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Ho Chi Minh Road
Beautiful, haunting countrysideI am stretched out on a mattress so hard I thought it was wood! (Later I learned it was rubber, common here.) This night was spent at the Duc Tai Hotel in Huong Khe, on the
Ho Chi Minh Road(formerly HCM Trail). Western influence is much reduced compared to more accessible cities. The hotel itself was elegant with deep red furnishings and dark wood furniture. Thuy told us that the owner used to have nothing, like so many Vietnamese, and through determination he became very successful. His business included a forest in Laos (about fifty kilometres from here), and he developed his wood furniture business. In the lobby were huge, magnificently carved chairs, sofa and tables.
Leaving Dong Hoi this morning, our driver got lost. This wasn’t the first time, in part because he is new to this job; however, Thuy took responsibility, saying that she had asked him to take the back roads to the Ho Chi Minh Road because they were more interesting than Highway Number 1. I never get tired of looking at and into people’s homes and shops, noticing details of their daily lives.
Once we were on the Road, the traffic thinned out over the day. The
Road itself is a modern two-lane highway that climbs up into the mountains inland from the coast. Where we travelled today is the narrowest part of the country, so at no time were we far either from the coast or the border. As we swerved around and up the curved road, the forestation grew thicker and the mountain sides steeper. It wasn’t hard to imagine fighting in this dense, difficult terrain, which reminded me of my few days in Crete where I actually began to feel sorry for the German attackers. Of course, the American army used bombing campaigns here in the effort to break the Trail before it reached the south. One of our stops was for Thuy, Ming and the driver Dang to pray at the monument to the soldiers who perished in a heavily bombed area.
Our first stop was to take boats to the caves in the
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Split into two groups, we took seats in tourist boats that may have once been fishing boats. At the back, behind a barrier, was the motor master running the propeller engine. At the front, a young woman picturesquely rowed with one oar. Her role was vital when
we approached the caves, where motors were not allowed. The man helped with the rowing, while she really put her whole body into it.
The limestone caves opened up into cathedrals of stalagmites and stalactites subtly lit to show off the strange shapes. The silence was interrupted only by exclamations about formations that sparked our imagination. The ride was timeless – so caught up in the spectacle, I took no notice of its length. After we turned around, thus seen from a different angle, the forms seemed to be new. Finally, our boats stopped short of the entrance to let us walk along a pathway through even more “rooms”. When we did turn the corner to the entrance, the effect was stunning: blue water, green trees, floating boats framed by the dark rock of the mouth.
Outside the caves, a dozen souvenir shops begged for our custom. Some of our group bought the sesame, ginger and peanut brittle that is a specialty of Vietnam, which of course tasted delicious after our magical ride. The ride wasn’t over, because our boats conveyed us back to the dock. The mountains along the river were reminiscent of those in
Guilin in
China, so they are probably also volcanic plugs. A variety of houses lined the river, some newer and nicer, some quite basic. Many boats were on the water harvesting weeds from the bottom: the harvester wielded two long poles like chop sticks, trapping the weed under water and twisting it until it broke free, then hand-over-hand bringing it up and onto the boat. Some people had rakes with long, long handles, which seemed to be a more efficient tool. The weed is used either for fertilizer or for cattle feed.
Our lunch was at a hotel at the dock – seven courses! My favourite dish was squid in onions.
Our afternoon drive was interrupted by an impromptu school visit. That is, Thuy was hoping to find a school to visit either today or tomorrow, and she had prepared by buying 200 notebooks and pens as a gift. The first school she asked refused. Trong THCS Thuong Hoa, the next school we saw, was hospitable. As at the Children’s Centre in Hoi An, we sat around an oval configuration of tables. The Vice-Principal welcomed us and gave us some background about the school, with Thuy translating. There were
185 students aged from twelve to fifteen. Students usually attended only from 7:00 to 12:30, but because of the New Year celebration, classes were being held this afternoon to catch up on the curriculum. This was considered a remote school because it was in the mountains. Students rode bicycles to school - the furthest rode thirteen kilometres. They studied fourteen subjects, including English as a foreign language. After we had asked some questions, the Vice-Principal invited us to visit two classes. One class was very shy and didn’t interact much. The other with older students was much more open. Thuy, who trained as a teacher, was excellent at posing questions to them and encouraging them to speak the English they learned in school and to ask their own questions. As Thuy had warned us, they asked how old Jill was, apparently a typical Vietnamese introductory question, so they can assess the respect due to age. Thuy got them to sing a patriotic song for us, perhaps the anthem. Our return feeble effort was to sing a few lines of “On the Road Again”. When it was time to go, Thuy expertly coached the students in “Goodbye. Thank you for coming.
See you again soon.” I responded by uttering “Cam on” and “Tam Biet” (Thank you. Goodbye.) Undeservedly, they loudly applauded me!
Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Phonetics rules!
Alphonse Daudet. Of course - why didn't I get that from the AnPhong-xo Do De? I guess I might pick up the habit of sounding out as I went along - but maybe not. Your classroom photos remind me of Guatemala - a lot of smiling, enthusiastic faces. Good for you for using your smattering of Vietnamese. Sounds like they were delighted.