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Unexpected treasures

A paradise on the southern edge of the Red River delta

I have been travelling around north east Vietnam visiting craft villages, battle grounds, lands of legends and descending dragons to learn more about the beating heart of this beautiful land.

On my list was the ancient capital of Hao Lu in Ninh Binh province, about 100 km south east of Hanoi. Hoa Lu was the capital of ancient Vietnam when Dinh Bo Lien ended the 3^rd, 300 year Chinese domination of that region at the first battle of Bach Dang in 968. It remained as the capital until 1010.

I hoped to find some ruins, a museum, perhaps or, maybe, a map or plan showing the location of the ancient buildings, but there was nothing of particular note.  There is, however, a small, ancient temple in which there is a shrine to the victorious emperor who named the new land Dai Co Viet – The Great Viet. I must say that, as temples go, this was a real gem. The ancient, lacquered ironwood pillars have acquired a soft rusty hue with the passage of time and there were some pieces of alter furniture I have never seen anywhere before. Ancient ritual oozed from every crevice.

My mood changed because of this little temple. Suddenly, the whole area came to life for me.

The ancient capital was located on flat ground surrounded by a ring of the pointy mountains that distinguish the An Trang landscape and I could feel Vietnam working its magic on my imagination. A little way from this temple, passing through an impressive three arch gate, I entered another world; a village of small holdings, sleeping water buffalo and a burial ground where many of the older graves are half submerged in the ancient way.  This watery garden reflects the sky and the mountains giving it an ethereal mood and it made me realise that, apart from temples and the old capital, this region is made remarkable by its gardens. The lily and lotus ponds, the wildlife, flowers and, most of all its silence, broken only by forest birds can transport you into a contemplative state. IT’s a world away from busy Hanoi.

The next day, I sat on the steps to a lily pond in the enclave of a small temple in Tam Coc village for an hour. The steps were overhung by two old Frangipani trees that threw dappled light on the stone and the limpid waters of the pool. While I sat there, escaping the heat of mid afternoon, all I could hear was the pup-pup of tiny fish breaking the water surface to catch invisible insects. Nothing else. Nothing else at all.

I watched a little brown crab scatter sideways across the submerged step below me and then a large, round, chestnut snail made its graceful way from left to right and slipped over the edge into the gloom of the dappled waters. A young woman came down to the water to wash her spoon and to invite me in to the temple for some tea – sent by the men to see what I was up to I suppose!  I lingered a little longer and finally the spell was broken by a nosey goat that came by, bleating and fussing as it went. 

I went in search of history, monuments and relics and found, instead, a paradise of wild flowers, birds, slow boats, limpid pools in sacred caves and breathtaking beauty and serenity. What a lovely surprise.

Supermarket shopping in Sapa

 I thought you might like a tour round  a typical, provincial supermarket in Vietnam. If you are like me, it is always fascinatig to see what other nationalities buy.

Brightly coloured children's shoes, prim little blouses for school girls.

Plastic shoes for everyone. These cost £1 per pair but they are cheaper at the central market!!




Colourful hats for girls

 Designer ear muffs for winter in the mountains and old style hats for important gentlemen






 Sexy padded bras for  the ladies










Maternity dresses. I don't know why this model is has a blond wig or why her sun hat is at such a disasterous angle!

 Piggy banks for young  savers and elegant vases for the modern home.

 This is an old brand for westerners but a new and favourite brand in Asia. Other popular brands include Lifebuoy soap, Camay soap and Sunsilk shampoo sold in individual sachets.

Remember those?

Different rices, beans, lentils and dried lotus seeds ( good for sleeping)

 Fresh meat,
squid and prawns.

Live fish and prawns in tanks - not looking too healthy.

Sweet potatoes , gourds, mangoe, pomelo, dragon fruit, local plums, bitter melon and guava

 The in house bakery making french sticks, brioche, square white loaves and exotic celebration cakes covered in some kind of synthetic cream with the texture and nutritional value of shaving foam.

 Expensive licquor at 20% less than western prices. (lower VAT I guess).

 Beautiful tea sets £7.50 each including the teapot and stand.










Iced coffee and fizzy strawberry drinks

Many, many different brands of cotton buds










a complete aisle of boxed milk of different types.......... for school kids perhaps?

 Treats for the kids as well








Here you can see Bottles of automatic washing liquid, toileteries, electric fans, framed pictures pavourite oreintal scenes, the celebration cake display at far left next to the stationery selection of pens, markers and glue etc.

Drawing and mindfulness: beauty in the ordinary.

Since I was about 16, I have enjoyed sitting in the landscape to draw.

To begin with, however,  I would spend more time searching for the most picturesque view that I actually spent more time searching than drawing. I was so keen to Produce a picture to please my audience (such as it was). What I dind't understand, at that young age, was that a beautiful drawing  does not come from the objects but it comes from heart and mind  of the artist.

It is probable that anyone can draw an apple. It is possible that some can draw it perfectly in the style of a botanical drawing. But for that drawing of an apple to engage you, to fire your imagination, it takes total emersion and complete surrender on the part of the artist. Only then with that image of the apple evokes thoughts of the summers of childhood, the warmth of harvesting in an orchard heavy with the heady scent of ripening fruit.  Russet and gold, plucked with a remaining stalk and a clinging leaf, falling into a generous basket brimming with sweet goodness. The painting of an apple sitting on a napkin casting a long shadow from the late afternoon sun might even make your mouth water.

This level of concentration can come when the artist is able to look at the apple as if he has never seen one before; to take in every tone, every curve, shadow and highlight and describe it using pencil, pastel, paint or collage. The artist must suspend all previous understanding about the colour, texture and shape of apples and simply draw what is seen. 

While drawing, the artist may experience thoughts about the apple. He may wonder where it grew, what kind of landscape the tree stood in, what kind of person harvested it and how it arrived at the place where it now sits. If he picked the apple himself, he will experience the emotions and memories that the activity involved; emotions that do not evolve into words, emotions that can only be expressed by the movement of his hand and the manipulation of the materials. 

The result may be a work of art that we can call beautiful and it will be a beauty that each one of us experiences within;  a beauty that doesn't need words for expression.

A lifetime of drawing has revealed to me that it is similar to meditation. When I read about the practice of 'Mindfulness', I feel as if I am reading about the practice of drawing.  Many of my students agree that they experience many of the same benefits through drawing as they do through meditation. To draw well the artist has to be completely 'in the moment', to exclude all thought of the past and the future, to only be concerned with 'the now'. 

I always found meditation to be very difficult. The act of concentrating on my breathing, or staring at a single point in an attempt to count to ten to the exclusion of all other thoughts was more than I could manage. I was a failure!  But these days,  I find it easy to slip into a state of sub-consciousness to quieten my mind. This is a technique I have learned through drawing rather than attending meditation classes.  Apart from the obvious benefits to my mental health, I have  also become more relaxed about my drawing practice and realised that it is better to bring out the beauty in ordinary things than it is to seek out beauty for its own sake. Ommmmm!

Taking it slow in Saigon

There is a famous temple in Cho Lon that I have visited more times than I can count. It's the one the oldest and most visited in that district.  The Thien Hau pagoda is an evocative place that is worth lingering in for an hour or so and, on a hot day in district 5, it provides a cooling retreat from that bustling community of traders and dealers.

To get a good view of this 18th century pagoda you need to stand across the street. From there you can see all the details on the roof which features gorgeously glazed, ceramic dioramas of feasts, battles, traders,  demons, dignitaries, actors and merchants from other continents all set against creatively modelled Chinese houses, palaces and shops. It is incredible that these old ceramics have survived the ravages of weather and time to look as beautiful as the day they were created.  

From this side of the street you see this magical old temple through a moving wall of roaring traffic, with street cafes to right and left. Bird sellers with chirruping caged sparrows are completely inaudible above the din of motorbikes and taxis that trundle by, kicking up the dust and spewing diesel fumes.

Pick up a cold drink, and when the lights stop the traffic, you can slip across the road and into the forecourt of Thien Hau Pagoda. Now, the scale of this precious building becomes apparent and with two more steps you walk through a solid granite doorway into another world. A hush descends and you are in a place where everything is sacred, where civic pride and community endeavour meet  the gods and ancestors, where all the richness of the lives of the residents of Cho Lon can be seen.

On the walls of the first, inner courtyard there are some unusual  friezes, possibly from the 1970s depicting modern buildings, factories, a school, the interior of an elegant house. Maybe built by local philanthropists and entrepreneurs, these places must be very important  to the community here.  I can't image such urbane images being installed in a religious building in Europe.  How different Westerners are from Asians in this regard.

The central , covered yard of the pagoda is hung with incense coils sending prayers and wishes out to deities and forebears, the spirals of smoke captured in vertical rays of sunlight that penetrate the gaps between roofs.  

The colourful ceramic frieze continues around the rim of each courtyard; the stories are from history and Chinese mythology create an imaginary world where fact and fiction co-exist. If  you take a seat and linger in this cool space for  20 minutes, you will also see the two aspects of  contemporary Cho Lon; the locals quietly carrying on with their religious rituals and the foreign visitors gawping at the overwhelming visual feast as they snap photos and wonder at the richness that surrounds them.

If you step in to an ante-room to the right there is yet another delight that has little to do with religion or ancestors but adds to the eclectic mix of incense coils, bronze-faced deities, relief friezes of factories, a 19th century fire-fighting device and dioramas of ancient fables. On the walls are large watercolour paintings of the twelve animals of the zodiac; each one a masterpiece. 

The animal of the year, the goat at the moment, is topped with a red garland and rosette. There are rows of elegant Chinoiserie chairs so you can take a seat to appreciate this unique gallery and decide which is your favourite. 

One thing is for sure; this pagoda is not for rushing. 

Oh to be in England in the summer time

This summer, for the first time in nearly 3 years, I returned to England to visit friends and family and do all those chores you have to do when you have been absent without leave!   When I went away on September 5th 2012, I reckoned I would be back for a visit after 6 months but I would give Vietnam one year to give it a fair trial!!!   Ha ha ha!  Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!

Well, I think everyne knows I have had an amazing time and have achieved more than I could have dreamed of and all because:-

1. Vietnam is currently a land of opportunity that welcomes anyone who help it to flourish

2. My wonderful friends back home have been filling in for me, covering up for me, fixing things, storing things, researching stuff, giving advice, communicating with me, watching me, keeping me on track, encouraging me and making it all worth while. I am so blessed. Thank you all.

This summer, in England, I have seen Leeds streets bathed in sunshine, the Northumberland  fields warmed by the evening sun, The Northumberland coast sparkling in the afternoon and the midnight skies, at Holy Island, still light on Midsummer's Day.

Donkeys on the Mablethorpe beach

I have seen Scarborough showing off in the sunshine, its beach covered with day trippers come to see the air show above the bay on Armed Forces Day. In Lincolnshire I walked the dunes and marshes and watched as a baby seal flopped to the surf for its first swim, nearly exhausted by its endeavour in the July sunshine. 

In West Yorkshire we basked in the glorious lunchtime sun  as we watched a silver band parade through an old mill village and on through the hills followed by mums and children from local schools. 

And, whenever possible I have collected the meadow flowers along the way. The collection on the right is from the beautiful Lancashire hills by Blacko.

The colourful blooms on the right are from the meadows behind the dunes on the Lincolnshire coast

I cannot remember a June and July like this for years. It has been almost continuous sunshine with only a few short showers and the occasional thunder storm. That is remarkable!  Even the Wimbledon tennis is benefitting form the settled weather.

So, I m sorry I stayed away so long and I am sorry I haven't been able to see absolutely everyone on this visit. Four weeks has flown by and it has been completely marvellous!!!!   I will be back next summer and it won't be so hectic next time. I am already looking forward to it!  Ha ha!! 

DynamicSaigon

Saigon Museum of Fine Arts

So ...... Ho Chi Minh City has been voted the 6th most dynamic city in the world according to one survey. 

The factors that are taken into account are such things as Inward Investment, how many international companies headquarters there are,  growth in the property market, connectivity, economic growth, new business start-ups and higher education. 

But, they don't measure how lively the arts are, how many galleries, theatres and orchestras the city has. In my view, I don't think any city can be considered dynamic without a well supported and vibrant arts scene.

Number one is London which has one of the most vibrant art scenes in the entire world. The art museums all rank highly in visitor ratings and are free to enter.

At number 2 is San Jose, USA. Their city art gallery costs $8 to enter but they offer lively program of exhibitions, events whereas Saigon museum is only 50 cents but many of the art exhibits have been languishing on the walls for a few years now.

Beijing ranks third and offers more than one public art museum. Entry to the National Art Museum is free and the collection is astoundingly varied and beautiful.

Shenzen, also in China is placed fourth. It does have one art museum but it is ranked in the bottom third of attractions in the city. I don't think I have ever heard of an art museum coming so low in the rankings. I wonder what they got wrong?

Shanghai, in China again, has three art museums and they rank highly as attractions on Trip Advisor. Well, Shanghai is currently the biggest city in the world so its galleries ought to be good!

At number six is Ho Chi Minh City. It is the 31st largest city in the world (by population). We have one Art Museum  and the  entry fee is very affordable at  10,000vnd. It is ranked  #15 out of nearly 100 attractions in the city which is quite something. The exhibits are from over three hundred years of fine and decorative arts and tell a story of life in southern Vietnam that is rich and varied. The whole is housed in a fabulous mansion which is an experience in itself.

In the past three years, I have seen the art scene in Saigon grow and become more lively. I know from personal experience that artists from Hanoi and Hue are moving south to be a part of an artist-led blossoming of the arts in our city. San Art brings a, much needed, dimension to critical thinking in contemporary practice in the city and provides a focal point for all artists. Commercial galleries provide support for more established artists through cultural programmes and by taking Vietnamese art overseas to international art markets. 3A Station is trying to create an 'arts quarter' where live performance and street art rub shoulders with independent designers which raises the profile of the arts amongst the young and there are pockets of vibrant arts lighting up the cultural landscape all over the city.

What would add some real dynamism to the arts is to use just a small amount of the revenue from all the new inward investment, and inject some cash into our beautiful museum and local arts to make them as dynamic as the economy.