalk for iced tea, to slowly savor the stories of the motorbike taxi driver, the gossip of the neighbors, the children's stories, the adults' stories…
That's right, you can't rush things in Hanoi!
Text: Pan Banana | Photos: Minh Q. Pham
