The puppets appear to move on water, in a waist-deep pool stage. The backdrop/screen is of a temple facade, where the puppeteers move the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden below water. There’re different sequences of storytelling accompanied by an orchestra and singing. One segment featured Quan ho singing, songs exchanged between men and women. In 2009, Quan ho was recognised by Unesco as an immaterial cultural heritage of humanity.
In a roomful of pressure points
intermingling pain and pleasure,
I’m looking at a wall mirror,
wall hangings in tribal brocade.
The girl in the knit cap stared
at my fellow traveller whose feet
she kneaded, in simple oil, as
heads tilted toward a mounted TV.
Her fellow masseuses twittered
at the bared models catwalking
the catwalk, as I wondered how
high fashion cuts across borders
to a place where culture breathes
differently, here where
beauty has yet be plundered
by the giddy air.
I wished for aroma, lavendar oil
that would raise the bar for
these effective hands and knees,
and my fellow traveller thought
that girl could pass for a model,
but she’s hemmed in here, her place
in the world, customers feeling cold,
poor heating, cheesecake next door.
Vietnamese spring rolls are delicious. This is the steamed version of it, which is made of steamed rice flour. It’s incredibly wafer thin and delicate in taste.
I secretly filmed the making process!
The fried spring roll version can be seen amidst the seafood platter.
The roll can be transformed into triangles too, masquerading as samosas. 
Vietnamese chicken tastes full of flavor. Their chickens are free range. I could live in Vietnam just to eat their chicken.
The staple food of choice is Vietnamese soup noodles called pho. The magic lies in the texture of the delicate noodles dunked in tasty soup with a dash of lime. Beef or chicken is added along with leafy condiments. It’s tastier than it looks here.
