In 1998 Ambassador Xuan introduced us to Co, a young music student from Hanoi who was studying in New York. An aspiring conductor with a degree from the Hanoi Conservatory, she was very personable and had excellent command of English.
We hit it off pretty well and, since she was going to be in Hanoi that summer visiting her family, we arranged to meet her and have her go with us to the Conservatory. Co helped us through our first meeting with the heads of the Conservatory. It was very nice to have someone who was on the inside so to speak, not to mention her ability to interpret, since we spoke no Vietnamese and Dr. Ha and Dr. Minh basically spoke no English.
Over the years, we have remained in touch with Co, and followed her conducting career with great interest. We used to meet at the UN Mission Tet party and also saw her at the dinner in New York celebrating the visit of then Prime Minister Pham Van Khai.
Last year, the three of us met for drinks and dinner here in Hanoi and this year were able to do the same. Co is now teaching at University of Redlands in California and conducting a symphony orchestra. We met at Didier Corlou's new restaurant, Verticale. Corlou, former executive chef at Le Beaulieu, and one of the more famous chefs in Asia, serves French cuisine, with a strong Vietnamese influence and at prices more in line with Hanoi than Paris.
We had a very enjoyable evening dining and talking. Co is doing quite well and enjoys her work very much. Just before she came to Hanoi, she was able to sit in on some New York Philharmonic rehearsals where she observed Maestro Ricardo Muti working with pianist Lang Lang to prepare Beethoven's Emperor Concerto for performance. It was fascinating to hear her describe Muti's approach in dealing with a soloist who may be used to having things his own way. For those of you who don't already know, there is MUCH more to being a conductor than giving a beat!
We spoke a lot about the international music scene and the progress of Vietnamese musicians. We also touched on the relative merits of Hanoi's three symphony orchestras and how they would stack up against American regional orchestras.
Another lively topic was how much Vietnam, particularly Hanoi, have changed over the years, even since our first visit in 1994. Co was born and grew up in Hanoi and her parents still live here. One big change is that, having lived ten years in the US, Co is a little like a stranger in her home town. Although she will always be Vietnamese, her years in the US have colored her mindset and she thinks in many ways like an American.
It was a little strange for us to recall how in 1998, Hanoi was completely foreign to us. We could not speak the language nor find our way around town. Co led us by the hand and did everything for us.
Now, Ira has excellent knowledge of the city streets and rides a motorbike. Co is not uncomfortable but she did tell us how her father had to take her around to get her used to riding the bike again. Having spent most of her time in the US living in New York and Philadelphia, she has just learned to drive a car, a necessity in southern California.
Did we enjoy seeing our friend again? We were at the restaurant for nearly four hours! That should give some indication of how much fun we were having.
We had an invitation to a farewell party at the home of one of the UNIS teachers so went over there after dinner. It seems we are not "party animals," as we felt rather lost in a sea of dressed-down people overwhelmed by music so loud as to render any conversation impossible. We did chat briefly with a couple of people but it wasn't too long before we were calling a taxi to rescue us. Several of these parties are said to have gone on until 4 AM! We'd love to have had the earplug concession.
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