Day #11 - Hanoi Ethnology Museum

Today our guides from Bloom Microventures took us to the Hanoi Ethnology Museum, so we could better understand the ethnic diversity of Vietnam. It also helped us understand more about the villages that Bloom works with, as many have high concentrations of ethnic minorities.

54 different ethnic groups are officially recognized in Vietnam. The largest is the Kinh or Viet group, which makes up around 86% of the population. All other groups are much smaller, but each has its distinct language, foods, traditional dress and cultural practices.

The Hoa Binh province, where Bloom works and where we we are spending most of our time in th field, is home to different ethnic groups, including the Muong, Kinh, Thai, Tay, Dao, H'Mong and Hoa. 

The museum gave us a great overview of the huge diversity in the country. 

In the museum grounds there was also a fantastic display of the different traditional buildings that are found in various villages. Amazingly, each of these structures was actually bought from a village somewhere in the country, dismantled and shipped to Hanoi, then put back together with the help of traditional owners of the display. The workmanship was incredible, and many of the structures were rebuilt in just a couple of days.

Day #10 - Bat Trang ceramic village and Hagar Intenational

Today we spent the day at Bat Trang, then had an evening session with a guest speaker from the NGO  Hagar International.

Vietnam has many traditional trade villages, where traditional work practices have been maintained for generations by family groups. Each of these villages specialises in a particular type of practice.

Bat Trang is a  pottery-making village just outside of Hanoi on the bank of the Hong River. Our group travelled there on a local bus and our first stop was one of the local houses where guests are invited to try their hand at the pottery wheel. 

Turns out that it's much harder than it looks! But with some help from the expert potters who ran the shop we all managed to make something decent, which was left to dry while we explored the markets. 

The array of ceramic items on display ther was mind blowing. From small beads to thread onto necklaces, to vases bigger than us, you kind everything you could imagine and more. 

I was particularly drawn to the weird and wonderful mythical figures and historical heroes. 

In the afternoon we returned to the workshop to paint and glaze our creations. I was pretty happy with my first attempt at bowl making!

When we got back to Hanoi we got to meet up with one of the staff from Hagar International, an international NGO that works with women and girls who have been victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. They work in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Vietnam. In Vietnam they work closely with the Women's Union, a state organisation. 

It's believed that over 400,000 Vietnamese women and children have been trafficked. Hagar gives women safe accommodation, helps them recover from the trauma of their experiences, and helps them reintegrate into their communities. They also offer educational assistance and help them achieve economic independence. 

While we heard some very sad stories, it was also very inspiring I hear what they achieve on limited resources. It's obvious that lack of funding is the biggest problem for many NGOs working in Vietnam. 

Day #9 - The Museum of History, Hanoi

Today before our sessions we spent a few hours in Hanoi's Museum of History. It covers centuries of history, looking at religion, politics, sociology and technology.

The displays that dealt with religion were extremely interesting to me, as in Vietnam there's a big variety of religious beliefs, with many people blending different elements of different beliefs. One of my favourite pieces was a wooden statue of Quan Am Nghin Mat Nghin Tay (Quan Am of 1000 Eyes and 1000 Hands). Quan Am is the Vietnamese name for the Buddha of compassion. The arms represent her reaching out to everyone who needs her aid. 

I also made friends with one of the local dog-dragons. 

After the tour we were taken to a cafe where we were treated to egg-coffees, a local delicacy that was delicious!

We also got a glimpse at some of the peach blossom trees that are blooming across Hanoi now, just in time for lunar new year, which is a week away.

Day #7-8 - Leisure time in Ha Long Bay

This weekend we used our free time to visit Ha Long Bay. It's always mentioned as one of the 'must see' spots in Vietnam and it's easy to understand why. The views are spectacular and kayaking through one of the floating villages on the bay was an unforgettable experience.

It was a stunning place to be - and very nice to get away from the pollution and noise of Hanoi for a while!

Day #4-6 - First field trip to Hoa Binh

Hoa Binh province is a mountainous area about 70km west of Hanoi. We visited a collection of villages in what's known as a commune. All the villagers belong to the Muong culture, the third largest of Vietnam's 50+ ethnic minority groups.

We used the trip to speak to many different villagers (via our excellent translators) and stayed with a local family in their wooden stilt house. We borrowed bicycles to get around town and met a whole lot of friendly locals.

At the start of the trip we did an assessment of the village, noting the agriculture, the infrastructure and any problems or opportunities we could see. The village almost completely relied on agriculture and many households were close to being self sufficient. However they did rely on getting some income from crops and due to massive price fluctuations on the market in recent years, a lot of households had been just scraping by or even losing money on their investments.

We wee treated to lunch at the house of the head of the Women's Union in one village. Bloom work closely with the Women's Union, using their networks and local knowledge to determine how their loans could be best used. It was good to see such a good relationship based on respect and trust from both sides. It was also great to have such a delicious lunch!

We also met a woman who had never used the Bloom loans, or Microfinance from any other organisation. She explained that those types of loans had very strict repayment deadlines, so she preferred the flexibility of borrowing from a wealthy local, even though that meant paying much higher interest. She had had a good year, though, so hadn't needed any loans recently.

On our second day we visited the local primary school, which has received a lot of support from the Australian NGO Child Fund. It was a great experience and the staff told us that they were well funded and happy, although they did wish they could afford computers like the high school.

It was interesting to see how much of the farming is still done manually, by hand and with animals. The locals were keen to talk about farming in Australia and how it was easier because of machinery. It was obvious that with a bit more money to invest these people would be able to do their work much more quickly and with a lot less physical labour.

Day #3 - Field trip to Soc Son

Soc Son is a small village on the outskirts of Hanoi. A lot of the villages there work on farm plots near their homes, while others commute to Hanoi.

When Bloom Microventures began working with this village about three years ago, many villagers were earning an income from spending hours sifting through rubbish in the giant dump nearby to find anything sellable. Some were sending their children there to work too, instead of sending them to school. There wee a lot of problems with diseases, particularly respiratory diseases. Bloom initiated a number of education programs and showed that there are other opportunities for income. Very few villagers now work in the dump.

One of the families we met have begun diversifying their crops and livestock. This has been very successful for them, as it reduces the impact of crashing market prices. Bloom has been encouraging this kind of diversification. One of their recent additions has been a flock of turkeys.

This farm also had a fantastic array of vegetables - which we picked for our dinner the following night.

On this tour we met people from a couple of families that have benefitted from Microfinance loans. They told us how they earn income, why the loans have been helpful and explained how they were able to expand their businesses with the extra income.

Day #2 - Hanoi, a city of learning

Today we visited two Hanoi landmarks that celebrate learning.

The Temple of the Jade Mountain on Hanoi's famous Hoan Kiem Lake is a celebration of Confucian and Taoist scholarship.

The Temple of Literature is the site of Hanoi's first university, the Imperial Academy. It was originally built in 1070 and it remains and important site for students, who go there to pray for success in their exams.

Today was also the official first day of our program and it was great to begin with a reminder of who important knowledge and learning are.

Day #1 - Arriving in Hanoi

Before leaving Sydney I was lucky enough to be introduced to some people who were frequent travelers to Vietnam. They gave me lots of good advice - about the food, the weather (who knew it was deathly cold in Hanoi this time if year), the customs - but one of the best bits of information they gave me was the name of the most reliable taxi companies in the city.

This small piece if advice made arriving a much more relaxed experience. After passing the uniformed guards at passport control, locating my luggage and clearing customs I was relieved to spy one of the green and white Mai Linh taxis as I walked out of the terminal. I had written down the name and address of my hotel, as suggested, so all I had to do was point, see the driver to nod, and I could sit back and enjoy the ride to town.

As expected the traffic was chaotic from the outset, with my driver leaning heavily on the horn for the majority of the journey. But he never lost his cool as he dodged trucks full of livestock and motorbikes stacked with all kinds of goods.

As I looked out the window I immediately saw the collision between Vietnam's past and present. Giant billboards touting a mix of Western and local products overshadowed fields being hoed by hand. Whole families piled onto rusty old scooters were overtaken by luxury foreign cars.

My first impression is that Hanoi is going to be a city full of juxtaposition.

About this blog

Thanks to a UTS BUiLD travel grant, I'm in Hanoi for 17 days., observing the work of the Bloom Microfinance organisation while observing all that goes on in the bustling Vietnamese capital.

Before coming on the trip I got some background on the country, the people and Hanoi in particular from a couple of great books that I thoroughly recommend. Hanoi Stories was written by Pam Scott, an Australian who lived and worked in Hanoi  through the 90s, witnessing the sweeping economic and social transformations of that time firsthand. Vietnam: Rising Dragon was written by former BBC reporter Bill Hayton, and it gives a more journalistic account of the country's economic and political systems.

This blog will be my own account of contemporary Life in Hanoi, with a focus on the work of the bloom Microfinance organisation.