anthony: right. lin: and now s for everyone. hai: yeah. lin: it s not expensive. ten thousand dong. anthony: so, that s hai: 40 cents. lin: 40, 45 cents. anthony: 45 cents a beer. both: yeah. anthony: i ll have another. i can afford that. the country s changed so much. when i first came, bicycles and motorbikes. now lot of cars. lin: more cars. anthony: you know, look, money. lin: yeah. anthony: people are making money. business is good, right? both: yeah. anthony: i mean, much, much, much more tourism every year, yes? hai: yes, yes. people also enjoy life more. [ engines rev ] [ horns honk ] patrick woke up with a sore back.
but for other meals, normally we eat out. anthony: i meet my old friend ha in the edge of the old quarter, a place known as cussing noodles. ha: this is my favorite, farite restauran anthony: this place? ha: yes. anthony: the name comes from the owner, this lady, known for the free and frank way she communicates with her customers. i hear she yells at people. anh: yes. [ laughter ] [ speaking vietnamese ] ha: if you go to her counter and order something and then if you re indecisive, like, uh, can i have this? oh, no, no, no, no, no. no, maybe i have this instead. she s like, i don t have a lot of time for you. so, just get out of here. anthony: really? ha: yeah.
my oldest friend in vietnam from the very beginning. many happy memories, my friend. we ve been to saigon, can tho, nha trang he was my original minder for vietnam s ministry of foreign affairs. we became, in spite of his official responsibilities, fast friends. hai: one, two, three ba, yo! welcome back. welcome back. cheers. anthony: lin has brought me to a great and proud and uniquely hanoi tradition bia hoi. bia hoi refers to the roadside joints where locals gather to consume keg-dispensed, freshly brewed draft beer. ah, that s good. lin: it s not strong at all, my friend. just like between 3 to 4%. anthony: ah, so we need to drink a lot. lin: yeah. hai: yeah. lin: cheers for hanoi beer. [ horns honking ] it was something luxurious 30 years hai: ah. lin: ago.
state function after, you might not want to go too heavy on the garlic. president obama: you know what, i m going with this thing. you know? we re gonna do what s appropriate. anthony: a little vinegar. president obama: all right. anthony: and then you just hack off noodles, you just drop them in your bowl. president obama: yeah, that s not too elegant, but i managed it. anthony: and dip and stir and get ready for the awesomeness. president obama: i m ready. now, is it appropriate to just pop one of these whole suckers in your mouth or do you think that you should be a little more ? anthony: well, slurping is totally acceptable in this part of the world, but [ laughter ] it takes some skills, by the way, to handle these sticky, cold noodles. but whatever your opinion of the man, the president has those skills. president obama: mm. anthony: i gotta say. president obama: this is killer. this is outstanding. anthony: oh, so good to hear.
anthony: there s something magical about the smell. the minute you touch down here, it grabs you, captivates you, and chances are, it holds you forever. i m not the first to feel this way. there is no better place to entertain the leader of the free world, in my opinion, than one of these classic, funky, family-run noodle shops you find all over hanoi. dinner and a beer costs about $6. i m guessing the president doesn t get a lot of state dinners like this. [ dog barking ] [ bottles clink ] how often do you get to sneak out for a beer? president obama: very rarely. [ laughter ] well, first of all, i don t get to sneak out, period. anthony: right.