Who has two Tams and loves Hue?

When we came in 2008, we spent a month in Hue and took consistent lessons with Tam (pronounced a bit like thumb). She was a delight back then, not only because she was an excellent and lively teacher, but also because nearly every lesson she would implore us to come back with our con lai, literally translated as mixed children, when we had them. In 2008, we stayed for a time at the convent where my aunt has spent over 60 years of her life, in a neighborhood of Hue called Kim Long, just west of the imperial citadel. Coming back this time, it was such a treat to have our time in Hue bookended by two incredible Tam’s - one was our teacher from our first visit and the other owned the homestay we called home for the week. 

As we prepared to return to Hue, a quick Google search miraculously resurfaced Co Tam’s cell phone number and we were able to contact her and set up both a reunion and a set of lessons for our week in Hue. We returned to the same Hue University building where her classroom was and had what would be the first of three awesome group lessons. It was a masterclass in pedagogy - she followed our interest, but still had a unifying systematic approach tailored to the time we had available, and she made us engage in authentic and rigorous practice. 

Later that night, we met up with her and her two adult kids at Imperial Beer, which was also a delight. Interestingly, both her kids are named after famous milk brands. Her son, Enfa, is about to leave to study engineering in France and her daughter, Meiji, is about to attend university in Taiwan. As one would expect from the kids of someone who teaches English for a living, they spoke it perfectly. It was a fun and far ranging conversation about their futures, and what it was like growing up in Vietnam. 

We had another incredible Tam in our lives in Hue, the owner of our homestay. The homestay was tucked away in the alleys of the Kim Long neighborhood, only a 5 minute walk from the convent where my aunt has lived for over sixty years. The proprietor was an incredible business owner also named Tam, who launched this homestay just a year ago. She made our experience in Hue so much richer in so many ways. The room was simple and lovely - we all shared one super huge bed, which was hilarious. Breakfast every morning was ready as soon as we came down and she always had recommendations about what to see and where to eat around town. Moreover, she helped arrange so many travel logistics for our day trips out of the city. On our last day, when we had just about an hour to kill before heading to the train station, she even gave us a ride on her moto to a friend’s place to do a shampoo, facial and head massage before giving us a ride to the station. Even after we left Hue, she’s continued to help us navigate issues by text. 

     Co Tam and her husband taking us on to an impromptu spa jaunt. 

The sign says "come as friends, leave as family"

The two Tams made our experience in Hue more like visiting friends than just touring or even just visiting family. Keeping in touch with people we met was a challenge 16 years ago, with international texting being cost prohibitive, and skype was barely a thing then. Now there is no shortage of communication tools, as we all know. We are all looking forward to staying in touch and meeting again when we are back in Hue!