Hands of Buddha

Hands of Buddha is a fruit very common in Vietnam and other southeast asian countries. The most striking thing about this fruit is that it is a citrus with virtually nothing of pulp and rind very thick, so most of the people do not buy it to eat, but to offer it as an offering in temples, pagodas and family altars in honor of the ancestors.

The reason why it is known as the hands of the Buddha, it is by its form, which recalls a closed hands in a gesture of prayer. So now you know when you come, in Vietnam, buying and selling, and a fruit practically inedible that it is used as an offering.

In Vietnam, there are a lot of christians

Vietnam is a country where the majority of its inhabitants are still part of the cult of the ancestors, and in a part of buddhism. However, many do not know that about 10% of vietnamese people are christians.

But how came the christianity here? During the last few centuries, many christian missionaries came to southeast asia to convey their beliefs. However, it was during the French occupation, before the war with america, when christianity gained more and more popular among the vietnamese. Today christianity is a minority religion, but even so, it is the third most popular in the country, after the religions and folk buddhism. In the image you can see a photo of the ruins of a church built during the French period in a place called Ba Vi, approximately 1 hour by bike from the centre of Hanoi.

Swastikas and guardians

In Vietnam you can find statues of figures armed, dragons animals and threatening on the outside of many temples. These are figures guardians and its symbolic function is to protect the temple and the deities that there are worshiped (play a role similar to that of the gargoyles in the christian churches).
In addition, in the photos you can see a swastika, which in buddhism is placed horizontally and is said to be a symbol of peace, prosperity and well-being.

The vietnamese people retains its rural roots

A large part of the vietnamese living on agriculture and livestock, and for many animals, orchards, and rice fields are more important as a direct source of power as a source of income.

In Vietnam, agriculture contributes to 14.85% of the GDP, and the main crops are rice (it is the second-largest rice exporter in the world after India), and cassava.

Interestingly, many vietnamese who do not devote themselves to the field to invest time each week in their own orchards, or receive food from the garden of a family member or friend of the people. I’ve joined the tradition of vietnamese try to grow some of the food I eat, and I can tell you that all the vietnamese that pass by my house and give me tips on how to take care of my plants and what to grow in each season of the year, and even in big cities such as Hanoi, many growing vegetables on the terraces, on the roofs of the houses or on the same street.

In Vietnam, the street food is cooked up on the bikes

In Vietnam it is easy to find street food everywhere, especially in areas of high influx of people. The biker of the photo was cooking a sweet In his bike! Take a look at this short video to see how.

The street food of Vietnam from soups to noodles to sandwiches vietnamese (the famous bánh me), and much more. I still discover new dishes stray after 4 years living in Vietnam. For 1 or 2 € – $ – you can put the boots!

Vietnam is a tropical country

Many people think that Vietnam is a tropical country, and not, or at least, not only. In the northern area of Vietnam there are 4 seasons and winters are quite cold. In addition, moving away from the coast into the interior means to enter in landscapes of mountains and valleys where there is so much jungles and wet rice fields, forests and peaks of the mountain completely bare. For example, the Fansipán, the highest peak of Vietnam, measured 3,147 meters high and in winter there is often snow. And you, do you also think that Vietnam was a country totally tropical?