Or rather, good morning Westlake at 5:30am
July 2024
By chance, I discovered a new side of my neighbourhood. The office had organised a pick-up for 5:45am at Quang An Street, just around the corner from my flat. We normally meet at the office when we travel to our project location in another province. But on this day, my colleagues were already there and I joined them a day later. So I was waiting for my taxi on the beautiful lakeside road before 6am.
Of course I've often been out at this time and earlier to go to the train station or airport, but I've never been on the lakeside road this early. I know Quang An as the usual wild and noisy mix of motorbikes and cars that honk, push, overtake you at the smallest possible distance and then turn right right in front of you. Just everyday life. I never expected to see the street full of walkers, runners and cyclists and just an incredible number of early risers doing their morning exercise in every available space. I noticed that almost everyone on the road was moving clockwise around the lake and I asked cô Lien if this was an unwritten rule or a coincidence. She just laughed and had no idea.
While I waited for my taxi, I had time to walk up and down and look around. The street was busy, but the atmosphere was somehow different, more relaxed and I decided that I wanted to experience an early morning with more time. A few days later, I got up early again, took my bike to be part of this fantastic morning atmosphere myself. Side note: I decided to cycle anti-clockwise.
I made my way north and came across groups of walkers, almost exclusively men, who had rolled up their T-shirts over their bellies to catch a fresh morning breeze and cool off a little. While men seem to meet up to go for a walk, women meet up to dance. Their space is the green areas, the small parks and the pavements, wherever there is room for a group. That morning, I only saw one single woman freestyle dancing in front of her mobile phone, maybe for a live stream on Instgram or TikTok.Everyone else danced in groups, following a choreo performed by the lead dancer, to super loud Vietnamese pop music. I would have liked to join them, but I didn't dare and continued my ride.
A little less noisy, but also very busy were the areas with outdoor gym equipement. They are literally everywhere at the lake. Those who didn't get a place on the bike or the health walker, the power pusher, the Tai Chi discs, the sit-up bench, etc. simply stood next to it to do hip crunches or squats, or used the railing by the Westlake to casually put down a leg and stretch.
Badminton and foot badminton were also played here and there. But that's something I would still see on my way to work at around 8am.
What I had never seen before, however, were people meditating outdoors. Individually or in a group, everyone sat on a piece of cardboard or a mat, deeply immersed in silence, and nothing and nobody could disturb them. I was impressed, enjoyed the good vibes for a few minutes, then cycled on and came to a lakeside terrace.
This one is a popular selfie hotspot in the evening, especially just before sunset. And, from what I learnt that morning, it's also a hotspot for swimmers. Right next to the ‘no swimming’ sign, they went into the water. I often see men fishing on the lake, but I've never seen swimmers and, to be honest, I don't want to see them because when it comes to the lake, I have pretty mixed feelings.
I love driving to work on the lakeside road. I love sitting on the small wall of the Tay Ho Pagoda and looking at the panorama of the other side of the lake. I like to have a coffee in one of the countless cafés by the lake. And every now and then I enjoy cycling the whole 17km around the lake. But what I hate is the pollution, the rubbish, the dead fish that turn up too often and the bad smell on many days.
I'll end here with shoutouts for ‘Keep Hanoi Clean’ (now ‘Keep Vietnam Clean’). Thanks for your beautification and community education projects, including at Westlake, and for your support in creating clean, green and vibrant neighbourhoods for the benefit of local citizens. I am not the only one who appreciates this! And cô Lien should have the last word here with two typical encouraging words: "cố lên!" (try your best).
