The story of a Venezuelan family that loves Hanoi

Venezuelan diplomat and journalist Ángel Miguel Bastidas. (Photo provided by the character)

Hanoi to diplomat and journalist Ángel Miguel Bastidas is a long story that he enthusiastically tells for hours. On September 26, 2007, Ángel arrived in Hanoi to take up the position of Second Secretary in charge of Press at the Venezuelan Embassy in Vietnam. It is not surprising that when talking to Ángel, he can talk about journalism, about Uncle Ho, about General Vo Nguyen Giap, about a place or an important historical event in Vietnam, with profound knowledge and love and admiration. Although he has traveled to many places and discovered many interesting things in Vietnam, Ángel still has the most affection for Hanoi.

“I came to Vietnam carrying in my mind images of a Hanoi during the painful war years that I had known through articles, photos, and films, along with many questions that I wanted to answer myself to better understand the capital of heroic and resilient Vietnam. I cherished the dream of going to Vietnam, where there are “men and women with almond-shaped eyes” as described by the Cuban revolutionary and poet José Martí in his work “A walk through the land of Annam” that I had read in the magazine “Golden Age ” for Cuban and Latin American children since I was a child.”

Ángel shared this with me when I asked him about his feelings when he first set foot in Hanoi 17 years ago. At that time, he really wanted to know how a city that had gone through nine years of long resistance against the French colonialists, and had endured bombing raids by the US Air Force, had risen spectacularly to become the “City for Peace”. But then, he realized that the days of arduous resistance were over. The triumphant song still resounded every time the Capital Liberation Day was celebrated, the memory of the heroic fight of the army and people of Hanoi was still intact, but before his eyes was a Hanoi that had truly “changed its skin and flesh”.

Ángel said that he felt like he was watching a documentary about Hanoi in peacetime when he sat in a taxi from Noi Bai airport to the hotel on Au Co street: “ There was no more rubble or smell of gunfire, no more fragments of heavy artillery or fighter planes that had once scattered across this land. There was no longer the image of Hanoi devastated by American bombs that I had seen in the documentary “Hanoi Tuesday the 13th” by Cuban filmmaker Santiago Álvarez Román. Instead, there was a truly peaceful scene: white conical hats bobbing on the rice fields, rich vegetable fields along the Red River, workers calmly cycling… The image of an ordinary, simple and hard-working Hanoi had never been so close to me .”

Mr. Ángel shared his feelings about Hanoi after each vacation and then returned to Vietnam: “Hanoi is like a gateway to welcome international visitors with Nhat Tan Bridge across the Red River, designed with 5 towers symbolizing the 5 ancient gates of the thousand-year-old capital, welcoming international friends on the way from Noi Bai airport to the city center. I am extremely impressed by the dynamic pace of life of the city. The large-scale projects, highways, and modern shopping centers show that the city is growing, true to its name Thang Long, meaning Rising Dragon” .

More than ten years of working in Vietnam has been a long and close journey of Ángel with Hanoi. Every day he diligently reads and writes about Vietnam. Always passionate about learning about Vietnamese history, so the works of General Vo Nguyen Giap translated into Spanish such as “ Fighting in the Siege” or “Dien Bien Phu – the historical rendezvous” are kept and cherished by him. Newspaper clippings and images from Nhan Dan or Ha Noi Moi newspapers that the Embassy orders every day are carefully kept by him, pasted into a notebook for his own personal documents.

Outside of work, Ángel spends time exploring and experiencing Hanoi in his own way. He often gets his hair cut at roadside stalls, enjoys eating sticky rice for breakfast and can easily remember the names of green rice, peanut sticky rice, coconut sticky rice, etc. He is especially fond of photography, capturing peaceful moments as well as the vibrant pace of life in Hanoi. His photo titled “Sunset on West Lake” was included in the exhibition “15 years of Hanoi – the city of peace” in 2014.

The photo “Sunset on West Lake” by journalist Ángel Miguel Bastidas was featured in the exhibition “15 years of Hanoi – City of Peace” in 2014. (Photo provided by the subject)

As one of the founders of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship House, Ángel has made positive contributions to promoting the country and people of Vietnam to Venezuelan and Latin American friends. He was honored to receive the second prize of the National Award for Foreign Information in 2017 with the book “Xin Chao” in Spanish published by The Gioi Publishing House. The book is a collection of nearly 200 articles published in the “ Xin Chao” column edited by Ángel, published every Tuesday in the Venezuelan newspaper El Correo del Orinoco (Orinoco Post).

Each article in the “ Hello” column records an event, a historical figure, sometimes a memory, a memorable moment of Ángel in Vietnam, demonstrating the author’s abundant writing ability and desire to bring Vietnam closer to Venezuela. The articles are given short titles such as “Nguyen Van Troi”, “Ho Chi Minh Road”, “General Vo Nguyen Giap”. or "Tet", "Vu Lan Festival" and certainly cannot lack an article about Hanoi. In the article "Resilient Hanoi" published on the occasion of the 59th anniversary of the Capital Liberation Day, October 10, the author wrote: "We can see thousands of flowers, colorful sparkling lights, posters that enhance the beauty of Hanoi, reminding everyone that to have a 'City for Peace' like today, the people of the Capital had to go through a long struggle, with so much blood and bones of generations of fathers and brothers shed on this land" .

Talking to me, journalist Ángel affirmed that October 10, 1954 was a major historical event, opening a new period in the development process of Thang Long - Hanoi, reminding the young generation of Vietnam today about the glorious past of their fathers and brothers, about one of the shining golden pages of Vietnamese revolutionary heroism in the struggle for national liberation. In particular, he highly appreciated the role of Hanoi youth in continuing to promote the revolutionary tradition, preserving and spreading the traditional values of the thousand-year-old capital.

“Hanoi is developing rapidly thanks to the tireless efforts of its people, of the dynamic and creative youth who are dedicating their youth to the capital, contributing to the Doi Moi process led by the Communist Party of Vietnam, constantly striving to build a Vietnam 10 times more beautiful as President Ho Chi Minh always wished. Hanoi's achievements over the past 70 years are not only a source of honor and pride for the people of the capital, but also contribute to building a rich and prosperous Vietnam, and are a driving force for the peoples of Latin America to have more strength in the struggle to build socialism in the Western Hemisphere.”

The book "Hello" in Spanish by author Ángel Miguel Bastidas, published by The Gioi Publishing House, won second prize in the National Award for Foreign Information in 2017.

This year, although he is 80 years old, Ángel is still passionate about journalism and constantly follows Vietnam. He still writes regularly for the newspaper Ciudad Caracas (City of Caracas) and is also a contributor to the radio program “Cimarrón” which is broadcast weekly on the radio station of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Somos Asamblea Radio. Hanoi is still mentioned by journalist Ángel many times in his articles and radio programs, as a way for him to express his love for the city that he considers his second home.

His knowledge, experience and deep affection for Hanoi have been passed down to the next generation. In 2012, his daughter, Maikki Bastidas Estupiñán, fulfilled her wish: to visit her father and explore Hanoi, which according to him, is a very livable city with warm and kind people.

Maikki Bastidas Estupiñán (far left) and guests at the radio show “Vietnam en Venezuela” on the Venezuelan radio channel OyeVen, FM 106.9. (Photo provided by the character)

Maikki was born on November 29, 1979 in Caracas and is now the mother of three daughters. Maikki arrived in Hanoi on a day in early 2012. She was welcomed by bouquets of flowers, smiles and tight hugs from her Hanoi friends.

Maikki’s feelings for Hanoi from the early days are still fresh. She recalls with emotion: “Vietnamese friends were waiting at the airport and enthusiastically welcomed us. It felt so close. Then, vast rice fields, farmers wearing conical hats, and spacious houses gradually appeared before my eyes. That scene, that feeling is forever engraved in my heart. At that moment, I had a premonition that my life and that of my daughter Angélica would change.”

Maikki’s family lives with her father in Xuan La ward, Tay Ho district, where she and her husband and children leisurely cycle and watch West Lake every afternoon. Maikki recalls with emotion: “ The Vietnamese neighbors have considered us part of their family. It is the sincere care of my Hanoi friends and the healthy, simple lifestyle here that makes me feel healthy and full of positive energy. Living in Hanoi is so comfortable and safe. Therefore, I decided to give birth and become a mother for the second time here .”

As a mother and a student of Nutrition and Dietetics, Maikki said she is particularly interested in diet and childcare. “I am impressed and touched by the way people here take care of the health and the health of each member of my family, from the smallest and simplest things. The wisdom of thousands of years, the ingenuity and sophistication are present in every activity of Hanoians, even in everyday cuisine, in the way of combining spices and preparing food. I admire Hanoi women who always love and take good care of their families. That makes me love and feel closer to Hanoi,” Maikki said.

During her nearly six years in Hanoi, Maikki had the opportunity to work for the Voice of Vietnam as a news editor and Spanish announcer. She confided that she learned a lot from her colleagues and was honored to talk to listeners from all over the world.

Returning to Venezuela, Maikki, her father and some friends who worked in Vietnam launched the radio program “Vietnam en Venezuela” (Vietnam in Venezuela), which has been broadcast every Thursday on the Venezuelan radio channel OyeVen, FM 106.9 since March 2023. The first series of 5 episodes of the program received third prize at the 9th National Foreign Information Award in the Radio category. The content of the program is conversations about history, political, economic, social situation, as well as Vietnam's achievements in Renovation, along with important milestones in the Vietnam-Venezuela relationship.

Maikki Bastidas Estupiñán with her father, Ángel Miguel Bastidas, on the radio show “Vietnam en Venezuela” on the Venezuelan radio station OyeVen, FM 106.9. (Photo provided by the character)

Maikki said she often mentions Hanoi in her broadcasts on Venezuelan channel OyeVen, FM 106.9. She even dedicates a number to Hanoi cuisine. She excitedly shared: “In the future, my daughter Angélica and I plan to make a series of Podcasts dedicated to Hanoi in both English and Spanish. This is our way of “paying tribute” to Hanoi, to feel that you are very close to us even though we are half a world apart.”

Like her father, Maikki admires the hard-working spirit and will to succeed of the people of Hanoi, especially the young people. According to her, young people in Hanoi are passionate about studying and working, taking care of their families and contributing to the development of the country. Young people in Hanoi are always respectful of their ancestors, respect their families and their roots, always eager to contribute to the country, while striving to develop themselves. She also hopes that her children will be able to study in Hanoi in the future to absorb the good values here.

According to Maikki, whether to visit, work or live, everyone has their own reasons to love Hanoi. “I fell in love with this city, which was once engulfed in the flames of war but bravely fought to become a city of peace. To me, Hanoi is truly a livable city. I would like to give three words to describe Hanoi today: Magical, peaceful and warm ,” Maikki emotionally expressed.

Now, Maikki’s life is busy as a mother of three daughters, but her heart still misses Hanoi. In particular, the person accompanying her during her precious time in Hanoi as well as in her upcoming plans is her first daughter, Angélica Colina Bastidas, who turns 18 this year.

Angélica Colina Bastidas. (Photo provided by the character)

Angélica Colina Bastidas was born in Caracas on November 2, 2006. She came to Vietnam when she was 5 years old. Angélica currently lives with her parents in Caracas and is studying graphic arts at the Cristobal Rojas School of Visual Arts.

Maikki recounted: “ Everyone has welcomed and loved my daughter. Angélica attends primary school at Horizon International Bilingual School, where she meets many friends from all over the world, but she especially loves her Vietnamese friends. Notably, after only one month, Angélica was able to communicate in Vietnamese, which surprised me and made me happy because my daughter was able to integrate into her new life.”

For Angélica, Vietnamese is beautiful. She also knows that Hanoi means “ City in the heart of the river ”. Angélica shares her feelings about Vietnamese: “ The six tones of Vietnamese are like a poem that I really wish I had the opportunity to learn again. I want to approach Vietnamese more deeply, to be able to understand the meaning of Vietnamese songs, especially songs about Hanoi”.

Angélica Colina Bastidas poses with her grandfather and mother. (Photo provided by the character)

Angélica Colina Bastidas. (Photo provided by the character)

In Hanoi, Angélica met friends who, despite their different cultures and languages, treated her wonderfully. “I consider Hanoi my home, where everyone is so kind, sweet and always welcoming to foreign friends, including me, helping me adapt easily to life there and feel at home. My neighbors are very simple and sincere. I remember a family selling groceries near my house, they were very open, loved my family, always complimented me “You are so beautiful!”, making me feel very respected and loved,” Angélica said.

Angélica’s nearly six years in Hanoi are a vivid childhood story, with West Lake, Bat Trang pottery village, the Old Quarter and traditional Tet and Mid-Autumn Festival occasions, and the times her grandfather Ángel took her on a motorbike to explore the streets of Hanoi. She said: “ West Lake and the Old Quarter in the center were an important part of my childhood and life experience in Hanoi. I often went for walks with my family, sightseeing and feeling the peaceful, traditional but also very modern and bustling pace of life of the Capital ”. West Lake is especially present in Angélica’s memories, evoking in her everyday memories, the mornings when she went to school admiring the lake view and leisurely sitting by the lake painting ceramics with friends in the afternoon.

Every weekend, Angélica's grandfather would take her on a motorbike to walk around and take pictures of the streets of Hanoi, as well as the villages on the outskirts of the city. Her mother also took her to visit Bat Trang pottery village. Maikki could not hide her pride when talking about her daughter: “The experience of learning pottery has helped Angélica practice patience, stimulate creativity, and help her excel in the field of ceramic creation at the art school she is attending.”

Angélica especially loves painting and has had a talent for drawing since childhood. She remembers the evenings when she played with her friends, spoke Vietnamese with them and drew together: “ I still remember one evening, my two best friends and I drew a picture of a cat sitting on a fence watching the moon. It was a very beautiful childhood memory.”

The innocent and peaceful childhood years, along with the love of her family, friends and neighbors in Xuan La, made Angélica feel like a Vietnamese. She confided: “The scenery, the people, the memories of Hanoi always linger in my mind. Even when I returned home, I thought I was a Hanoi girl. My way of thinking, my interests, my values are definitely the beautiful values that I have acquired while living in Hanoi.”

Loving Hanoi and passionate about art, Angélica dedicates a small corner of her room to “portraying” Vietnam. “This is an art corner in my small room, with photos, traditional Vietnamese cultural elements and abstract paintings.”

The “Vietnam” corner in Angélica’s room in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo provided by the character)

This little corner, as Angélica says, is to remind her of Vietnamese culture, of her childhood memories in Hanoi that she always cherishes and preserves.

Hanoi girl Colina Bastidas. (Photo provided by the character)

Maikki’s second daughter, Hanoi, is named Hanoi Colina Bastidas. She was born in Hanoi on February 7, 2017, at the Vietnam-France Hospital. Maikki recalls that her pregnancy with Hanoi was a wonderful experience. She is always grateful for the care and concern of the Vietnamese medical team. “Everyone was very attentive, professional and accompanied me every step of the way with a lot of affection and love. As soon as my baby was born, they placed her on my chest, let her have skin-to-skin contact with her mother, and then I was transferred to the recovery room for two hours,” Maikki recalls.

That moment, for Maikki, was something she never thought would happen. Being pregnant and giving birth in Hanoi was the right decision. The peaceful atmosphere here, the kind neighbors, the colleagues who were always by her side during difficult times helped her have a healthy pregnancy and full of joy to wait for baby Hanoi to be born.

Why did you name your second daughter Hanoi? I asked and Maikki enthusiastically replied: “My name (Maikki) is a native word, meaning “corn kernel”. Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups and 63 provinces and cities. I thought it would be interesting to give my second daughter a special, beautiful name that reminds me of Vietnam. After careful research, I decided to choose the name Hanoi for my daughter. Because Hanoi is a beautiful word, a place we are attached to and love. Every time I call my daughter’s name, I feel like I am recalling in my heart the image of my beloved Hanoi city”.

Angélica and Hanoi in traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai. (Photo provided by the characters)

Little Hanoi Colina Bastidas wearing ao dai and Vietnamese conical hat, taking a photo with her grandfather Ángel Miguel Bastidas. (Photo provided by the character)

Hanoi is now 7 years old and in 2nd grade. According to Maikki, Hanoi can count in Vietnamese and the first word she said was “Mother”. She also says “An” when she is hungry and some other common words. When she is in Hanoi, her Vietnamese friends often say “ Hello” and “Goodbye ” to her. And when she returns to Caracas, she waves to everyone she meets and says “Hello”.

Now, although she can no longer speak Vietnamese, she can recognize the words she has learned. “ Once, I took Hanoi to an event organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela. When she heard Vietnamese people talking there, Hanoi seemed very happy to hear Vietnamese. It seemed like she was feeling something very familiar. Hanoi’s eyes lit up, sparkling with joy,” Maikki recalled .

I asked Hanoi: “ Do you like your name ?”. She answered very clearly and distinctly: “ I really like my name Hanoi. I am very proud because my name coincides with the name of the capital of Vietnam, a country that many Venezuelan friends love. My name is printed on T-shirts and souvenirs of Vietnam. The name Hanoi makes me feel important. Although there are other people in the world named Hanoi, I am probably the only girl born in Hanoi, with the name of Hanoi and who understands the special meaning of Hanoi to my family .”

I slowly opened the photos of Hanoi that Maikki had emailed me. The photos of the baby lying skin-to-skin with his mother right after he was born in Hanoi, or the baby wearing a red Vietnamese ao dai with his sister Angélica really moved me.

I want my children to be exposed to Vietnamese culture and to be happy again in the loving arms of their hard-working and studious Hanoi friends.

Maikki Bastidas Estupiñan

Continuing the conversation with me, journalist Ángel expressed his desire to return to Hanoi, to continue writing and exploring. From Venezuela, he still follows Vietnam through daily news. “ Also thanks to following the news on the Spanish-language Nhan Dan newspaper, I have been updated on the socio-economic development of Hanoi. The images of the elevated railway that I saw in the newspaper, along with the images of flags and banners decorating the streets on major holidays such as National Day or Liberation Day of the Capital, make me very happy because the appearance of your Capital has really changed ”.

With a heavy heart for Vietnam, Ángel always wonders how he can contribute more to bring the young generations of the two countries closer together. “Strengthening cooperation agreements and people-to-people diplomacy activities between the two countries will help the young generation of Venezuela learn about Vietnam’s progress,” he affirmed.

Angélica is the same, she plans to return to Vietnam to study at university. She also hopes that her Venezuelan friends will know more about Hanoi. She said: “Vietnam is a wonderful country with truly precious people, a place that deserves to be known by more and more friends from around the world. I want to tell them that Hanoi is a place that everyone should visit at least once in their life. I hope that young Venezuelans will know more and more about Hanoi.”

Hanoi girl also eagerly looking forward to visiting Hanoi one day: “I want to go back to the city where I was born right now. I want to experience interesting and beautiful things like Angélica, cycling along West Lake, having breakfast with sticky rice with my mother at the traditional market. I am also very curious to see how excited my sister Michelle will be when she sees the sparkling lights, fresh flowers and brilliant colors of Hanoi, which are all I can remember until now” .

Maikki confided that she was very happy because her children loved Hanoi in the same way that their father had passed on. She said that returning to the capital of Vietnam to live, study and work is the future goal of her and her children . “I want my children to have access to the good cultural values of Vietnam, and I hope they will be happy again in the loving arms of hard-working, studious and brave Hanoians,” she added.

From the other end of the line, from Caracas far away from Hanoi but very close in the heart, Maikki on behalf of her father and girls, moved to the message:

“I want to send the message of love, solidarity and strength to the Vietnamese people in general and Hanoi as well as the Northern provinces of Vietnam in particular, are trying to recover after the consequences of the storm Yagi. I believe you will always be strong, resilient and always win any difficulties. The image of Hanoi brilliantly on important occasions, with red and yellow star flags, banners and fresh flowers all over the roads.