Ruminations upon Tuesday April 1, 2025 until Thursday April 3, 2025 in transit from Hoi An, Vietnam to Hanoi, Vietnam
The weather in Hoi An was variable. Mostly sunny, but some days were rainy and gray. Since Amichai had studied Vietnam for the boys’ research project, he was responsible for coming up with activities on poor-weather days. Visiting illusion art museums had become a family tradition during our adventure and Amichai was excited when he discovered there was one in Da Nang, about a forty-five minute drive from Hoi An. After the boys finished their schoolwork, we piled into a Grab and sped off to Da Nang. By “sped” I mean drove a very consistent 35mph the entire way because no one seems to go above that in Vietnam.
The Art In Paradise Danang is the largest 3D art museum in Vietnam and is part of the Paradise Global Group, a team of artists who have 3D art installations in multiple countries. From the outside, the museum looks like any other building. As soon as we entered, we realized we were in for a glorious visual treat.
The inside was a large open space with nine different zones designated by themes. A sign instructed us to download a special photo app onto my phone to make the art come alive. It was very cool! The boys were already excited by the 2D art. When they found out the app could make the art come to life with them in it, they lost their minds. All of a sudden it was, “Mommy, mommy, mommy! Take a picture of me here. And there. And here, again!” As impressed as I was by the art, I was more overwhelmed by playing photographer for four boys running in completely different directions.
At one point I placed myself inside of a wine glass art piece and pretended I was inside the wine. The boys cracked up. I don’t drink alcohol very often so they thought the idea of me in a glass of wine was a bit far-fetched. Little did they know I could have used a real one in that moment! Ninety minutes later, the boys spent the entire car ride home looking at our pictures, talking about all of the incredible art pieces we’d seen, and imagining the kind of art they would create if given the chance.
We had been in Hoi An for ten glorious days and the time to move on had come. After organizing, packing, and cleaning up, Chaim and I decided we had acquired enough arts and crafts from India, the boys’ time in the cruise youth lounge, and Vietnam art activities that we could justify sending a package home to lighten our load. We dropped off Chaim at a DHL and then walked to a vegan restaurant in Old Town so we could finally taste some good Vietnamese food. It was SO GOOD! I had phở, which I had never had the opportunity to try before. I vowed to learn how to make it. My dish came with small bowls filled with ginger, Thai basil, and a chili oil. Adding those made something already so good next level. Truthfully, I am salivating just writing about it now!
The entire meal cost $40. After so many months of eating mainly at kosher restaurants, we were stunned. We couldn’t help imagining how much we’d save if we could eat at typical Vietnamese restaurants or street stalls. It was one of those “if only” moments that made us laugh and sigh at the same time.
The next day we said goodbye to our Airbnb host and new friend, Chuong, before driving to Da Nang Airport. Leaving Hoi An was bittersweet. We knew we’d miss the relaxed pace and the friendly people who always seemed ready to lend a hand. But I knew I wouldn’t miss the thousands of ants that entered daily between the bathroom and kitchen mantle, or the open shower that required a full squeegee job just to use the toilet.
Our flight from Da Nang to Hanoi was quick and smooth. Then we tried to hire a seven-seater taxi from the airport. Turns out “seven-seater” doesn’t mean “room for six people and all their luggage.” Shai and Matanel ended up sitting on our laps. To make things more exciting, a massive van started tailing us on the highway, coming dangerously close several times. It felt like we were in a low-budget car chase until it finally exited and left us alone.
We settled into our new three-bedroom apartment quickly and immediately started the laundry. While kashering the kitchen we discovered our sink included sprays inside the tub area. We’d never seen one like it and kept getting the controls mixed up and spraying ourselves in the end. All set with laundry we went straight to the local Chabad for a very late lunch/dinner. The boys ordered SO MUCH food, Chaim and I were convinced we’d have a ton of leftovers. To our surprise, the boys finished almost all of it, leaving the two of us with very little to eat.
During our meal, an Israeli backpacker asked if I could lend her a laptop so she could take an entry exam for med school. She was supposed to borrow the rabbi’s, but it ended up not working out. I told her if she could come to our place in the evening I’d be happy to lend her mine. She and her friend came by, but after testing it out everyone realized it wasn’t going to work for her. She was very sweet and so appreciated the offer to help. We hope she makes it into med school. We also learned an important lesson. Don’t assume you’re able to access certain websites for important events like entry exams on every laptop.
That night we tried sending the boys to bed early since we had a 6:30 AM wake-up the next morning for a full-day excursion to Ninh Binh. We failed miserably. What should have been a calm evening turned into a full-blown circus. Chaim and I had night meetings that were supposed to run smoothly, but just as Amichai and Eitan were getting ready for bed, they discovered that Amichai’s side of the bed was filthy. We had no choice but to toss the bed sheet and pillowcase into the wash, which delayed bedtime by a full hour. Meanwhile, Matanel and Shai kept coming out of their room claiming they couldn’t fall asleep. Translation: I want you to lie down with me. In the end, everyone went to sleep far too late.
The next morning, I was bleary-eyed, having spent the night waking up over and over, convinced we’d somehow slept through the alarm. This is a habit of mine that I’ve never quite shaken after notoriously oversleeping most of my 8:00 AM classes in college. Chaim likes to remind me that he’s great at trusting his alarm and therefore I should be able to sleep. It never works.
Scarred by our experience in Greece (see XXXX), we arrived at the designated pickup location in the Old Quarter with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, this meant we ended up waiting for 55 minutes for our bus. The bus delay made me nervous that we’d have a repeat of the Athens day trip when we missed the boat. Thankfully there was at least one other family at the pickup location with us who confirmed they had the same information as we did. Everything ended up working out, but I’ll be honest. I was preparing myself for the worst.
The bus ride from Hanoi to Ninh Binh passes through rice fields and beautiful mountains. I could literally see the smog from Hanoi disappearing as we drove away from the city. We enjoyed the quiet ride. Our first stop was a bike rental place. Amichai, Eitan, and I were able to bike. Sadly, Shai and Matanel were just too small for the available bikes so Chaim stayed on the bus with them.
Amichai and Eitan were ecstatic to be riding bikes on open roads. It made them feel really cool and grown up. We met back up with the bus at Hoa Lu temple. The city of Hoa Lu was once the capital of Vietnam in the 10th and 11th centuries and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. There, we learned about the five colored flag that signals to passersby they are near a Buddhist temple. The colors represent the five elements that are included in every Buddhist temple: wood (green), fire (red), water (blue), metal (white), and earth (yellow). We were instructed on the proper way to enter and exit a Buddhist temple and were able to witness the tremendous volume of food offerings left for the ancestors. The boys wondered where all the food went or if it was allowed to spoil. After some quick research, we found out that food is not allowed to spoil on the altars. It is often removed by the monks after a day or two and shared as a communal practice. It cannot be eaten directly from the altar.
Our tour guide explained that for New Year’s the entire country shuts down for ten days. The hospitality industry, however, keeps going, paying employees or temps double, sometimes triple wages to serve the surge of tourists. He shared that elders traditionally give money to the younger generation for good luck and that in Vietnamese culture it is rude to eat the last bite of food because it implies there wasn’t enough food to satiate your hunger. We laughed when he whispered that, in public, everyone follows this rule, but at home no one leaves a bite behind. In Hoi An, we noticed many people burning money and asked him about this. He explained that burning money at the start of each lunar month is done as a ritual offering to the gods.
From Hoa Lu, we continued by bike and bus. The views are breathtaking with steep limestone mountains jutting dramatically from the lush green earth. The humid air felt thick but comfortable for this Houston girl. It was a dream ride. We stopped for a buffet lunch, which gratefully included plenty of vegan options.
Bellies full, we boarded our bus to the Trang An River to take traditional wooden boats through the grottoes. Each boat had a local driver who rowed steadily with extra oars for anyone eager to help. Unsurprisingly, all of the boys wanted to paddle! The boats could only fit four passengers, so Eitan, Amichai, Matanel ,and I went shared one while Shai and Chaim joined two other travelers. The river was serene, the caves mysterious, and the cliffs beautiful. The caves opened into a network of temples built on the water. It wasn’t an adrenaline rush, but the boys loved every minute.
Our final stop was Nui Ngao Long, also known as Dragon Mountain, famous for its 489 stairs. The path is designed to mimic climbing from the top of a dragon’s head to its tail. Some steps were steps were steep, uneven, or smoothed down from years of foot traffic and weather. Matanel hesitated at first, but soon got his “magic claws” out and conquered his fear. Eitan and Shai practically ran up, while Amichai insisted on factchecking how many steps there were by counting them as he climbed. Unfortunately for him, he would lose focus and then would retrace his steps to start again. He probably climbed an extra hundred steps! I was grateful to be climbing with Matanel’s slower pace; even in good shape, I found myself breathless.
At the summit, we waited in line to scramble the last few meters to the top. Chaim ended up stationed in a gap where he spent much of the time on the top helping the kids and several strangers across. The dragon sculpture stretched across the peak, long and impressive. From the top, we could see for miles. The boys noticed that the only thing separating us from falling off the cliff was a flimsy rope. A solid reminder that in this country, like several others we’d already visited, tourists and citizens are expected to use their own judgment.
After our descent, we hung out in the complex eating ice cream and Snickers bars, swinging on giant swings, and soaking in the relaxed energy before boarding the bus to return home. Everyone read or napped on the way home, exhausted and content.
The bus dropped us off in the Old Quarter after dark. We’d tried not to buy too much food before our upcoming flight to Laos, knowing we couldn’t bring it with us. That plan backfired. We didn’t have enough to eat. So we made a quick grocery stop for milk, cereal, and face masks before heading home. The masks were a must: Matanel had started coughing almost immediately after landing in Hanoi and was struggling to breathe, and I was developing headaches from the smog.
By the time we got home, it was 9:00PM. Chaim still had work meetings, and once again we aimed for an early bedtime—and failed. The boys were hungry, so I tried to pull together dinner. I used a burning can of tuna (yes, literally burning) to cook makeshift tuna croquettes because the only appliance in the kitchen was an induction stove, and none of our camping pans worked on it. It took forever. The croquettes only sort of worked, so I double-wrapped them in foil and finished them off in the toaster where a proper full size oven should have been.
At first, Matanel refused to eat without a fork, but hunger won. He finally gave in, eating with his hands and announcing between bites that “it wasn’t that bad.” It wasn’t the dinner I’d envisioned, but after a day of mountains, caves, and a bit of last minute frenzy, it felt perfectly on brand for us.
From art museums to mountain climbs to makeshift dinners, Vietnam was a country of contrasts. We loved every messy, magical minute of it.
