[horns hononking] [dog bararks] [bababy crying s softly] [dog b barks] [horns hononking] [bell didinging] [u[upbeat rockck music] boboth i i took a Wawalk ThroroughThis Beautififul World Felt The E cool rainn on My Y Shoulder found somomething gooood Inin This Beautififul world i f felt the rarain Getttting Colderer l la, la s sha la, la,a, la, la sha la, l la, la, laa sha la,a, la, la sha l la, la, la,a, la shaha la, la, l la, la, laa [dramamatic music]c] do youou smell thahat . [mototorcycle enengine rumblb] momotorbike exexhaust, fish sauauce, incensnse. The e Faraway SmsmellOfof Somethingng is that t Pork GrillllingOvover Charcoaoal . Vietnam, i it could bebe no p place else. E. [bell didings] [vietntnamese folklk music] [m[man sings i in native l la] liststen to me. Listenen to me. There is n no other waway to s see this cicity, hano, than f from a mototorbike or a scoototer. To do Ototherwise Wowould E to miss itit all. [horns hononking] [horns h honking] whoa [horn honknks] it is s one of thehe Gret Pleasureres of my lilife toto join the e river of p Pee Rurushing Throrough the stst. [horns hononking] [belell dinging]g] [cacophohony of trafaffic soun] [s[soft dramatatic music]] vietetnam, it grgrabs you and dodoesnt let t you go. Oncece you love e it, you love i it forever. R. Ive b been comingng here since 202000, Ththe First Titime id been inin this partrt of the wow, and its h held a Spececial E In M My Heart and d My Imaginanation since. I keepep coming baback. I have to. O. [bell dingnging] vietnam m has changeged since last timime i was hehere. Itits changining every mimin. [hororn honking]g] [indistitinct chatteter] but sosome things,s, for nonow anyway, remain t the same, Importrtant Thingsgs like t this stuff. F. Ththats gonnana be good. Bun oc, fifirst meal i in ha, anand its Somomething Thehey De Betttter than ananywhere el. Okay, im officicially inin hanoi nowow. Mmmmm, magic. A spicy,y, Wonderfulul Broh with tomomatoes and heherb and noooodles and fresh h snails. Plump p and delicicious. Lolook at thosose beautiese. Come t to me, plumump, littttle love mumuscle. Mmmmm. Hanonoi, capitalal city of v vi, 7 1 2 Millllion Peoplele Liveve here. In the w winter its chilllly and dampmp, in t the summer r hot, humid, sububtropical. Ththe boulevarards and many ofof the buildldings are f f, but its Heart And Soul is always, always vietnamese. [all speakaking vietnanamese] Amamericans Cocoming here as tourirists for ththe first t, esespecially v veterans of thehe war, Are Shshocked By H How Friendy The E place is. Pepeople are g genuinely h y to see youou. Ththis is hanonois old ququ, but its l looking lesess and d less old t these day. Man, thihis areas c changed th. I mean, the irish h czechthd pub b next door . R . Vivietnam is a a young cououn. Almost h half of Vieietnamee Are Undeder the age e of 3. Fewewer every Yeyear Eveven Remembeber what t they call h here the americican war. Those years were a defining time for just about everyone, vietnamese or american, who lived through them, and though there are still a lot of conflicted feelings back home, for most vietnamesee thesese days, the war hahas become an abstrtraction, not even a a memory. Vietnanam is stillll a popoor nation,n, but Ththe Standardrd of livg has s improved a a lot wiwith The Relelaxing Of HHae Commununist economomic polic. More and m more foreign totourists evevery y, Western Chchains Inevivitably are evererywhere, Anand Presidenent obama isis vig for r the first t time, Takingng Another s step onon the Long G Path Toward N NormalizingngRelats Betwtween the twtwo countri. That is s good. Ooh, hot. Ooh, i i hit that t chili hardr. [b[bell ringining] [upbeat mumusic] [womoman sings in natative languauage] [thuhunder rumblbles] nice t to meet youou. Yeyes. Its such h a pleasure. Oh, and wewe have a beer reaeady to go, grea. Yes. So were d doing by bobottle, oror were goioing to pourur it in a a glass . How w would you u do it if i wasnnt here . I i would pourur it in thehe. Okay. In vietnamam, Particicularly In N the north,h, it wouould be Veryry Improperr for a wowoman toto drink Strtraight Frfrom the botottle. Oh, really . Ohoh, really . Yeah. Okay, wewell, im glglad i knowow this now. W. Cheers. Thao is s an eisenhohower few and a a fulbright t schola. Shes s Devoted Heher carer to Helelp Strengththen the bs Betweeeen Vietnam M and the. Totoday we drorove to t the outskirirts of hano. Mmhhmm . Cranes, tatall buildinin. Peopople movingg from t the countryry to the ci . Mmhmm. Marc j jacobs, prarada, i me, thisis is a veryry Young Country nonow. Oh, veryry much a a young natition. They likike to eat the kentucucky fried c chicken. They like e to spend a a lot ofof their timime on the i int. The hihistory of o our county is a h history of f war. We had 1,0,000 years under the e chinese, and ththen we had d 80 years under the e french, and thenen the japananese cameme in, and whenen the amerirican left finally inin 1975, We Gotot Involvedd with camambodia, so we ononly have Pepeace Sisince 1989. Just in ththe Matter O Of A Fw decades s the Entirere Populatn will be Ththose Withouout any wawar experienence, and thatss a great t thing. And whatat are we eating t today . Well, we a are going to have e a banh cuouon. And that m means . Rice roll,l, very thini. Like a crerepe . Yes, its s like a crere. Anand inside, ground, Miminced Porkk and wowood ear musushroom. Ah. [ominousus music] you u dip it in,n, and d there you u go. Mmm. Ohoh, thats v very good. Evererything we e do internrnationally,y, someone e refers bacack to t the vietnamam experienc. You know, lets n not do thatat again, lets s not repeatat vietna. But t i find it t interestig that the p people whwho had perhrhaps ththe most paiainful expereriene werere among thehe first to reach o out. I think k the John M Mccain stoy is pararticularly y interestinig becacause heress a guy whoho d an atrocioious Experieience Herere in prisonon, and yet t he has beeeen among the mostst Vocal Supupporters of normalilizing relatations. It took Seseveral Tripips to vieietnam, and d so he coululd see vietem inin a differerent light. Itits no longnger a war. Its a couountry with h peopl. Have y you been ouout withth returningng veterans s oh, yes, a all the timi. Do they y often wantnt to go toto the area a that they y ser . Ohoh, yes. Did ththey often e even meet with thehe people ththey foug . Yes. B52 pililots come t to the Areaeas Theyey unloaded d their bomb . Yes. [soft drdramatic mususic] whatat is that experienence like . What do o you see when thehey come . Extrtremely emototional, exextremely ememotional. Peoplele burst intnto tear. The memorory i kept o of yu 45 yearsrs ago was a an ene. Ii did anyththing and eveveg to Prorotect My Lilife and to prprotect the e people inin my platoooon, but tododay when i i see you an not t as an enememy, as a persrson, Eveverything J just disapppp, all Ththe Bad Feeleling Disappp anand now you u actually t talk, oh, a are you mararried . You know, how many y childn do you h have . You knknow, wwhat are yoyou up to . Theieir life tururn into a a new chapteter, and thisis chapter is a good d chapter. [upbeaeat rock mususic] [speaking vietnamese over p. A. ] [soft dramatic music] hanoi in t the morningn, the e usual highghpitched we of thousanands of mototorbikes. [motororcycle engigines rumbli] peopople and thehe things they c carry comining out to , to set up p shop, the sound d of commercrce. [speaking g vietnameses] of a wilildly free Markeket Economyy inin a systemm thatss decidedlyly not. [u[upbeat musisic] ohh [p[people clapapping rhyththmi] hey whoo hey h hey hey h hey hey heyey [woman sinings inin native lalanguage] Whenen I First C came here, it w was tai chihi at dawn, and ththats stillll here, bubut theres s also this. [allll shout in n vietnamese] good to o see you. Its n nice to seeee you to. Ththis is an, my friend. Nicece to meet y you. Shees also my zumba i instructor. R. Ah. No zumumba for me. E. Brbreakfast, t though, sounds g good. How often n a week do o you k the e average peperson cooks, anand how ofteten do t they eat ouout . Momostly we jujust cook atat e for dinnnner because ththats the o only l in thehe day thatat everybodydy can bebe together,r, but fofor other memeals normally w we eat out. T. [all shoutut in vietnanamese] whoo [all cheheering] i memeet my old d friend a on the e edge of thehe old quar, a a place knowown asas cussing n noodles. This is s my favoritite, favovorite restataurant. This plalace . Yes. The name c comes fromm the owowner, this s lady, Known Fofor The Freeee and d frank wayy She Cocommunicateses Withth her custotomers. I hear shehe yells at t peopl. Yes. [s[speaking vivietnamese]] if Y You Go To H her counr and d order somemething, and thenen if yourere indecisi, like, oh, can i i have thisi . Oh, no, no, no, nono, no, no, maybybe i Have T This Insteaead shees like, ii dont have lotots of time e for y, so jusust get out t of here. Realally . Yeyeah. [speakining vietnamemese] and whwhats The S Specialy of the h house here . E . Bun chihin zou. Cchin zou m means pig k knu. Pig knucuckle . Pipig knuckleses. We k know thatss gonna be e. You u put up witith the abuse fofor this glolorious, Steamiming Bowl Ofof rice nos with spicycy chilies, a rich, hehearty, porkrky broh with p pigs knuckckle and s. Its thehe only itemem on the m, and its g good. You knowow taro . Yes. Ah. H. So t this is thehe stem of the tararo plant, and to Prerepare Thiss you hahave to be v very Carefl Becacause if youou dont do it righght, thenen you get i itchy mouth. Toxixic, right. No, no, not totoxic. Yoyou wont didie from it, but it makakes your momouth rereally itchyhy, so. Ininteresting. G. [serene e music] mmm. M. Wow,w, thats dedelicious. Whenen people Tatalk Abouout vietnam,m, they a always sayy about t Spring Rololls or ph, bubut i think k this shoulule ininin the p place. In the mixix . Yeyeah, in im easy. Giveve me some s spicy noodld, sosome pork, im happppy every titime. [speakining vietnamemese] [upbeat mumusic] [woman sinings inin native lalanguage] [soft t dramatic m music] itits A Mazee Of N Narrow Strereets and Alleleyways Behihind Ththe old frenench cathedrdr. Vendors s set up stotools, and d its happypy hour in h ha. Everery doorway,y, every win, a a Little Slilice of life. A storory all its s own, lives liveved, being l lived, caught f for a seconond, a a moment, ththen gone. In vietnamam sometime e te trtruly friendnd, to be frfrien. Yeah. Wewe have to d drink ununtil we arere drunk. Well, well, okayay. Yeah. We m must. We mumust. [l[laughter] cheeeer for frieiendship. Lilinh dinh, M My Oldest F Frd in vietnamam from t the very bebeginnin. Many h happy memorories, my f friend. Weweve been t to saigon, can ththo, nha trarang. He wasas my origininal minder for vivietnams miministry of foreieign affairsrs. Wewe became, i in spite ofos official r responsibililiti, fafast friendsds. One, two, three. [speaking g vietnameses] [spepeaking vietetnamese] welcome e back. Wewelcome backck. Cheers. Thanank you. Linhnh has Brougught Me To a t anand proud Anand Uniquelyy hanonoi traditioion, bia hai. Bia hai rerefers to the Roaoadside Joinints where e locals gatather to consumeme kegdispepensed, frfreshly brewewed draft b. Oh, thatats good. Itss not stronong at all, my fririend. Jujust, like, between 3 3 t. Ahah, so we neneed to drinink. Yeah. Yeahah. Cheeeer for hanonoi beer. [hororns honkingng] itit was Sometething Luxururs 3030 years agogo. Yeahah. Riright. And nonow its foror everyo. Yeah. Its not e expensive. Right. T. 10,00000 dong. So thatts 40¢. 40¢, 45, yeahah. 4545¢ a beeeer . Yeahah. Illll have anotother. I can n afford thahat. The e countrys s changed soso. When i f first came,e, bicycleses and motororbikes. Nonow a lot ofof cars. Yeah. Morere cars. Yeah, now w look, monen. Pepeople are m making Mo Busineness is goodod. Yeah. Righght . I memean, much, much, much Morore Tourismm every y year, yeahah . Yes, yes. Peoplele also enjojoy life mo. Youre probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. But what if we told you its possible that comcast Business Mobile can save you up to 75 a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers . Did we peak your interest . You can get two unlimited lines for just 30 each a month. There are no Term Contracts or line activation fees. And you can bring your own device. Oh, and all on the most reliable 5g Mobile Network nationwide. Wireless that works for you. Its not just possible, its happening. [u[upbeat rockck music] [stirrining orchestrtral pop mu] sesearch the g globe, and Du Will Find D no other p place ththat looks r remotely lilik. Hha long memeans Wherere The DragogonDesces Intoto the sea, and legendnd says thatat thiss where a grgreat dragonon charge, Protectingng Vietnam from f foreign invnvaders. War isis a constanant theme in Vieietnamese Mymythology and hihistory ththe chinese,e, the frenc, ththe japanesese, the amerer, the cacambodians, agaiain the chininese. [boat hornrn blows] [s[serene pan n flute musi] ha l Long Bay Hahas become, for r better or r worse, one ofof vietnamss mostst visited d destinatio. Fortunatelely, Ththis Time Ofof year anywyw, you donnt have to o go too r to lose e yourself i in the pas, findnd a Quiet P Place where you u can still l imagie the grgreat dragonons Tail Thrashshing and chchurning and kickining up these greaeat karsts o of roc. [b[boat horn b blows] chososen mode ofof transportr, the emeraraude, anan old frencnchera Steaear Rerefitted Foror more currenttday needs. S. [sofoft dramaticic music] a big g freaking b boat. And its a all mine. Along Wiwith Friendsds and c, of c course. [steam hisissing] [d[deep hummining] [metallic c clanging]] [b[boat horn b blows] [whimsicalal music] [boat hornrn blows] [b[boat horn b blows] [woman s sings in native e language]] [boat hornrn blows] [boat hornrn blows] i like thihis boat. Were liviving a Littltle Larr than lasast last time e the boat was not t this nice. E. All ththe modern c Conveniencs Bubut the chararms of the e p. Itit fits Perfrfectly Withty ovoverromantitic delusion, and d in generalal, itit does not t suck. [boat