My Hanoi Express

This time around, work brought me to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam; which is known for its centuries-old architecture and a rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese and French influences.



 I only had a day to explore, but surprisingly, I had a great time! Enjoy the video!

AirAsia Regional Communications Conference 2016

AirAsia communications team consists of PR professionals from all over the world. We are a close knit bunch, and are constantly in touch with each other via multiple platforms (whatsapp, wechat, google hangout, workplace chat - just to name a few!). 

We make an effort to meet at least once a year, to realign on our directions, discuss future plans, and generally ensure everyone sing the same tune. It is also a platform to share best practices etc. 

This year our conference was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

While we locked ourselves in boardroom almost all day, we sure know how to make the most of our free time to explore Hanoi and have a great team outing. 

AirAsia regional communications team 

December is considered a chilly month in Hanoi.Temperature ranges between 16°C to 24°C. So, it's wise to prepare a jacket. 

After dinner, some of us decided to walk around the city, and I must say it was a joy! 

The city is so beautiful, people are friendly and the atmosphere is very lively. It's such a romantic city and you will fall in love with it very easily. 

The locals are very creative and they put a lot of effort to make their shops, streets parks and even food so beautiful and instagrammable.

Hanoi Opera House 

Beautiful deco at "Madam Yam" restaurant

Beautiful Vietnamese lanterns 

Grilled eggplant presented as a piece of art!

Tuna steak 

Tofu 

I went out for early morning walk, and did a little bit of stretch.

Emperor from China, princess from India and... A commando from Malaysia! 

A wefie! 

I am so blessed to be part of this incredible team who is so passionate about our job, never afraid to be different and incredibly passionate. 

Bring it on 2017! 

Vietnam Retreat -Interesting stuff

I must say, Vietnam is full of eye-catching scenery. I saw many beautiful ancient buildings, wall art etc etc.

However, I was particularly amazed by the design of their houses. Its very different.

I know its very wrong for me to say it, but I kept asking myself, why like that? A lot of houses were just 5 feet wide!

And the other thing that really caught my attention was:

One thing that was made available almost everywhere was the infamous Snake wine.I even saw it @ thei R&R!

It is an alcoholic beverage that includes a whole venomous snake in the bottle. The snakes (venomous ones) are not usually preserved for their meat but to have the snake poison dissolved in the liquor. They are often mixed with many smaller snakes, turtles, insects, or birds, and left to steep for many months.

Snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and the wine is often advertised to cure everything from farsightedness to hair loss, as well as to increase sexual performance. Would you try?

Ok, among all, one incident really made me laugh. I was on my way to somewhere and I saw this guy:

Everything seems normal? Let’s take a closer look:

That buffalo is alive!! And it was moving!.

I swear I saw its mouth touching the tyre couple of times.

I Like Vietnam. Every little thing there is interesting.

~Cheers!

Vietnam Retreat -Halal Food

Visiting Vietnam was a little bit challenging, food wise. A lot of the people there still think that Halal food is just “pork-free”.

And if you know me well, you should know that I am rather fussy with food. I don’t eat seafood, I don’t like anything spicy and im not really a vege fan. Chicken is like a permanent daily dish.

Anyway, I have had similar experiences with my visit to other countries. So, I was prepared (and it was never a big deal coz I am so used of skipping lunch most of the time!)

A friend told me about this restaurant in Hanoi. It was right at the centre of the town but considering the size of the city, it was no surprise for me to just walk in circle.

We stumbled into a mosque and thought it would be best to just ask for direction.

I must say, the Vietnamese are really friendly and helpful. Realising we don’t really get the direction, this dude offered to guide us to the restaurant.

A very nice dude who guided us to the restaurant

I was soooo excited to see this sign!

NISA Restaurant is the first Halal Malaysian restaurant in Hanoi. It was founded by Mr. Ben Taat Haji Alias, a Malaysian!

He was very happy to welcome us, and I was extremely happy to know that my kinda food is there! Haha

Chicken Briyani

Naan & Tandoori

Everyone at the restaurant were able to converse in Malay, which was cute (coz they are Vietnamese). The food was really good! I’m not saying this because I don’t have much choice, but honestly the food was really something I’d say “worth waking up for” (The Breakfast show tagline.. hehe)

If you are a Muslim travelling to Hanoi, I’d recommend you to note their address because from what I heard, NISA restaurant is now the only Halal restaurant in Hanoi. Check their website by clicking HERE!

Note: I also found a nice vegetarian restaurant there. That's coming out in a different story :)

~Cheers!

Vietnam Retreat - Visiting "Uncle Ho"

To be honest, I didn’t have a clue of what was it until I got out of the mausoleum. It was really early morning and I just got lost in translation (literally). The tour guide told us to get ready @ 8am and that was the only thing I processed. I thought it was a “museum”, and had a tiny heart attack when I saw Ho Chi Minh's body.

Ho Chi Minh or also known as “Uncle Ho” is venerated as a national hero and father of Vietnam. Though he specifically requested cremation and his ashes to be sprinkled all over Vietnam, they preserved his body and built him a majestic mausoleum. It was rather impressive, as it includes a palace and a museum. I was told by our tour guide that they did it out of love.

Honestly, I find it quite weird because it’s against his wish (and their religion) but from a different perspective, it’s good to allow the new generation to be close to their hero.

Admission to this mausoleum is free but you will find a long queue almost every day. Don’t be surprised if the long queue to see embalmed corpse of Uncle Ho are mostly locals, because they truly respect and love him.

The queue at 8am!

“Uncle Ho” looks very peaceful and serene, his eyes closed as if in deep slumber. The wispy white beards on his face are still and his body is white and pale, almost aglow, in the orange lights. In the super cool air-conditioned room, and surrounded by plenty of army guards who stand motionless at all times, the room is hushed in enforced silence and the atmosphere is surreal.

I was informed that the mouseleum usually dont accept visitors for 2 months every year (Aug –Sept if im not mistaken) for preservation purposes.

Overall it was quite a nice experience. I was particularly moved to see the amount of love and respect the Vietnamese have for their leader.

~Cheers!

Vietnam Retreat -Water Puppet Show

I had a chance to visit Vietnam recently. Let me start with one of the most beautiful, unforgettable part of the trip.

Mua Roi Nuoc or Water Puppet performed by Thang Long puppet troupe is the most well known in Ha Noi. One must catch this show in order to complete their trip to Vietnam.

It is a unique art which has it origin in the delta of the Red river in the tenth century. The farmers in this region devised a form of entertainment using what natural medium they can find in their environment. In ancient times, the ponds and the rice paddies after harvest were the stage for these impromptu shows.

Nowadays the show was performed in a pool of water with the water surface being the stage. They have enhanced the show with proper pool & great lighting effect.

The puppeteers stand behind a screen and control the puppets using long bamboo rods and string mechanism hidden beneath the water surface. If you are wondering, yes, the puppeteers are all wet!

The puppeteers

A traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides background music accompaniment. I believe the singers sing songs which tell the story being acted out by the puppets. I don’t understand a single word but I understood the whole story because the actions were pretty straight forward.

This is the section for the orchestra

It was a brilliant show. It requires a lot of hardwork and precision. At one point, I almost forgot that there were people behind the curtain, choreographing the movements of the puppets.

I recorded parts of the show (coz I was just too busy enjoying it most of the time!). Enjoy!!

Further info on this show? click here!

~Cheers!