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Published: March 18th 2018
An Unintentinal Journey
It was late December around the Christmas time when I received an email from a friend saying that he was thinking of traveling to
Egypt and needed a "travel buddy" and that I came to his mind, and the question was if I had the time and the interest to travel with him. As a policy, I never say no to any excuse to be on the road, and even though I was really involved with some work project at the time, I juggled and compromised on a few issues at hand, and said yes! Let's do it. Through our subsequent get-together I shared with him some of my previous experiences in Cairo and Alexandria, he suggested maybe we should pick somewhere else to go to which is new to both of us, somewhere I had not been before - I was touched by his sensitivity and concerns. He suggested Vietnam, and I said OK, let's go for it! To make a short story longer than it needs to be - we set a date to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia, leaving California on Feb. 21st. A few days after we secured and completed our airlines tickets,
domestic and international, and arranged for and obtained the requird online visas, I got a message from my friend stating that due to a sever family illness that had come up for him, he would not be able to go on with this trip. I felt bad for him at the same time I had already worked out the logistics for the trip and did not want to cancel it. So, I ended up coming to Vietnam by myself. The irony of it is that I always choose the places around the world to which I travel to but this time it seems like the places have chosen me. More than 90%!o(MISSING)f the times I travel alone, this experience reinforced the motto of my travel blog that; "the best co-travelers are found while traveling, not before." And...I thought since I am going that far east, I might as well see South Korea, so, I added South Korea to my travel itinerary and up and left California to the Southeast Asia for 30 days.
Viet Nam
Hanoi - I arrived in Hanoi a couple of days ago. Luckily my visit to Vietnam coincides with the Asian
Lunar New Year or the"TET" celebration nationwide. The celebrations involve traditional festivity of food, remembrance of ancestors, gatherings with family and friends, gift giving, particularly drinking home made wine. Special decorations of homes and neighborhoods, much like the Western Christmas but perhaps more holistic and cultured. The New Year's Day occurs on different dates each year, depending on the lunar position.
An interesting side note: Every one's age in Vietnam is calculated based on the turn of the Lunar calendar, not necessarily on the date of his or her birth, an interesting cultural characteristics. When a chid is born, he is considered to one year old in Vietnam and if the New Year comes around soon after he is born, he'll become 2, even though in reality he may be only a couple of months old.
This year TET started on February 16th and still continuing, as I am here. The streets are colorful and festive. Young boys and girls, particularly, are dressed-up and iPhone frenzy of picture taking is seen everywhere. It's interesting that seeing people constantly looking over their smart phones or taking pictures is cultural universal now a days.
Everyone is using
their smart phone in the same manner everywhere. No matter how rich or poor a country, and almost no matter how remote an area of the world it is, everyone in restaurants, parks on the streets, trains and airports, even on motorcycles and bikes at times is on the phone doing something. It makes me wonder what did we do with our time before cell phones - hard to recall. Technology seem to have transformed and reshapedd human relations and our inter-connectivity relatively so quickly.
Hanoi a city of 8 million is a significant cultural center not only in Viet Nam but in the entire Southeast Asia. The name
Vietnam unlike the way we know it in English consists of two words in Vietnamese language. It's Viet ( meaning people ) and Nam ( meaning South ). So it's
Viet Nam - or People of the South. Viet is the name of one of the 54 different Ethnicities living in Viet Nam today, which covers about 86%!o(MISSING)f the population. Different ethnic groups with totally unique culture, religion and spiritual values of their own live in different zones ( see map) throughout the country. and all dynamically live in
harmony together.
Most Americans can only think of the 'Vietnam War' when they hear the word Vietnam. While the affect of the American and French atrocities are still evident in this region, there is more to know about Vietnam than just the war. The country of Vietnam is alive and progressive today. The resilience of the people of this nation is second to none. Average wage for an unskilled worker is less than $200 a month. When you travel to the countrysides, you can still smell the gunpowder in the air, so to speak, said Mr. Vo a Vietnamese man in his 60s, talking with me in a coffeeshop.
I visited the Hanoi Museum of Ethnology and the Temple of Literature yesterday. I found both of these highly respected culture centers amazing. These are a must see place for anyone with interest in ethnicity and linguistics.The Temple of Literature, the Viet Nam's first national university was built in 1070. The temple is dedicated to the teachings of the Chines phylosopher Confucius, and other wise men and scholars. Elementary school children, routinely, are brought to this temple by their school teachers for teaching them 'wisdom.' The Temple's motto is
"Teach children respect, knowledge will come later." Teachings of Chinese philosophers is quite sought after in schooling of the children in Vietnam.
Met a few interesting Americans who work and live in Viet Nam. Jeff, Carol and Warren. Warren, a retired US military colonel who teaches at the University of Hanoi and Jeff and Carol manage a non-profit volunteer organization in Viet Nam and other countries. Truly interesting people. We vowed to keep in touch after I left Hanoi.
Today I roamed around Hanoi’s Old Quarters. I watched people, ate good Vietnamese rice noodle pork soup, drank a couple of Saigon Beers -a very good and full bodied beer. I don't know if it can be found in the US. Based on the recommendation of my new friend Warren, I got a 90 minutes Hot Stone aromatic massage in the afternoon. I felt rejuvinated afterward. I am waking up early tomorrow to get ready for a trip to Ha Long Bay, a little coastal area on the northeast region of Viet Nam, something like 4 hour drive from Hanoi.
Ha Long Bay
Went on a two-day cruise to Ha Long Bay, some 4 hour drive from
Hanoi, on the Northeast region. It is said that there are about 16000 islands off the shores of Vietnam,of course thousands of them are uninhabited, rocky and very small, the cruise is set to visit some of these islands in the Ha Long Bay.Being on the water for a couple of days was a nice experience. The turquoise color of water is breath taking. I had a nice and comfortable corner room on the boat with several windows opening to the water and the bay. We anchored off an island and hiked to the famous SÛNG SÔT cave, and the second day I Kayaked around the bay with a few friends I met on the boat. The interesting part of this cruise was that, unlike everywhere else, there were no Wi Fi available on the boat, which was a new experience for me. Seeing others not pre-engaged with thier phone all the time. The lack of our ever-connectedness and wired-up culture were remarkably noticeable. I don’t recall the last time I lived without the internet and my iPhone for a few days.
Got back to Hanoi tonight. Had dinner at an authentic Viet restaurant with couple of friends I
met on the cruise. Laura and Mario. Laura is from Spain and Mario of course Italian. Nice happy young couple soon to be married. They are in love and have set to see the world together. I admired that about them. They left Hanoi tonight after dinner, catching the overnight train to Hue and Hoi An a central costal region of Viet Nam. Interestingly, I am also headed to Hoi An tomorrow night. March 1 is refered to as Lantern Festival in Hoi An, a traditional culture of celebrating life and light. I am excited about being there on this colorful and festive occasion.
March 1st The Lantern Festival - Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An Lantern Festival is a full-moon celebration of Light in Central region of Viet Nam. Dragons and Lanterns parades and amazing food.
Arrived in Hoi An late last night, after a few hours delay for a one-hour flight. I can't help mentioning that on board of the Vietjet airlines they asked for two dollars for a drink of water, I thought they probably are learning this level of greed from their American buddy Airlines. As I thought I had seen them all,
I couldn’t digest this one!
Due to late arrival of the flight I took a Tuk Tuk ( a three wheeled motorized carrier) ride from the airport to my hotel.
The next day i rented a bicycle and roamed around town and for the first time I tried sautéed Snails in garlic and spices for lunch, I found it dilicious. As I move around town I can feel the spirit of the Lantern Festival or The Festival of the Lights. I find the Vietnamese culture very soothing. People whether they are driving, cycling or walking, pass each other by with more at ease manerism than we experience in the West. It is difficult to express the feeling. Even in Hanoi where sometimes the streets are packed with motorcycles, they move around each other quite harmoniously. You can hear motorbike's or car's horns from time to time, but even the horns have a gentler sound to them unlike the American cars. They have a beep sound which is softer to the ears, and does not blow aggressively like our beloved American SUVs back home. Their horns beep, it does not blow. I wonder wether there is an ethnographical marketing adaption
Peddling Women
The weight these women carry on their shoulders and walk around the streets all day long is enormous. I tried to put on on my shoulder, I could not lift the bar.at work here.
The Lantern Festival is a day for lovers. Lovers arrange to exchange vows particularly on this day and get married. Hopefully the phots justify the beauty of this town. In a restaurants where I was having lunch with a group of newly acquainted Vietnamese family, one of them asked me if I were an American? I replied, yes. He said: " Yes, I am an American's child too.” And then, everyone laughed. While at first his comment appeared to be an anecdotal thing to say, it was explained to me later that his unseen father was an American GI during the war in Viet Nam. During the Vietnam War the American GIs' atrociously left 100s of thousands of out of wedlock children behind after the war ended which contributed to the societal and economical disadvantage of the Vietnamese women which the ripple affect of it is felt to-date. In Vietnamese culture no man would be interested in a single woman with a child. There is a strong social stigma that becomes part of the woman's identity. Of course a lot of the women eventually were brought back to the US by the soldiers. Perhaps this cross-cultural
diffusion phenomenon account for the Vietnamese-Americans population being the fourth largest ethnic group of Asian decent in the United States, after Chinese, Indian Americans and Filipino Americans. Over half of the Vietnamese living overseas live in America.
USS Carl Vinson arrived Vietnam at the port of Da Nang, Vietnam today.
The vessel anchored in Dan Nang today, about 20 minutes drive from were I am in Hoi An. This is the first US warship ever in Vietnam shores since the end of the war. USS Carl Vinson is also known for giving Osama Ben Loden a proper burial by carrying and dropping his body in the ocean. An American aircraft carrier with the display of both American and Vietnamese flag visiting Vietnam marks a new and improved relationship between the United States and Viet Nam.
airhttps://amp.usatoday.com/amp/394324002
My last day in Hoi An
I Am flying to Siem Reap, Cambodia tomorrow night. I have met many local people in the past few days. I find the Vietnamese culture very gentle and hospitable. Folks go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
Siem Reap, Cambodia I found the cambodian culture not
as open and friendly as the Vietnamese culture. The highlight of my short visit in Siem Reap was my visit to the Angkor Wat temples. Angkor Temples dates back to the 12th century is considered the largest religious monument in the world. The complete cluster of temples is built on 400 acres of land. an archoitectural marvel.
The Funnies Of Vietnam I noticed the size of chairs in restaurants are shorter than they are in the West. They are like the American chairs made for children. I noticed the legs being less than 12". Vs. the American chair leg size of 19” to 25”. Naturally the short and petite size of the Vietnamese is the reason. A very interesting cultural characteristic.
Yesterday I went downstairs to my hotel's restaurant for coffee and breakfast. The item on the menu said:
Scrambled eggs, with Baguette or toast with butter and jam.I ordered the eggs with the Baguette and coffee. I asked the server to toast the baguette please. She said ok. The breakfast came but the Baguette was cold and not toasted. I asked if she could please toast the bread for me? she took the baguette and brought
me toasted sliced white bread. I said, no, I wanted the baguette!? She took it and brought the un-toasted baguette back. I did not dare say anything and let it go. I realized that due to her very limited English, she thought "toast" means "toasted sliced bread." I laughed hard later.
Ho Chi Minh City ( Previously called Saigon)
i came back to southern Viet Nam from Cambodia. spend a couple of days in Ho Chi Minh and visited The Vietnam War Remnant Museum. Very disturbing photographic documents of the war crimes committed by the American army. The affect the agent orange spray not only destroyed the forests throughout the country because of its deoxin properties left generation after generation of birth defect and horrored physical and mental deformation behind.
After a couple of days in Saigon, I travelled to several cities and a bus tour in the southern region and continued to the Phu Quoc island. Somewhere along I met a Russian young couple, Dimitry and Julia and we traveled to the Phu Quoc island together. Phu Quoc is a paradise like of an island. It takes 3 hours on a fast boat from the most
With Laura and Mario in Ha Long Bay
A bit misty and cold but fun on the boat southern tip of the mainland Vietnam. we rented motorcycles and roamed around the island for a few days. the beaches and the tropical air were magnificent. Dimitry is a singer and musician and Julia a psychlogist working in Moscow. We drank vodka and ate good food and had a great time. They invited me to visit them in Moscow in July and go on a cross Siberian train trip to Mongolia. It should be very exciting.
I flew from Phu Quoc back to Ho Chi Minh yesterday to prepare for my flight to Seoul, South Korea to morrow.
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