how many in the family? ha: six. a young couple and their three kids. and then the grandma is living with them. the oldest kids they go and she was sent into the with some relatives to go to school because they have no school in here. anthony: right. floating fishing villages like this used to be found in nearly every sheltered cove or corner of ha long bay, but as vietnam becomes a more popular tourist destination, authentic fishing villages are starting to disappear. the government has been relocating fishing families inland, hoping to minimize their ecological impact. [ dog barking ] ha: the people that are living on floating villages, they re just generally nice and willing to open their home to others and anthony: they basically farm oysters. ha: yeah, yeah. anthony: a lot of pearls for sale in ha long bay and in vietnam. they come from places like this. it takes over a year to grow
ha: for vietnamese, we have so many legends. but the majority of legends related to our traditions of fighting against foreign invaders and to protect our country. over the last 20 years of my life, i ve seen a lot of changes. and we know that there s still a lot of shortcoming. [ bells ringing ] but everything needs time. we need to be patient. we can t rush because we really don t want another war. anthony: general william westmoreland, who commanded u.s. forces here in the mid- 60s, famously said, the oriental doesn t put the same high price on life as does a westerner. life is plentiful. life is cheap in the orient.
anthony: wow. lin and i came here for another show what feels like a lifetime ago. back then i got to meet his son, min, who s apparently grown up. lin: these are pictures of you and him. anthony: whoa. lin: 15 years ago. 14 years ago. anthony: oh, my god. look at my hair. it s changed a little bit. like, over 8 million people are coming to ha long bay now? lin: yeah, every year. tourists. anthony: all of this is protected, right? you can t do anything with on these rocks? lin: no. min: no. no. anthony: no. and how many of these islands? it s like 1,900 of these rocks out there? lin: 1,969. [ chuckles ] and this is a good number, you know? anthony: it s a lucky number? lin: six is for fortune and nine is for forever. so fortune forever. anthony: a drink or two on the top deck, check. now for the rest of the day try to do a little as possible. a nap, sunset, maybe some more drinks. and what about dinner? lin: one for you.
anthony: i like this boat. we re living a little larger than last time. last time the boat was not this nice. all the modern conveniences but the charms of the past. it fits perfectly with my over romantic delusions and, in general, it does not suck. hello, gentlemen. min: hi, tony. anthony: how are you doing? lin: we re having some gin and tonic. anthony: gin and tonic, traditional vietnamese drink. well, not really, but all right. min: this is my first time trying this. anthony: yeah? min: yeah. lin: his first time. anthony: how old are you, anyway? wait a minute. you were 5 years old last time i was in ha long bay. lin: yeah. it s fine, he s 20 now.
[ laughter ] [ owner speaking vietnamese ] anthony: and what s the specialty of the house here? ha: bún heo. means pig knuckles. anthony: pig knuckles. we know that s gonna be good. you put up with the abuse for this glorious, steaming bowl of rice noodles with spicy chilies, a rich, hearty, porky broth, with pig s knuckle and snout. it s the only item on the menu and it s good. ha: you know taro? anthony: yes, ah. ha: so, this is the stem of the taro plant. and to prepare this you have to be very careful because if you don t do it right then you get itchy mouth. anthony: toxic. ha: no, no, no, not toxic. you won t die from it, but it makes your mouth really itchy, so anthony: interesting. mm. wow, that s delicious. ha: when people talk about vietnam they always say about spring rolls or pho. but i think this should be in, in the list. anthony: in the mix. ha: yeah. anthony: i m easy. give me some spicy noodles, some