Bits And Pieces

On things I find interesting here.

* In rural areas they bury their dead in the garden, in the fields, right next to the vegetable gardens or in the rice paddies.

* I have not met a Vietnamese person who understands the concept of conservation of natural resources, recycling, or why littering is unsightly to visitors. But they are all interested in this point of view.

* Birding here is not understood or practiced, but “ecotourism” is beginning to take shape here and there.

* Women visitors are addressed as madam. As in ” Would madam like coffee?”

* Shop owners live behind the storefront of their businesses. The ” back room” of the shop usually being the bedroom or living room. Some of these digs are very rough, some more elaborate. But everyone has a television, including the family we had built the house for.

* City planning is an unknown art in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, and bicycle shops are next to outdoor butchers, which are next to houses, which are next to an informal garbage dump, which is next to a community garden containing a family burial site, etc.

* In each financial transaction I have made, whether paying a hotel bill, making a purchase at a shop, purchasing a ticket to a show, or paying a restaurant tab, two or more people are involved–one to collect the money, another to observe or assist the first person. This appears to be more a cultural norm owing to the strong sense of community here rather than in place to avoid company losses. At one tourist shop, 4 women took and processed my payment together.

* There is Old Hanoi and across the river a newly emerging new Hanoi, replete with fancy homes, clean streets, and what appear to be nicely planned new neighborhoods under construction. Everywhere in the country that I have visited, new or old city, there is infrastructure being built or rebuilt, old buildings being removed, and new construction happening.

* If you should be so lucky to visit Old Hanoi, be sure to have some food at the place locally known as “Bun Cha Obama”, a noodle house where the First Family dined during the last year of his presidency. It would be akin to the Vietnamese president dining at Burger King. They are very proud of Buncha Obama’s, and yes, I did eat there. The bun cha is pretty good.

* At a park surrounding a popular lake in the old city, visitors who do not look Asian will be approached by young people with clip boards. Not to worry, they just want to practice their English by asking you a series of homework questions. Also used as learning tools are Youtube, American movies and music videos, and American TV shows. English is now taught in all schools here beginning at an early age.

* At the heart of Vietnamese economy is textile manufacturing, and one can observe rows of long buildings along the highway. Many Vietnamese leave their homes for months and years at a time to earn a living in the cities; leaving behind their small children whom they may see monthly or less often, depending on the distance. Often, both parents take such jobs, leaving droves of ” temporary orphan children” with other family members.

* Land for a small house here costs about $20k US and the construction and furnishing of a small home about $30-40k more. The bank might lend some of this, but most couples work and save the money for this, taking up to several years.

Would I return to Vietnam? Absolutely, yes!