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Published: August 23rd 2011
Michael and I sadly left Vietnam towards the end of April – this trip had turned out to be a lot more interesting than we had anticipated.
Our original reason for this trip was to attend a friend’s wedding…and we were very honoured to be invited to this wedding…..more about this in my next blog……
So, as you know from my previous blog, the four of us (Michael and Roslyn Amiss and Russell Ellett and Merri Hogan) went ahead and built a small shop attached to Hien’s parents-in-law house.
The building was nearly completed prior to our returning to Australia. We were very surprised how quickly the building went up. Hien’s husband worked every day on the building aided by two talented assistants. We tried to go out to the building site at least every second day to see the progress….some things were just so alien to our way of doing things in the west.
Like……while I was thinking of building shelving for the stock, Hien’s husband had made concrete shelves which were fitted into the walls as they were built. The building was built right up to their boundary line and I’m sure if their neighbour
Inside Hien's shop
One of the many shrines inside the shop - good luck.had not had her windows open the day that wall went up, she wouldn’t be able to open them every again.
We worried a lot about where the doors would go; if the bedroom was going to be big enough for a bed even; where the fridge would fit into their floor plan; steps front and back; electricity; chopping down the only tree in the front yard; outside sign for the shop; etc; etc.
A lot of my concern was due to communication issues – although we did have Miss Hoa – who gave us soo much of her time to assist with translation and we are forever indebted to her. All the plans and estimates were conducted in Vietnamese – then translated to us – deals were made then adjusted when we (westerners) were not prepared to be ripped off. And, as you know of me, I like to be organised – and this seemed to be totally disorganised. – and, I was not comforted by everyone telling me “don’t worry, they know what they are doing!!!!”
On the days we didn’t go out to Hien’s house we were busy in town shopping around for a
fridge; getting quotes for a lockable display cabinet to be built; finally settling on one wholesaler to buy stock from and discovering another one who could provide beer, soft drinks and bulk rice cheaper.
With the decision to buy rice in bulk and break it down into smaller lots to sell, we purchased scales and a large bin to store the rice in. To address the decision to sell beer, tea and coffee to customers, we purchased glasses, electric kettle, ice containers, etc – all the little extra things. Not that I minded going shopping for these things as it was great to hit Big C in Danang and see what was on their shelves…..but each day there seemed to be another decision made and more and more things to purchase – including tables and chairs for the customers – not to forget the all important shrines for Buddha.
Going to Big C in Danang was an experience for Michael and I as we hired a motor bike and emptied one of our large back packs and set off on a shopping trip……called going local, I think. Big C is a big shopping complex in Danang and the
The shelving that I was soo worried about.
Note how close the shop is to their next door neighbour...I couldn't help thinking that thank goodness their neighbour had her windows on that day.... underground parking lot is full of thousands of motor bikes…..which get moved as people come to retrieve their motor bike and leave…..so your bike is not necessarily where you left it….confusing…huh….you feel and look a bit stupid as the only “white” people down there looking around for a motor bike that you hired – thank goodness Michael knows motor bikes as I couldn’t have recognised it at all…..I probably would have had to wait until mine was the last one left there….or, as an after thought, take note of the rego number……..
Through your kind generosity, we were also able to purchase a bed and mattress for Hien and her family…..and when I say her family….I really mean it. It took me a while to work out how everyone was going to sleep in the one bed as the standard bed seemed to measure 1.8m long and 1.6m wide – of course, they sleep sideways on the bed. There was lots of laughter amongst us all when we demonstrated how two large westerners took up most of the bed compared with five small Vietnamese.
As each of the purchased items were delivered to Hien’s house there was a
continual stream of neighbours calling in to have a look – something that would be quite offensive in our culture but perfectly acceptable in Vietnam apparently.
I can still see one woman standing in the hallway of the house softly touching the mattress which was leaning up against the wall. This bed and mattress is one of Hien’s most prized possessions and will provide her with more comfort each night and give her some relief from the aches and pains of her rheumatoid arthritis.
Most Vietnamese sleep on a wooden slatted bed covered by a rattan mat. If you are lucky, you have a mosquito net (Hien did have one - which had some rather large holes in it – as these nets are given out to pregnant women in a lot of third world countries) and a blanket. It was cold and wet when we first arrived in Vietnam in March and we were shocked to discover that Hien’s family was sharing a single blanket. I was cold - even though we were nice and snug in our hotel – so we immediately purchased two new blankets for the family.
Religion is very important to Hien
and especially Hien’s mother-in-law and during our time in HoiAn we attended several temples and services – especially on important days. It was somewhat humbling to be included in these ceremonies and it doesn’t take long to fall into the rhythm of the chanting – after, of course, you have fully checked out the amazing building you are in. Michael even found himself working in the kitchen of one temple helping prepare the meal for the monks – it took a while, and a lot of discussion, for the locals to understand why he was there and finally accept his presence…….Michael’s sweating over the work area also created a lot of fun and laughter. I must admit that I really enjoyed my time of setting up the dining room for the monks – everything was placed precisely in the correct place on each table….I was quite proud of my efforts once the monk had corrected me (with a smile) a couple of times.
We also met a lot of Hien’s “street” friends – mainly women who also work the streets of HoiAn….they all had only good things to say about Hien: “she works hard”; “she has a young family”;
“she is very lucky”; “Buddha is lucky for her”. I was often embarrassed when Hien told people what we were doing for her – I sometimes felt that the other women would be jealous of Hien’s good luck – but, no, they just thanked us, said Hien was lucky, sold us some peanuts or ginger (which are delicious) and that’s just how things are.
Hien’s children got to know us as regular visitors to their house and became quite comfortable with us around – allowing us to read to them or play games. On our last evening in HoiAn we all went to the beach. Three of us on our motor bike and four on Hien’s motor bike. Little Hoa didn’t stop talking the whole way – couldn’t understand a thing she said but she was very excited. What a great outing. . The children got dressed in their pyjamas for their trip to the beach – strange, I thought, but that didn’t stop them getting wet and sandy. We met more local families on the beach, had a couple of beers, a meal and then home as darkness settled.
We were sad to leave HoiAn before the
Nearly finished....
Time for a break and dinner with the owners and workers to celebrate.... shop was completely set up and running – but we had spent a lot of time explaining profit and loss, putting money aside for new stock and more expensive electricity bills. But, as much as I wanted to be there with a guiding hand – ultimately it is Hien’s shop and I believe to be successful we must create “ownership” of the project. It is Hien’s shop and it is her opportunity to create a future for her family.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported this project and I hope over the years we can continue to update everyone of the progress of this project. We have friends from Australia travelling regularly to HoiAn and they will assist by keeping an eye on things on our behalf.
My most rewarding moment of this project so far has been the change in attitude of everyone in Hien’s family – her husband’s old parents who always welcomed us smiling into their home; their belief that they have the opportunity to change their circumstances; they now talk about more ways to improve their lives e.g. buying baby piglets and fattening them up and selling them to market for
A good day's work.
The walls and shelves have been rendered,roof on and floor looking good. a profit; they might just be able to educate their children – something we take for granted here in Australia.
We returned to Australia in time for the Easter break – which we spent in Moonambel (Victoria). We set up a photographic display of the project and some of the items Hien used to sell on the street at the community’s photographic exhibition and market. The display created a lot of interest and we were able to raise some more funds for the project by selling Hien’s “street” stock (we bought up all her stock before leaving Vietnam and Hien was happy to get rid of it all and make a new start).
Footnote August 2011: We are lucky to have friends who travel regularly to Hoi An and they have been keeping an eye on this project on our behalf. We can report that a small extension has been made to the front of Hien's shop to cater for her customers drinking tea, coffee and beer. From all reports things seem to be going smoothly and we hope that with support her family will prosper.
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Where are you now??? RP