Hi guys,
How are you today? Hope you and your family still doing well.
"Lao Hac" - the name of a famous Vietnamese literary work that everyone feels close to when talking about. Like the name Lao Hac cafe, hidden under the green trees on the banks of Nhieu Loc river, it is simple and familiar. The coffee shop takes its name from a literary work of writer Nam Cao, which is included in the 8th-Grade philology program of Vietnam.
The story is about Lao Hac, a simple and gentle farmer. The old man was a widower and had a son, but because he was too poor, he could not take care of his child's wedding. His distraught son signed up to work at a remote rubber plantation.
He was always thinking about his son's future. He lived by farming, the garden his wife had worked so hard to buy and leave to his son. But after a storm, a whole pole of crops was lost.
Again because of an illness, much of the money he had saved was used up and because he was also very old and weak, people did all his work. He had a dog named Vang - a dog. A dog that he regarded both as his son and as a faithful friend. But because he needed money to take care of his son, he decided to sell the dog. He was very tormented by himself when he carried a "sin" of having the heart to "trick a dog". He spent money on his own funeral because he don’t want to bother other people. He did not accept any help from anyone.
He chose death by dog bait, a violent and painful death. He did that to punish himself for doing that tormenting and sinful thing and maybe he was liberated after many months of extreme hardship and suffering. That story is wakefulness and concern for generations of Vietnamese people, because of the humanity and compassion for the characters.
Lao Hac, along with the old appearance, inside is a warm, friendly, and idyllic space that is right for those who are nostalgic and looking for a quiet and romantic space. True to its name, coffee brings a feeling of closeness and genuine countryside, like Lao Hac. The space of the shop is not sophisticatedly designed, only a few tables, a few books, and small flower pots make a very familiar space.
When I walked into the shop, I felt like I was entering a small house where I used to play when I was a kid. Old familiar objects gradually appeared before my eyes. Each person entering the shop brings in different memories, each memory rushing back. Every corner of the shop is carefully cared for with old tables and chairs, old items such as antique bicycles, books, television or old lamps that make me feel like I am sitting in the old house of my grandparents old.
In upstairs, I can overlook the Nhieu Loc canal. Here, in the afternoon, sitting under the cool green foliage, letting your soul in the wind watching the river look at the street with a little bit of bitterness from a black glass of ice, or a little bit of bitterness from yeast and melodious Trinh music in your ears, it's as easy as escaping the chaos living.
Here, anything can be used. Discarded wooden doors, broken wooden chairs are used to close up as tables or chairs or shelves for bookshelves.
The menu here is not flamboyant, does not follow trends, does not follow young people, the menu has been around for decades with simple and popular foods and drinks. The menu of the restaurant is designed quite strange and classic, the drinks and food are also rich, there are some dishes with bold Northern flavors such as tapioca water, corn juice, sugarcane juice, tofu... a bit strange to Southerners. If you are not familiar with the taste, there are still other drinks for you to choose from such as cinnamon tea, juice, lotus seed tea, coffee...
Diverse snacks such as deep-fried pork skin, spicy braised fish, kimchi seaweed, etc. are to be enjoyed with imported beer or wine, in addition, there is also beef jerky soaked in fish sauce, shrimp ram, fried chicken wings, etc. In the evening, Lao Hac is quite crowded.
Partly because the space of the restaurant is comfortable, close to home, the rest is good food with friends drinking a few beers and chatting is enough fun. It is the combination of both beer and coffee in a classic, nostalgic space that makes Lao Hac Quan unlike any other in Saigon. The space of the restaurant is full of green trees, creating a fresh atmosphere in the bustling city with smoke and dust.
Bamboo groves and bamboo clumps make the space very ancient and peaceful.
Are you wondering why Saigon people, famous for their gourmets, prefer such a popular cafe? The main answer lies in the space of the restaurant and the feeling it gives people. Anyone living in District 1 cannot help but know this cafe.
If you want to find a peaceful little corner, away from the busy city and stressful work, Cafe Lao Hac is the ideal choice. A romantic, quiet space, sitting by the window with melodious music watching the street is so gentle and smooth.
Leaving the shop, I followed the path along the canal, towards the street. Then I decided to visit the famous temple here.
Candaransi Temple
Candaransi, in the Khmer language, means bright moonlight, which is to illuminate and understand the spiritual dark corners of human life. Because according to the beliefs of their people, the Khmer always believe that the moonlight is the beginning and the end, the good fortune, the tolerance because the gentle moonlight dispels the darkness in the long cold nights.
Maybe that's why Candaransi temple is a place for many Khmer people to visit, especially on major holidays of the year. Located on Hoang Sa Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, facing the poetic Nhieu Loc Canal, Candaransi Pagoda was built with majestic designs and eye-catching main yellow colors.
The grounds and facades of the pagoda are covered with embossed statues of animals such as nine-headed snakes, statues of gods, statues of buffalo, horses, etc., delicately carved, bearing the appearance of famous Angkor temples from thousands of years. past year.
In addition, in the walls and ceiling, Candaransi Pagoda also has many large paintings of tens of square meters recording the daily life of Buddhist nuns in a faraway but close place. These paintings always have a joyful, bustling feeling, the colors are hot and eye-catching. This is probably also the biggest difference of the temple architecture in the concept of Kinh people and Khmer pagodas in general.
After nearly a hundred years of existence and development, it can be said that with thousands of Khmer ethnic people living in the territory of Vietnam, a beautiful and splendid pagoda in the middle of Sai Gon, profoundly because in the past, once the monks and nuns of the temple took to the streets to protest against Ngo Dinh Diem's regime, protecting revolutionary Viet Minh soldiers.
Candaransi Pagoda is one of the most famous temples not only in Vietnam but also in many other places. Some of my friends from far away in Indonesia also know this temple and wish to come here once to witness the unique culture of the Vietnamese in general and the Khmer, in particular, coexisting here.
Settling in an eternal place
Another reason why Candaransì attracts the special attention of Khmer people everywhere is their concept of burying the dead. Accordingly, for the Khmer, living in the world is only temporary, falling to eternity is a full and lasting life. Therefore, after the death, the Khmer people often cremated the deceased's body and brought it to the temple to worship, just like many Kinh people still do today.
For Khmer people, pagodas often have extremely important and sacred meanings.
They often tell their children and grandchildren that 'live and leave their body in the temple, go to the temple to send their bones'. Saying that to see the temple is the spiritual residence throughout the life cycle. In addition to being a place for tourists and locals to visit every day, Candaransi also preserves many unique cultural features after a history of nearly one hundred years of existence up to now.
Those are the scriptures of the abbots, monks, and nuns collected to teach the next generations to know their commandments, to live in accordance with the principles and rules set forth by them.
In addition, the temple also has some quite unique leaf sutras. This is the type of sutra written on the leaves, a type of large leaves that grow a lot in remote border areas. For those who follow the Theravada lineage, the Leaf Sutra can be said to be a treasure of the Khmer people in general. For the Khmer and Cambodian communities living in Saigon, holidays, in addition to going to the temple to pray, they want to pay their respects to their family member, who pass away already.
Candaransi temple is a bridge, a place for cultural exchange between the Khmer and the Kinh, between religion and life, between different Buddhist lines. Perhaps, that is the most unique feature of this ancient temple.
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