Vietnam is a Great Place Because of the Vietnamese

I'm currently in Dalat in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.  Tomorrow, I head to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon).  I have absolutely fallen for Dalat.  I really can't say why, but I think it encompasses many of the magical qualities that have made Vietnam such a tremendous experience for me.

I have been surprised be the Vietnamese.  Their kindness, their entrepreneurial spirit, their industriousness, and their discipline give me great hope for this country of 85 million people.

I have been surprised by the lack of animosity that the Vietnamese have for Americans.  After the United States funding and fighting with the losing side in a series of wars lasting from 1945 through 1975 (the US provided much of the funding for a weakened post WWII France to fight from 1945 to 1954 (Indochina War).  The US then supported the South Vietnamese with training, arms, and funding from 1954 to 1965.  The US had troops on the ground from 1965 through 1973 (Vietnam War or the American War as the Vietnamese call it).  The South fell to the communist North, reuniting Vietnam again in 1975) I would have expected to have seen at least an inkling of dislike, blame, or hard feelings over the misery that those wars inflicted on the population.  Around ten percent of the population was killed in these wars.  I have seen no animosity.  In fact, I have felt uncomfortable several times for the extreme hospitality that I have received.

Vietnam is a communist country.  There is one political party, the communist party, that determines policy for the country.  My understanding is that the population generally is happy with their government (that says a lot since I can't remember the last time that the majority of the US liked their government).  Interestingly, from street level, you would think that the US was the country whose government heavily influences/regulates the local market.  However, I'm not suggesting that all the controls that the US has placed on its market economy are bad, many have had very positive effects like copyright infringement laws. Capitalistic commerce is alive and well in Vietnam, with shops everywhere.  There are hawkers everywhere selling their wares.  Every street has twenty different shops selling similar services/products all in competition with each other. 

The Vietnamese always seem to be working.  Family run shops are open from before I get up until after I go to bed.  For example, the same man is working at the internet café now, ten hours after I came this morning.  I wouldn't be surprised if he was here from opening, 8:00a.m., until closing, 10:00p.m.  It seems like every family with a little bit of money is opening up some sort of small business.  Sometimes there will be several different businesses in the front area of a families house.  Much to my annoyance, the Vietnamese are always trying to make another sale.  Being in Vietnam is like being in a store where all the employees work on commission. 

I have been surprised by the order and discipline I have seen in Vietnamese society.  I most notably witnessed this in Hanoi, where an enormous crowd of people was out for the celebrations in honor of the 1000 anniversary of the founding of the city.  I did not see any drunks in the streets, no one was causing problems, people were orderly, but still clearly having a good time.  The police presence was minimal and very soft (directing traffic and not cracking people over the head with batons).  Many skeptics may attribute this order to fear of the communistic regime, but I don't believe this.  I feel it probably has more to do with the Confucian principles with which the culture is based and the collective spirit forged to bring in the annual rice harvest century after century.  Whatever the reason, it creates for a nice atmosphere. I love traveling in a place where my greatest fear is that I will be overcharged.  This is a far cry from the violence of Central America that weighed so heavily upon my psyche.

I will only be in Vietnam for a few more days before I head to Cambodia to visit Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat. 

The Veins of Vietnam Are Full of Motorbikes

Motorbikes dominate the streets of Vietnam with a chaotic ballet.  The streets of any big city here are flooded with motorbikes.  Lanes and directional signs don't prevent them from making use of every inch of the pavement.  Intersections look more like the cross of figure-eight demolition derby races, but, somehow, without the accidents. 

Vietnam is commonly conjures images of bicyclists with conical reed hats pedaling through rice patties.  Though many examples of this slower life style still exist, the country has convincingly left the past to nostalgic recollections. 

Most certainly you have seen images of motorbikes completely overloaded with people and material.  These pictures were probably taken in Vietnam.  I have seen up to five people, 4 adults and a child, on a single motorbike.  I saw a motorbike with at least six cases of half liter beer bottles on the back.  It may seem ludicrous to transport so much on one motorbike while seated in the U.S., but here it feels right.  In fact, I would probably do the same if given the opportunity.

Having masses of motorbikes on the streets has a different feel than masses of automobiles.  Of course, I'm not considering that the cities here would never be able to support all those motorbikes becoming cars, the traffic jams would be unbearable.  But what I'm considering is how much more human a feel motorbikes have on the street.  A car is a steel cage that encircles us. It gives us a sense of security from bodily harm, but it acts as a barrier between us and the world.  On the other hand, a motorbike leaves the rider exposed, but open to all those around, like a pedestrian. Our terminology reflects this in that we see a car, an inanimate object, on the road but we see a motorcyclist, a person.  The motorbikes on the street create a warm sense of humanity, whereas the car emits a cold sterility.  

Though motorbikes may make Vietnam's streets feel more personal they certainly make it frightening to cross the street.  Even a simple two lane road is like crossing a six lane freeway when it is full of motorbikes.  On most main streets the flow of motorbikes is constant.  To cross you just have to go.  What do I mean by that?  Well, you don't look at the traffic.  You just step out into the traffic and walk across at a slow and steady space.  Kind of like how when you are high up on a ladder you shouldn't look down, when you are crossing the street, you shouldn't look at the traffic.  If you do, you'll get scared.  But no need to worry, the motorbikes swerve and miss you.  A blind man could cross the streets here without a problem.  He just has to walk slowly and deliberately and the traffic will avoid him.  Proof of this was an old women crossing an exceptional wide street in Hanoi.  She was stooped over hobbling along with her cane, moving at a snails pace.  I felt fear as I saw her disappear behind a bus to only see her on the other side surrounded by a dozen motorbikes all moving around her as she slowly made her way across mid-street.  I figure if she can survive this long with her no look, snailish crossing of busy streets, my odds must be pretty good that I'll make it too.

Heading South Through Vietnam

It has been awhile and a few miles since I last wrote.  I’m currently in Hoi An, Vietnam waiting to catch a bus to the beach town of Nha Trang.  I don’t think I will stay but will head to Dalat in the mountains.  It all depends on bus connections.

I left Timor-Leste nearly three weeks ago.  I spent a quick night in Singapore with a friend of a friend and left some stuff behind.  The next morning I had an early flight to Hanoi on Tiger Airways.  However, on my flight into Singapore I was reading an article in the Strait Times (the Singapore Newspaper) on how Tiger Airways was canceling many of its flights due to two aircraft that needed unexpected maintenance.  I was nervous.  We were only going to spend a few hours in Hanoi before catching a night train to Lao Cai on our way to Sapa.  Out of the Tiger Airways’ eight morning flights, only two weren’t canceled, the ones to Hong Kong and Hanoi.  We were in luck.

The immense development of Singapore was a sharp shock to the senses after rough and tumble Timor.  The streets were pristinely paved; I narily felt a bump as cruised along a freeway with well manicured landscaping. Lights climbed into the sky, emitted from the offices of high-rise towers.  The port, the world’s busiest, hummed along on the left of the freeway for what seemed most of the 45 minute taxi ride.  It doesn’t need to be said that it was a shock to the senses, but it was nice to shake off the dust from Timor.

I was going to Hanoi to visit Nancy, a friend from UCLA, who has family in the city, and to celebrate the 1000^thanniversary of its founding.  Hanoi was founded on October 10, 1010.  Its not very often that you get to go to a 1000^th birthday party.  The party was to last from October 1 to the 10.  We were leaving Hanoi immediately so we could go to Sapa and make it back for the important last three days. 

Sapa is a mountain town by the Chinese border.  Mt. Fanispan (aka Fancy pants), Vietnam’s highest mountain, stands out as a bump in a long ridge of mountains.  Our goal for Sapa was to climb the 3143 meter mountain.  We were blessed with amazing weather and completed the climb over two days. 

Sapa is known for more than its mountains and cool weather.  There also is a large number of ethnic groups. Familiar to many Americans are the Hmong, which live in the mountains of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. There are four different Hmong groups differentiated by their dress:  Black Hmong, White Hmong, Flower Hmong, and Green Hmong.  There are also a couple other groups like the Red Dao. 

Hanoi was a crazy place.  Being a large SE Asian city, it has only been limitedly affected by the rapid westernization and high-rise building boom of places like Saigon, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur.  It’s old merchants quarter is still intact, though today it is would better be called the tourist’s quarter.  The streets are dominated by motorbikes cris-crossing paths in a chaotic ballet, more resembling a school of fish chasing chum than traffic as we American’s know it.  Hoam Kiem Lake is Hanoi’s central park.  Much of the people looking to get involved in the festivities went there.  The busiest night was Saturday, October 9^th, with what seemed a mass of a million people doing circles around the lake.  Stages were set up on several corners, but many of the acts were bad.  This didn’t affect the mood; most people were out to revel in the masses of people and spend time with family and friends. 

I made a quick stop at Halong Bay, which was beautiful, but touristy beyond belief. 

Next I stopped in one of Vietnam’s historic capitals, Hue.  Until the August Revolution of 1945 that put the communists in power this is where the emperor’s ruled from.  An enormous and spectacular citadel dominates the northern bank of the Pearl River.  The citadel is slowly being restored after being heavily damaged in the wars of 1945 and 1968 and a couple natural disasters.  It was here where I finally rented a motorbike and hit the streets on my own.  I’m proud of myself!  Only one person cursed me.

I’m currently in Hoi An, and old trading town that has slickly maneuvered into becoming a mega tourist trap. I’m not impressed.  The old parts of town don’t look that different than many other areas I’ve been.  I would like it more if I was looking to buy a tailored suit or some other handicraft good.  But, I’m traveling on a budget and don’t have room in my bag for too many souvenirs, especially this early in the trip.

You are now up to date with my travels.  In the coming days I will write more on other aspects of Vietnam.