Culture and Recreation
Nothing to do ? Nothing to do ? NOTHING TO DO ! Are you joking ?
I admit it’s not always easy to find something that’s ‘up your alley’, but why not try something new ?
Worried you’ll lose face with the Vietnamese by falling on your tush the first time you use chopsticks to eat soup ? Stare them straight in the eye and say, “We always drop noodles down our shirt when we eat. It’s good luck in our culture.” Or giggle along with them.
You can learn the art of lacquer painting (see adult education) or cheer on the hometown football team at My Dinh Stadium. Gain merit by walking up all the steps at the Perfume Pagoda. Join the Friends of Vietnam Heritage as a volunteer. Sign on with HanoiGrapevine and go to a gallery opening. Learn to design clothes at the London School of Fashion. Go to the annual Minsk Olympics. Attend an Australian National Day and watch grown men, arm in arm sing their national anthem with tears in their eyes. Hop on your trusty steed and hit the road and drive into the sunset. Join the Women’s Club and attend some of their events. Go to a ’spa’ or just your neighbourhood hairdresser for a ‘Goi Dau’ and ’Ma Sa Mat’. (hair and face wash) Sit at a tea stall in the old quarter with a baseball cap pulled low over your eyes and watch the foreign tourists; and then watch the Vietnamese watching the foreign tourists. (it’s quite interesting when you learn Vietnamese and you listen to the comments of the residents) Take a cyclo ride around the city. Sign up with www.hanoikidsclub.org for a free tour around Hanoi. Pretend to be a tourist, hold a guidebook in front of your face and wander into an intriguing alley. If someone stops you – just nod and smile, nod and smile.
Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism
51-53 Ngo Quyen
Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
T: (04) 3943 8231
F: (04) 3943 9009