Vietnam 201

On this, my second trip to Vietnam ( the first being in Dec. 2001), I noticed many changes but also many similarities. The following are just my observations and opinions. I am by no means an expert or historian, just a traveler.

There should be a new synonym added to the word 'resilient':Vietnamese. These are people who lived with conquerers and war for over 1,000 years ( the Chinese, the French and the Americans). Yet when they realized in the late 80's/early 90's that their communist system of land ownership wasn't working nor was their country able to compete Internationally, they rapidly changed to the Chicago School of Economics and a market economy. They called all their economic grads back to the Univ. and told them to study the new way or lose their diplomas. In 1989 they were importing rice because the collective system wasn't working. Again, they changed to each farmer growing his own crop and in about 3 years they became one of the world's leading exporter of rice.


SOCIALISM- NOT! Unlike most Communist countries, Vietnam has no social supports- no welfare, no old age or handicap assistance, no pensions. Everybody must work! Public schools are not free and parents must pay for books, supplies and uniforms. Costs can amount to $400 + per year depending on the school.

FAMILY- The family is the most important relationship because they will be the ones taking care of you.- especially if you get sick. They will be the ones taking care of you if you go to the hospital. They must bring you your food and take care of all your other needs. A nurse is there to, say, give you a shot, but otherwise the family takes care of all your other needs.

BANKING - Up until quite recently there was no such thing as credit. Credit cards are very rare, although young people seem to be the ones who will take to this new form of buying. Cash is KING! Things like long term loans to buy a house or car are just beginning to be offered. Everything is paid for in cash. They save and save and save. It is not uncommon for 3 generations to live together which certainly cuts living expenses. It is rare for a young person to have an apt. on their own rather they live with their family or a relative.

HOUSING- In the Hanoi area the houses were tall and narrow going back to the time when land was taxed by the foot. So a house may only be one room wide and deep but five stories tall. They are called 'tube houses'. Even new houses are built in this style. In the areas about 20 minutes driving from the center new apartment complexes are being built are living where a lot of young families

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE! Everyone in Vietnam has the same birthday which falls on Tet. While some may celebrate their actual birth date , everyone turns a year older on Tet.

LOVE AND MARRIAGE- Although today most marriages are not arranged, your birth year animal is very important and must be compatible with your future husband or wife. The actual year of your birth is also factored in as some years are unlucky. Then the date chosen for the wedding has to be in agreement with many other variables. It has to be a 'lucky day'. Oy, so many complexities. Oh, and the husband's mother ( if she is a widow) goes to live with the oldest son when he marries.

ENGLISH RULES!- English is taught in all schools from Kindergarten to grade 12. The dollar is the currency of choice and some of my restaurant bills came figured out in both Dong ( the local currency which runs about 17,000 to a dollar) and dollars. I notice most Europeans and Aussies paid in US dollars.

THE PEOPLE- Almost everywhere we went ( Hanoi, Hue, HoiAn)) the people were welcoming especially to older US men who were Vietnam Vets. The people are very spiritual. They understand that the Vets are suffering ( many from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) and that they have come back to chase old demons or to reconnect with spirits of loved ones( or parts of their bodies left behind. We saw several solitary old men, a couple traveling together
( one who had lost his leg in Vietnam) and some small tour groups. All looked sad and quite somber as they revisited places that obviously held painful memories for them.

ANCESTOR WORSHIP- The Vietnamese people worship their ancestors. There is a small altar in every home. There is an ancient proverb that says, “ The dead are only dead when no one remembers them”. On the anniversary of a death , food and drink are placed on the grave. After an hour the relatives eat the food and feel they are sharing it with their loved one. On the 3rd. anniversary of the burial, at night, family members exhume the body and clean the bones and put them in a bag or vessel then rebury the bones thus making room for the next body.

FOOD- When I traveled to Turkey in 2,000, I was told that there were 3 great cuisines in the world: Italian, Chinese and Turkish, I want to add Vietnamese. it is a combination of French and Chinese with their own artistic style. With a coastline of almost 2,100 miles seafood is plentiful and they do amazing things with it. A guide once told us that the Vietnamese will eat anything with legs,or that swims or flies- some of which I would rather not even discuss here. Wonderful and strange fruits and vegetables are available year round and they use herbs liberally. in the two and a half weeks we were in Vietnam we never had a bad meal.

TRAFFIC- Basically it is a nightmare. Motorscooters RULE! There is a new law that drivers must wear a helmet and the fine is the cost of a new helmet but it seems quite arbitrary as many drivers don't wear them and few of their passengers ( including infants and small children) do. The few traffic signals also seem to be optional as are one way streets. The only time anyone pays attention to rules is if a policeman is standing on the scene. Crossing the street is a game of 'chicken' or more like the old video game 'Frogger' with you being the frog. In Hanoi to cross the street requires nerves of steel and a lot of prayers. One steps off the curb and keeps walking at a steady pace. NEVER STOP, NEVER CHANGE YOUR PACE. THIS IS IMPORTANT! The scooters will weave around you. Think of it as a ballet with everyone knowing the steps except you. In HoiAn crossing the street is easy because there is much less traffic, however, it is the first market place I've ever been in where motorscooters beep- beep and drive right through the aisles narrowly missing stalls, veggies, and people.

MARKETS- I love to visit markets and HoiAn's was pretty typical- dirty, noisy, smelly with people yelling over baskets of newly caught fish, ), stall ladies arguing with customers, and men off in the corner playing cards and smoking. The younger ladies would try to stop you and offer you ' anything you want' including a manicure ( “I have many different colors”), a foot massage, or an eyebrow pulling( demonstrating with a piece of dental floss how they would remove the hairs. They were relentless and no matter how fast I walked another would pick up the song.

I saw few American tourists, at least not traveling alone. There were many,many tour groups from France, Germany and the most from Australia. I was in the country almost 2 weeks before I met an American woman from Iowa.

BEER- then there is the beer. I am pretty much a non- drinker when I am home but I was urged by every Vietnamese I met to try the beer. They have a proverb:” A man who doesn't drink alcohol is like a flag without wind.” There are many kinds of local beers available
( although at one hotel we stayed at there was a huge conference and it seemed most of the young men were drinking Heineken）and often as cheap as 50 cents a bottle. Can't say which is the best. Will keep you posted.......

If any of you are thinking of coming to Vietnam I urge you to do it sooner rather than later. Come before it is swallowed up by developers and the giant tourism machine. You can do the trip yourself without having to go with a tour group. Trust me if two ladies over 65 can do it, you can too! Find a good agent in the states and work with them once you decide on where you want to go, how long you want to stay, and how much you want to spend. We began by contacting about 18 agencies and ended up using Asia Connect in Wayne, NJ 1-800-803-3656 ( www.asiaconnecttours.com). We worked with David Peng ( asiaconn@optonline.net). He was very helpful especially in regards to getting VISAS. He told us exactly how to do it upon arrival in each country so we didn't have to spend hundreds of dollars using VISA service. But mostly he really listened to what we wanted to do and didn't just plug us into already packaged tours. The hotels selected have all been wonderful. The drivers and guides have met us at each airport and things couldn't have gone more smoothly.

And now off to Cambodia...
Carolyn/Gunga

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