Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy Lunar New Year in Vietnamese), I hope this new Year of the Ox or Buffalo finds you well (and is turning out a good deal better than the aptly-named, Year of the Rat of 2020. )
Apologies, it's been months since I last wrote, but life - and er, a global pandemic - sure gets in the way of my fabulous chronicles. Yes, I'm still here in my beloved Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC AKA Saigon), surely one of the best places on the planet to be holed-up during a pandemic... as this chronicle will even more testify. I've actually been very busy, much of which, celebrating Tet, Vietnam's Lunar New Year, in the months of January and February.
What is Tet, exactly? Well, no doubt you've already read my two chronicles on the subject, Part 1 here and Part 2 here, which explains a lot, as Tet is quite the long-winded affair. But if not and to recap quickly, in a (long) nutshell: Tet
Nguyen Dan, shortened to ‘Tet,’ is Vietnam's Lunar New Year and most important celebration or festival, like Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve all rolled into one, full of traditions, rituals, customs and festivities, etc. Although sharing some similarities and observed the same time as the Chinese New Year, falling sometime in either January or February dependent on the lunar calendar, it's not the same and has some unique aspects.
Vietnamese Tet has an official seven-day holiday, where most shops, offices, businesses, governmental bodies etc, are shut and services are extremely curtailed or reduced (although things can carry on like that well before and after). The entire country sees a near-on frenzy in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, returning home to be with their families and celebrating New Year's Eve, then the first week of Tet is full-on, attending Buddhist pagodas, visiting flower festivals, spending time with the family and seeing friends, etc.
The Vietnamese love their flowers at any time, but as Tet is also known as a spring festival, flowers play a crucial role pre, during and post, the most visible and important Tet symbol for good luck. In fact, during Tet, people like to look at beautiful flowers because they think certain ones will bring them happiness and luck in the New Year. In the south and HCMC, it's the highly prized, golden yellow apricot blossoms (hoa mai), displayed everywhere as the quintessential symbol of spring.
With a total of 11 years living as an expat in Vietnam, I've probably spent at most two Tet's in Hanoi in the north and one in HCMC, but even then, didn't really participate much and the other years, fled to countries like Thailand, Bali, Australia and Singapore, for the entire duration (see here for my sheer lunar-cy time spent over Chinese Lunar New Year, in Singapore, 2020!) Of course, during a global pandemic, Tet 2021 was always going to be different in every sense. Although Vietnam is one of the world's most successful nations on earth managing Covid-19, with less deaths and cases and all of us here lucky to be all able to live a relatively normal life, some restrictions had to be swiftly actioned half-way through due to a few unusual spikes in cases, meaning that many HCMC workers, who toil hard all year, couldn't return to the countryside to be with their families.
With the worldwide border closure, there are no foreign tourists in Vietnam and expats like me were unable to fly off to other countries and far-flung paradises... although due to pandemic-related reduced earnings, my budget didn't even stretch to regional travel (before restrictions). So I decided to stay here in HCMC and unlike other years where I could be accused of being a bit "sniffy" about Vietnamese Tet celebrations and chose to boycott most proceedings, this year was the opposite. Well, if you can't 'beat 'em, join 'em' and so I did, embracing the whole she-bang of festivities... and guess what, I really enjoyed it all, with many new experiences and making me see HCMC in a different light and even more affection for the place. I rarely saw any foreigner's at Tet events, but was treated with great kindness, politeness and respect by the Saigonese, who were all in wonderfully jolly moods.
So without further dillying-dallying on this Empress' part......
Flowers at any time are of great importance to the Vietnamese and are big part of daily life, especially bouquets for special occasions and big ornamental displays outside the opening a new establishment and so on. At this time of year, in the lovely dry sunny season, HCMC itself looks absolutely stunning with all the gorgeous floral displays around town, especially the strategically placed yellow apricot trees, carefully tended flower beds with multi-colored blooms and giant pots of yellow chrysanthemums placed outside homes and businesses for to signify wishes for a lucky and prosperous year.....
.... even trees made of red Lixi bags, red and gold envelopes that get filled with crisp money notes and given on the first day of the Lunar New Year that symbolises the wishes of luck and wealth for everyone, but especially the youngest in the family.......
and the many special Tet displays set-up around downtown designed for endless photo posing... especially in your ao dai (the floaty, female national costume worn on special occasions)...
I attended the city's first 2021 Tet Viet festival, at Le Van Tam Park, an annual bash held around three weeks before Tet and apparently, Vietnam's biggest traditional
Lunar New Year festival. It actually runs for four days, but I graced them with my presence on the final day, the evening of January 24 and a Sunday, making this likely the most crowded time of all.
During the French Indochina colonial-era, Le Van Tam Park was a French cemetery for the European expatriates who lived (and died) here; today, apparently, all the bodies have been 'relocated' elsewhere and there doesn't appear be any traces remaining, only the lovely mass of gnarly mature trees the French planted here more than a century ago. A much-needed oasis in this sprawling urban jungle, leafy Le Van Tam park is of great significant for me, as it's in my old neighbourhood where I used to live (2006 to 2010) and I once exercised here; and now back in HCMC, I once again come down here to exercise at the weekends, as it's just a 20-minute walk from my new neighbourhood (which, you have read about in my chronicle, 'Canal Life in HCMC - Who Knew?,' here).
Anyway, I digress. For this Tet festival, the park had been completely transformed and despite a global pandemic, was totally packed with locals - multi-generational families, couples and the rare foreigner like me - all enjoying the carnival atmosphere and balmy Saigon night. Spread out across the lawns and pathways, there was live singing and dancing entertainment on stages, beer gardens, around 200 booths selling souvenirs, home wares, toys, locally-made goods like honey, incense, jams, etc, traditional Tet markets, rituals and folk games and even fairground-style interactive stalls. You could even don traditional Tet costumes and pose for photos at special booths (I missed that one).
actually some surprisingly good duet singing going on here .....even had an impromptu dance amongst the crowds..
.....er, no social distancing here !!
In the open-air food courts, dozens of kitchen stalls cooked-up traditional Vietnamese foods and regional Tet specialities, as well as Thai, Japanese, Korean, etc dishes, but mainly grilled meats and seafood barbecued over charcoal grills .....
This is the festival's official final night performance for VIPs, dignitaries, etc and some glitzy, kitsch, laser-lit performances in an exclusive, closed-off stage section, although mere commoners like me could also watch the proceedings.
City authorities organise this festival every year, so that, " the younger generation can learn about Tet traditions,
Vietnamese customs and rituals for the Lunar New Year," as well as "contributing to preserving and
promoting national traditional cultural values and introduce HCMC's image as a safe, friendly and attractive destination" (quite!); they expected to attract more than 80,000 visitors this year.... pretty amazing during a global pandemic!
It's also held to give visitors, "an opportunity to experience the
atmosphere of the traditional Lunar New Year holiday"... well it certainly did for me, I really enjoyed the pre-Tet buzz, fun ambiance and friendly crowds and even better.... all this was free, except for the delicious pork and chicken grilled skewers I munched on.
One week prior to Tet, the Tao Dan Spring Flower Festival 2021 sprung-up; again hosted in another of HCMC's lovely, leafy old public parks. This very established festival runs for eleven days (from the 25th day of the 12th lunar month to the sixth
day of the first Lunar month), so plenty of time to go, but again, attended on a Sunday, February 7, the second day. Unlike elsewhere, there was a fee to enter (quelle horreur!) ...ironically, for what I'd rank as the most underwhelming of all festivals I attended.... maybe, because I visited on a more sedate afternoon, not only to view all the flowers in their daytime natural magnificence, but to avoid the hordes that I'd imagine would descend here once the cooler evening temperatures set-in; I certainly didn't get to see any of the promised dragon dances, circus and magic performances, etc.
But anyway, it was surprisingly peaceful for a Sunday; across the vast Tao Dan Park, there organised displays of "ornamental fish and flowers, bonsai
plants, more than 2,500 flower-related exhibits of domestic and foreign
artisans and booths with specialties and souvenirs."
As you can see, there were fabulous displays of exotic orchids, manicured flower beds and meticulously sculptured bonsai trees ....
.....as well as New Year greetings and the Lunar-related Ox or Buffalo icons dotted throughout the park (each year the Lunar Year animal is determined by one selected from a rotation of 12 sacred animal signs in the Chinese zodiac - said to control the luck and destinies of everyone.....
I left around 5.30pm, before dusk and headed home walking along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, where quite by accident, I stumbled across a never-ending row of street-side stalls selling traditional Tet calligraphy art works and hanging scrolls in red and gold - hung in homes as a symbol of luck and prosperity - plus other Lunar New Year paraphernalia. That's if I could see them, as the stalls were thronged with people snapping-up last-minute items.
Then further along, behind the stalls, again by chance, I discovered a covered market, crammed with pop-up stalls selling local fashions and a packed-out small food court with drinks and makeshift street food stalls, barbecuing meats over charcoal grills. Had no idea about this buzzy market, but apparently it's set-up in downtown for a few days every year before Tet.
Well, of course, this Empress couldn't resist and plumped myself down on a plastic kindergarten-style amongst all the families and groups of friends, munching on grilled meats dipped in fierce chili sauce. From here, I noticed there was a narrow passageway that everyone was walking through, leading to.....??? So I followed the crowds, but curiosity didn't kill this cat, passing more stalls of Tet trinkets and calligraphy artists creating personalised red Lixi bags and traditional paintings ........
....before unexpectedly arriving at a vast open-air courtyard, stunningly filled with a mass of golden yellow apricot blossoms, highly auspicious for Tet and looking like the whole of HCMC had turned out to take those all-important Tet selfies, many attired in their best ao dais
There was even a hanging mobile display of Vietnamese conical palm-leaf hat (non la), perfect for yet another Tet photo. The scene was just so captivating and unexpected, I took a seat in a café just opposite the main 'lucky tree,' where I sipped my usual ca phe sua sa (iced coffee) and some lovely Saigonese were more than happy to pose for me!
Then just behind here, on a massive stage, what should happen, but the start of an open-air performance of southern Vietnamese traditional opera! To many foreigners, this traditional music is an acquired taste and akin to a cat wailing, but for me, totally mesmerising ..... I hadn't heard this sound for years. So imagine my delight, spontaneously attending, sitting amongst the Saigonese audiences (socially distanced, of course), raptly listening to a bunch of talented local singers of all ages for over an hour, singing what I regard as the heart and soul of Vietnam..... and all for free!
In contrast, indicating how contemporary Vietnam has become, there were even global food stalls and mobile bars set-up in converted VW Kombi's - oh how very Bali!
A few days later, just before the Tet Lunar New Year's Eve, surprisingly after Vietnam's stellar Covid-19 record, there were some spikes in cases in HCMC (I mean, insanely low, compared to elsewhere in the world), which meant authorities had no choice but to slap down bans on any large gatherings and celebrations.
Meaning, the city's annual, popular Tet New Year firework displays were cancelled, along with all the usual live performances across the city. Luckily, however, I had the good sense to join-in the western New
Year's Eve celebrations on December 31, just a couple of months ago, which are pretty similar in format: live concerts performed to packed crowds on gigantic illuminated stages in downtown and 15-minute firework displays at the stroke of midnight at various strategic points across the city, including above the Saigon River (there I was, packed-in like sardines with thousands of others, standing on riverside streets pedestrianised-off for the night and watching fabulous bursts of colourful fireworks
exploding above the trees and river.)
And luckily I had the good sense to attend the above-mentioned Tet events, before the new restrictions kicked-in. But hey, you
can’t stop the Vietnamese flocking to the pagodas and their floral displays on the first week of Tet, so my next few days experiences weren’t that much ruined either.
So after a surreally quiet Lunar New Year's Eve, February 11, (which normally should be a boisterously noisy affair as per tradition), on the
first day of the Lunar New Year, or Tet Nguyen Dan, like most of the city's population, I headed
to a Buddhist pagoda or temple. On this auspicious day, this is a highly important tradition for Buddhists; to pray, light incense
and participate in several special rituals, ensuring good luck, prosperity, longevity, robust health, etc, etc, in the New Year. As luck would have it, opposite my house across the canal, stands HCMC’s biggest Buddhist Centre, Vinh
Nghiem Pagoda (or Chua Vinh Nghiem), which, of course, you've read all about in my chronicle, here..
Covid-19 spikes, er, what spikes? As expected on the Lunar New Year day, the revered Chua Vinh Nghiem was packed with
worshippers popping-in throughout the day. There was plenty of chanting, planting lit joss-sticks in massive outdoor bronze urns and rubbing the deities for good luck, etc. Everyone inside, including myself (as usual, the only foreigner I could see) were handed mini-plastic bags of salt and rice from a resident monk, a special Tet custom apparently symbolising enough food to eat and money for the year ahead. What struck me was how completely beautiful Chua Vinh Nghiem looked, bedecked throughout with stunning displays of orchids and a magnificent centrepiece jade-green Buddha figure, embedded in a glorious floral display…. Nirvana in HCMC's District Three and mere footsteps from my home!!
...this lunar year's buffalo icon is here a statue made from yellow mini-gourds!
An exciting moment for me was spontaneously queuing-up with all the other dozens of devotees in 30-plus degree heat, to chime the pagoda's sacred hanging
bell three times; apparently, this ritual on this auspicious day is another way of bringing good luck, prosperity and blessings into the New Year. Actually, this historic bell was donated by the Japanese to the Buddhist community during the Vietnam War, as another way of praying for peace.
Er, that’s not me, but two ao dai-clad ladies demonstrating what I did, heaving a very heavy timber mallet suspended a tad too high to reach, in order to strike the bell three times
Strolling around the large pagoda compound, filled with lovely floral displays and a permanent carp pond, I came across this quaint traditional display in the monk's living quarters, to the side of the main prayer hall....
Ironically, I paid money to visit a park flower festival, but Chua Vinh Nghiem IMO displayed the loveliest orchids and floral displays of all. Closely followed by nearby Chua Phap Hoa, a gorgeous canal-side pagoda, also busy with worshipper's, just a quick stroll from where I live (one of several fabulous pagodas featured in my canal religious sites chronicle, here.....)
Probably the Mother of all the city's floral offerings and the nation's largest flower show, Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival is held every year for several days over Tet in downtown District One, on a popular pedestrianised mall in the centre of Nguyen Hue boulevard. Aimed at highlighting Vietnamese Tet culture, each year's themed installations are determined by the designated sacred Lunar animal; this year, it's all about the Ox or Buffalo, with 26 or so Ox / Buffalo installations apparently all made from eco-friendly materials like rattan,
bamboo, maleleuca bark, lotus leaves, etc and further, as a representation of the unique cultural traditions of southern Vietnam.
Now in its 18th year, this beloved horticultural festival right in the heart of the city attracts more than one million visitors each year. Yet despite my seven years in total living in HCMC, I never got round to visiting this event, even when I hung around for one Tet holiday. Anyway, the lovely floral arrangements did not disappoint, especially as this was all free.
With HCMC's (small) spikes in Covid-19 cases, unfortunately, opening hours for this flower street were swiftly slashed to solely daytime, closing at 5pm; a shame, as the festival highlight is the nighttime LED illuminations (however, this all sort of backfired somewhat as more people converged en-mass during the opening shorter hours, albeit wearing their masks and having body temperatures scanned).
As the festival attracts hordes of visitors, on this, the 2nd day of Tet and a Saturday, I arrived at 2pm in blazing heat and sunshine; getting my first walk around this vast stretch of elaborate floral displays and themed ox/ buffalo installations, with all my photos duly taken in relative peace, before the selfie-stick-wielding masses started arriving as temperatures cooled down somewhat during the afternoon.
Sure enough, after joining the progressively longer queue lines for my second stroll around, (with a rare sighting of a handful of foreigners), the displays were near-on obliterated by a frenzy of photo-taking, many proudly wearing their finest ao dais and new clothes.
Although everyone seemed to admire the exquisite floral arrangements, I'm sure these are more appreciated as back-drops to all the de rigueur selfies, arguably one of the favourite pursuits of the Tet festivities!
If you needed a break from all the flowers (hello?), there was also a book fair hosted on a side street, which you could leisurely wander through, perusing the books and watching the calligraphy artists at work. Once the festival shut its gates at 5pm, everyone disgorged out onto Nguyen Hue Street in the cooler dusk air, resulting in a wonderful happy, albeit crowded, carnival-like atmosphere, with families and couples sitting out on the pavement cafes catching the last rays of sunshine and buying snacks and Tet toys for their children from the numerous street vendors.
The next day, a Sunday, February 14, I came back into downtown in the evening: no flowers! this time purely to take-in the annual Tet lights, which usually get hoisted-up in the early days of the western New Year and remain up for weeks after the official Tet week. So even if I'd flown off somewhere, I always have plenty of time to look at these lights in years prior, almost becoming an annual Tet ritual (as alluded to in my Tet Chronicles Part 1, here). Seems many folk had the same idea, flocking into town with their families piled on motorbikes, ready to take photos of all the twinkly street lights and Tet displays and soak up the electric atmosphere.
These downtown street lights appear to be the same each year, but are so pretty, well, we'll forgive the repetition......
however, the impressive Tet displays outside the city's major department stores, shopping malls and hotels change their themes annually, dependent on what the annual Lunar animal is, so it's always exciting to see what they come up with each year .....
Then, on the 8th day of the Lunar New Year, (February 19), while out on my late afternoon exercise along my neighborhood canal, I noticed opposite, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda looked especially beautiful, its towers and main pagoda exquisitely aglow with lanterns and I could hear the haunting chimes of the hanging bell. So I cancelled my exercise pronto and investigated further. This was, of course, the first new moon of the Lunar New Year, another very auspicious time at pagodas across town, but especially, my local pagoda, as it's one of the city's most important and revered, thus the compound and inner prayer hall were unusually jam-packed....
All the worshippers stopped first at the front courtyard's statue of Goddess Quan Am, paying their respects with symbolic glass red candles and tall decorated sticks of incense .....
Just opposite where I live.... amazing!
Within the main prayer hall, a service of chanting mantras was underway; I noticed that many devotees seated on floor cushions had an elongated piece of red paper threaded through their hair; I've never seen this before and don't understand the meaning, but am sure it's something to do with blessings for the New Year and whatnot ...
Meanwhile, for the Viet-Chinese community in HCMC's Chinatown, or Cholon, the 15th day in the first month of the Lunar New Year is known as Tet Nguyen Tieu, marking
the final day of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) and first full moon of the year. In fact, this Tet Nguyen Tieu festival is considered the biggest, most important cultural event of the year for Vietnam's Hoa
ethnic Chinese people and more important than the Tet Lunar first day. Every year on this 15th day in HCMC, apparently, there are extensive cultural activities, such as musical performances that include live Chinese opera, folk games, calligraphy painting exhibitions and a Chinese food fair. Not only that, the city's largest street parade, featuring lion dance troupes and
performers in costumes accompanied by marching bands, winding along Chinatown's main streets. In HCMC, these Tet Nguyen Tieu festivities are so important, they have been formally recognised as a 'National Intangible Cultural Heritage.'
I said, "apparently." Yes, I was so looking forward to experiencing all this, but unfortunately, Covid-19 struck again and thanks to a city ban on large gatherings, these Chinatown celebrations were forced to cancel for a second year in a row. Disappointed, but lucky enough to visit Chinatown last October, when there were no Covid-19 spikes and regulations and I could enjoy the traditional mid-autumn Lunar Festival, where they also have lion dances both along the street and within the pagodas, street stalls selling food, toys and lanterns and entire streets aglow with red lanterns.
Plus, there was still so much to see and experience on this special day in Chinatown. As I said before, you can't stop everyone flocking to the pagodas and temples as per their centuries-old traditions; one of the must-to-do rituals during Tet Nguyen Tieu, Covid-19 or no Covid-19, is to light incense
to deities and Gods, as this is an auspicious day to pray for the removal of bad luck and wish a year of peace and happiness
for everyone. Plus Chinatown's pagodas and temples are some of the city's most stunning, atmospheric and ancient, of which, for over two decades now, I've visited many times.
First-off, spectacular Quan Am Pagoda, on tiny side-street Lao Tu, one of Chinatown's most famous pagodas, its most active and oldest, built in 1740. However, Quan Am comes bang up to date in 2021 with what greeted me at the entrance: an amiable security guard to scan my body temperature, swiftly followed by a lady squirting hand-sanitiser into my hands and then a caretaker hurriedly handing me three sticks of incense. This Viet-style, Covid-19 system resembled some well-oiled factory conveyor belt and was probably my best laugh in months. Well, masks on, hands sanitised, but again, no social distancing here, Quan Am Pagoda was colourful, bustling and jam-packed with worshippers...
Up above, spiral incense coils hanging from the rafters were affixed with a wish-list of prayers hand-written on a strip of red paper, in the belief those prayers are sent-up to the heavens; a Vietnamese Buddhist ritual carried out at any time of the year, but as this day was especially auspicious, there was hardly any space left.
Here's where I bought (for a small fee), my own personal spiral incense coil and scribbled down my wishes for the New Year on a lucky red piece of paper ...
Once my personal message was attached, I then had to light the coil with an oil candle, aided by a helpful pagoda caretaker, whose 'coil kiosk' was literally mobbed with devotees .....
and then watched the caretaker carry it away to hoist-up into the rafters ... ...
.....there's my coil, somewhere on the right! Apparently these can burn for days....
Next, I moved on to the exquisite Thien Hau Pagoda, nearby on Nguyen Trai Street, also one of Chinatown's most famous and important pagodas, dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea and pretty old too, built in 1760. Yet more hanging spiral incense coils, that along with the giant bronze urns crammed with joss sticks, the fug of swirling smoke almost temporarily blinded me...
Then on to Ong Pagoda, further up on Nguyen Trai Street, a larger, "younger" pagoda, but still like the rest, elaborately decorated and stunning. Staff here were especially helpful and a rarity for Chinatown, some spoke in English, instructing me on all the pagoda traditions. Strangely, no incense coils here (at least giving my eyesight a break), but instead, a mass of Chinese-style, good luck lanterns that you purchase (or not in this case, as these were way too pricey for me), attach a message to and hang-up for good luck in the pagoda, or bring back home. Anyway, they all look stunning and there's less smoke in the air!
Pagoda student volunteers gave me a gift bag of fruit and red Lixi envelopes filled with 'lucky money' to take home, before I followed everyone else's lead, queuing up to rub the red wood horse, ring his neck bell and crouching down, shuffle underneath his er, undercarriage, for yet more good luck!
In the evening , after a well-earnt ca phe sua da on a quiet side-street coffee house and a wonderful day in Chinatown (despite all the Covid-19 cancellations), I made my way back home by taxi. Once in my neighbourhood, passing Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and...... yes, you've guessed it, another massive festival! Here too, worshippers were celebrating the 15th Lunar New Day and first full moon of the New Year, also known as Ram Thang Gieng and an important annual Buddhist festival at this pagoda. Sheesh, you'd think this Empress would be jaded-out from all these pagodas, but no, she just had to stop off again, as this was a mesmerising sight especially with a full moon glowing up above!
Despite the city's no-big-crowds restrictions, once again, hordes of people stopped-off here to pray, but it was especially chaotic tonight; there were so many red glass candles and incense offered-up at the base of Goddess Quan An statue, that they invariably caught fire for a few seconds, as did the bronze urns crammed with burning joss sticks (where I nearly singed my fingers off, planting my own). Inside, another Buddhist chanting service and a young monk handed me a couple more mini-bags of salt and rice and a beautiful bunch of dewy lotus flowers, highly symbolic in Buddhist culture. The monk gestured with his hands that I could offer these flowers up to one of the pagoda icons, or take them home. I chose the latter, as I would get great pleasure looking at these lotus flowers every day at home....I'm sure the Gods would understand.
However, as I felt I should make a small donation for this kind gesture, I returned to Chua Vinh Nghiem the next afternoon (yes, I know..... again!). But when I arrived around 3pm, of course, I accidentally stumbled upon on an amazing Buddhist service, with around 14 saffron-robed monks kneeling in front of the central altar, their repetitive mantra chanting dictated by the hypnotic, steady beat of a coconut drum. There are no photos, that would be too intrusive.
Sheesh, you'd think with all these auspicious offerings I made and received - the personalised incense coil, the mini-bags of salt and rice, the lotus flowers, umpteen joss-sticks stuck into pagoda urns, the rubbing of deities and statues, etc, etc, that I should have a very blessed and lucky Year of the Buffalo (which incidentally is my Chinese horoscope sign)...... well, you would, wouldn't you? And I hope, dear reader, that you do too!
Chúc mừng năm
mới’!
PS: the colorful Chinese Lunar pastries I bought at a family-run bakery in Chinatown, in between pagoda-hopping, which taste as good as they look ............
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