Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival on West Lake in Hanoi - 16 February 2019

Yesterday was my first Saturday in Vietnam since returning from three weeks in the U.S. to see Megan off to Nepal from DC.  Being away from the office means I have a super lot of work to catch up on, but the weather threatened of rain, so I just put it off until a future day.

While Diep and I were lazing around the house - still getting over the jetlag - we heard the drums of a festival on the Thanh Nien Road side of the lake.  In all the years I have been in Vietnam, I have never been to a Dragon Boat Festival. That side of the lake is just a short walk from our apartment building, so we decided to see what the fuss was all about.

All along Thanh Nien Road on the West Lake side, motorbikes and people filled all empty space.  It was very hard to walk anywhere, and the comings and goings of the motorbikes added to the overall chaos.  Closer to the boat race starting point, representatives from about 20 local, province, and national teams milled about, either recovering from their heat, or preparing to race.  A variety of sideshows, to include dancers, folk singers, and hula hoop performers dotted the festival area. Food vendors were out selling beverages, sandwiches, and pastries as well.  The sights, smells, and sounds made this a uniquely Vietnam experience.

Overall, it was a good time killer, but nothing so special as to hang around too long.  I get nervous around crowds, and I had more money in my wallet than I cared to lose should I have been the arbitrary target of a pick pocket.  The weather was in the 70s and overcast, which is about as close to ideal as I will ever get in Hanoi. It was great not to be frozen, having just returned from a polar vortex event I care not to repeat anytime soon.