HANOI — In a brave attempt to impress absolutely no one, local Hanoi resident Minh Truong, 57, decided to finally try the infamous beating heart of a live snake. Long considered a cultural rite for tourists and questionable uncles, Minh described the experience as “deeply traditional and also deeply disturbing.” He has not stopped blinking since.
Minh had lived in Hanoi his whole life but had always avoided Snake Village, citing “a preference for food that doesn’t look me in the eye.” But after a coworker joked he was “too soft for the serpent,” Minh booked a table, wore his bravest shirt, and brought Tums. Things spiraled quickly from there.
The snake was held aloft by a man with dead eyes and a cleaver. Minh tried to look respectful but ended up looking faint. The heart was placed in a shot glass. It twitched. Minh twitched harder. He drank it anyway. There was applause. Not from him. He chased it with bile wine and prayed for death or digestion.
“I thought I would feel powerful,” Minh said, sipping warm tea and regret. “Instead I felt like I had swallowed someone’s Fitbit.” He described the taste as “spicy blood panic with a hint of snake gym sock.” He briefly blacked out and woke up contemplating vegetarianism and every life choice since birth.
Now considered a local cautionary tale, Minh appears on group chats titled “Don’t Be Like This Guy.” Tour guides use his story to advise restraint. “You don’t need to prove anything,” Minh says, “especially not to a coworker who still lives with his mom.” The snake experience changed him forever. He now fears reptiles, mirrors, and eye contact. He has also started therapy. Snake Village remains open. Minh does not recommend it.
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