For a change, we wanted to give our readers a sense of the enormous range of the aesthetic here in Vietnam, ranging from the basic shed where we had lunch today through to the charming coffee shops we’ve visited, with their sweet retrospective inflection. But we open with a Covid poster which we found in a coffee shop a few days ago. Bien tells us that it translates as ‘Stay home to keep your nation strong’, with connotations of fighting for one’s country within the message.
The rest of the coffee shop decor was similarly nostalgic:
Some coffee shops are just chi-chi (though the coffee wasn’t bad):
In contrast, we came across this new ‘built in Colonial style’ government hotel on our journey today, which we immediately read as Saigon Babe, although we should have known better since it was near Lake Ba Be (Baaa Be):
We had lunch in a little town high in the mountains (pho since you ask – just delicious!):
And this evening we had a drink in this charming cafe in the modern city of Cao Bang where we’re now based:
A stroll through the city offered us a lot of neon on the buildings and across the streets. We particularly liked this fantasy:
Tomorrow, maybe I’ll manage to post some pictures of the stupendous countryside, borrowing Bien’s photographs since mine do not reflect the glories we have seen.
Unfortunately Bien’s translation is incorrect. The wording in the Covid poster actually reads: “staying home is loving the country”. But please don’t correct your post as I’d like all your readers to know that my Vietnamese is better than his English.
I couldn’t begin to comment on this except to say I think Josh’s Vietnamese and Bien’s English are both excellent. There, that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.
Nice one, Josh. (Perhaps Bien will be invited for a rejoinder?) Intriguing mix of architecture. (Does that word even apply?). Are all the signs in bold capital letters? And, how is the coffee generally?
I think it’s definitely architecture and I’m starting to like the columns and pediments. In terms of the signs, I think the answer is broadly yes but I’m not really the person to respond since I haven’t acquired a single word in this impenetrable language. The coffee is good – very strong and sweetened with condensed milk, often served over ice.
Fantastic range of aesthetic approaches – particularly liked the Covid poster – clearly 30s Russian constructivism is alive and well and living in Vietnam.
You’re so right – a fair bit of the state art has a winningly Bolshevik feel…
Your lunch stop looks great….and I am sure that your Pho were far tastier than the Waitrose cheese sandwich eaten at my desk! Love to both of you
I think we can be confident the pho was tastier than your sandwich – it was indeed delicious and came with a plate of things that looked like churros but were dry and delicious dunked in the soup. Maybe dunking the sandwich would enhance it?