Standing still in a very fast world
By the time we got to Vietnam, our expectations and stereotypes of South East Asia were pretty much set, perhaps much more than they should be.
I spoke to a seasoned Vietnam tourist about the fact that we haven’t been very warmly greeted by many locals and he replied” Get used to it, in Vietnam you buy your smiles.”. I guess we also stole some of ours.
Not many chances to forget about communism, other than all the capitalism around!
That was among the first realizations of how closer we are to China than other countries in south East Asia; if not by geography, then certainly by culture and attitude. Of course, It goes without saying that the country proudly maintains its independence through years of oppression from Chinese, French, and US wars and domination.The weather in the north, more reminiscent of Seattle in the winter was our second clue.
It was also a start to realize that we need to gain a whole new perspective and appreciation of the attitudes of the people who are hosting us in their land.
To add to the fun, excitement, and chaos around us, we’ve found ourselves in Vietnam around Tet ( the Vietnamese new year) which is very similar, but different than the Chinese new year. There are a lot of interesting things we learned about Tet, like how it serves as everyone’s birthday, and they get one year older at Tet, to the charming equivalent of the Christmas tree which is a little cumquat tree sitting In front of every house for the season.
Tet (Vietnames new year) Comquat Tree
On the downside, not only are half the businesses shut down, but most of the planes, trains, and hotels are also full through this time. Good or bad, all this forced us to be much more adventurous in our travel plans.
It was also hard to find an ally, as the art of bleeding foreigners out of every dime is widely practiced around us. There are casually a local and western prices for everything from hotels and transportation (which has to be bargained from 5X to 2X) to food and clothing.
However, we did see the society open up and show us the charm of the country many times over to make us smile and delighted. On one side, we saw the most beautiful children in Asia (and maybe the world) playing innocently with big smiles and mischievous attitudes, while always taking care of their little siblings.
Beautiful Hoi An
On another, the owner our guest house (among the few non-mega resorts in the fish sauce drenched beach town of Mui Ne) showed us the warmth of Vietnamese people when she invited us to a new year’s lunch with her family. The food may not have been much to write home about, but after being away from home for a lot time, it was great to share a holiday with a large family, compete with little runts running around and under the table, simpler food not tainted (or sometime suitable) for western palettes, to crates of warm beer, complete with the traditional giant ice cubes to cool them down in your glass.
Unless you arrive, live and leave with package tours as many do (and we’ve had to in some legs) Vietnam in not another country to go on hikes, enjoy the beaches, and have conversations with relaxed locals. People here have had a rough life, which is still very fresh in the mind and hearts. But if you search real hard and have the patience, there are great sentiments to be found all around.
Perhaps in some ways this has been a good training ground for us future destinations to come in India.
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