In Vietnam
Here I am again in Vietnam for the 5th time, the first time was from birth to the age of 7 of which I have some memories of. The ones I do have I often wonder if they are my memories or it was because I have heard it from my parents often enough that I think they are my memories. My fondest memory was wading through the rice paddy fields at my Grandparent’s catching crabs with my younger brother.
The second time I was in Vietnam was in 1992 after finishing high school and only few years the country was opened for tourism. Although I grew up as Vietnamese in Australia, I had a total culture shock in Vietnam that first visit. The country was in such a bad state, buildings were run down, streets were dirty, poverty was everywhere I looked.
My relatives were like strangers to me as I had not had any contact with them since the young age. I felt like a foreigner in a strange land yet I understood the language and could eat the food. After that first visit I was sure glad to return back to my home in Sydney Australia. I felt more Australian than Vietnamese.
Since then I have returned a few more times, once to backpack with a friend from South to North, another time I went on a tour with my Mum to the North. Each time I have been here, huge progress can be seen in infrastructure, buildings and transport. From the first time when mostly motorbikes, bicyles and cyclos covered the street. Today, there are a smattering of cars, buses, trucks, mostly motorbikes and very few bicycles. The cyclos have disappeared altogether.
It is still heavily populated, traffic is mayhem, the rules are that there are no rules in Vietnam. This is real freedom I am told. Compared to the west where there are rules for the road, for town planning, businesses and everything in between. In Vietnam, anything goes. If you have land you can build whatever you want (almost). People drive all over the place, yet there appears to be some order in the chaos. Drivers/riders in Saigon seem to be able to navigate the streets pretty well despite the thousands of vehicles on the road at all hours of the day.
I always enjoy watching people on the motorbikes. It amazes me what they manage to carry from a container load of chickens to a family of four. You see women in heels and skirts through to mothers taking their children to school. Every time I take the “Honda Om” (back of a motorbike taxi) through the streets of Saigon, I pray for my life. I know its really not that bad, millions of people in Vietnam do it everyday getting to and fro. However even for a brave heart like me, it really is testing my fearlessness.
My first week has been mostly visiting the relatives, Di Nam (Aunt 5) my mother’s older sister had a 2 day party (An Gio) to commemorate the anniversary of the death of a family member. It is my Aunt’s husband side of the family so they are not related by blood to me.
They cooked a feast of 6 courses for about 60 people each day over 2 days. Each guest is given a takeaway of some food as well. All in all it is a lot of work and running around. Luckily my aunt has many children, and relatives to help. They do this twice a year and given the number of people who attended, whom also probably do this twice a year too. This means that almost every week they get invited to An Gio somewhere else.
It is also customary for the eldest child to have a altar for their parents after they have passed on. I sometimes wonder if I will keep any of these traditions. I probably will if my Mum asks me too however if left up to me I would not. My affinity is more in line with the Australian/western way of life and thinking, although not completely. So I have come to the conclusion that I am just as I am. Not quite fitting completely into any label and that is just perfect.
September 12, 2010 2:02 am 
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