Viet Nam

If I am to be completely honest, I have to say that the thought of going to Vietnam scared me a bit. It wasn’t just all the horrifying stories I heard about crossing the borders from Cambodia (scams and long waitings and all the officials trying to get money out of you..) It was also the fact that Cambodia was a small, comfortable country of 9 million and Vietnam’s population exceeds 85 million! Also, according to my friend P, big Vietnamese cities were extremely crowded, dangerous (pick-pocketing seems to be popular and traffic is a bitch) and people, apparently, stare at you until you feel uncomfortable.

Well, I didn’t like the staring part but Vietnam was enchanting beyond expectation… Big and chaotic cities, yes, but also small fishing villages and beautiful nature… Slight danger of becoming the victim of scams, but interesting history and great food. People who stare until their eyes pop out, but also friendly and smiley and kind people… I guess in a country that crowded, you do find everything…

My heart was pounding as we entered the little boat that would take us, through the Mekong River, from Phnom Penh to the border to Vietnam. Two more girls were on the boat. They were French, studying to be nurses and were in Vietnam for a practical training, delivering babies. They said the year of the tiger was a slow one, as most families intend to give birth on the year of the dragon. Then the hospitals are full. That was an interesting introduction to the south-eastern culture, with its spirituality and dysdaimonic beliefs.

We crossed without too many hassles. Our papers were accepted and as we were flowing peacefully on the clear waters of the Mekong, we saw beautiful nature around us… huge bulls relaxing on the sides of the river… people working or bathing, children completely naked. Men fishing with their medieval nets… beautiful bridges and people crossing with their bicycles, waiving at us. These were my first impressions of Southern Vietnam.

The first city where we ended up was a small one. Chau Doc. Crowded and busy. We had booked the organized tour, so we were staying at a real hotel for a change. We walked around to enjoy the new smells and flavors and the new atmosphere, which was so different than the one in Phnom Penh.
Observations:
- Petite dogs are adored in this country. You could see them everywhere, even on bicycles.
- The “moto” phenomenon was even more extreme than in Cambodia. The streets were full of them, sometimes carrying up to 4 or 5 people!
- Intense cuisine. Spicy and tasty and the first sip of coffee was heaven. I really had no idea that Vietnam is the second largest coffee-producing country.
- People really were staring. A lot! But they were also friendly... we got invited to sit with a group of young people who were hanging out in the streets, drinking and eating. We had a couple of shots with them before reaching the limits of possible communication and then it was time to go!

After 8, the city became dead. There was no one in the streets anymore and it looked dodgy and eerie. A completely different city than the one we had visited during the day. We walked along the river for a while and reflected on our journey, wondering how the following days would turn out…