I just got back from lunch with the inlaws on Truc Bach Lake. On one stretch of the lake is a line of Hot Pot, or Lau in Vietnamese, restaurants. I am not usually a hot pot fan and Vietnamese people have warned us away from these particular restaurants, citing bad quality, but I enjoy the experience. It is a good way to spend lunch on a cold and otherwise disagreeable day. For a beef hotpot it costs around 200,000 VND. You get a plate of meat, vegetables and some noodles. With the hotpot sitting on a small table you sit on the ground and gradually add ingredients as you wish.
The setting is very peaceful and you have picturesque views of the lake. My only suggestion is don't look down. Sitting right on the edge of the lake you have the unplesant first hand view of the filth that is Truc Bach Lake. At the edge of the lake are dead fish among other things. If the fish aren't dead then they are not far off. You see many flopping around at the surface, struggling to stay alive. You can see the layer of pollution on the surface of the lake and rubbish is scattered around. At other parts of the lake I have seen Vietnamese guys happily and frequently relieve themselves leaving a rotten stench whenever you walk past.
The areas around the lakes are great and the city is lucky to have them. The locals, in my opinion, need to make more of an effort to conserve the lakes and reverse the years of abuse they have suffered through continuous pollution. Truc Back Lake is where John McCain, US Republican politician, was shot down during the Vietnam war. He landed in the lake. I can only hope for his sake that the lake was in a better shape back in the late 60's. I would not like to be the person who had to get into Truc Bach today.
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