My first stop in Vietnam is Hanoi. Having arrived early in the evening, my first stop in Hanoi is the night market. It truly is an experience for all the senses-and I let myself get lost in the atmosphere. With so much to take in, it’s easy being “in the moment” here.
The next day I have some time to see some of the local sights around Hanoi. Unsurprisingly to those who have been reading the travelogue, I am drawn to the “political” buildings. I stop by the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly Building (I’m told visitors aren’t allowed inside), and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
It turns out I’m quite popular at the Mausoleum as some random Vietnamese guy asks if he can take a photo with me, to which I agree. Then, he asks for a photo with his wife, to which I also agree. Following that, a mini-line up forms around me with many more people asking for photos. Luckily, a changing of the guard ceremony takes place in front of the Mausoleum a few moments later, capturing everyone’s attention and allowing me a dignified escape.
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From Hanoi, I make my way to another famous “H” in Vietnam: Halong Bay (there are 3 more “Hs” along the way: Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon). Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its fishing villages on the water and jagged limestone-rock-island like structures that emerge from the green sea. Most people do an overnight cruise in Halong Bay to really get a feel for the environment. I opt for a 3 day/2 night option.
The boat I chose to sail on was a smaller vessel- only 10 rooms. This makes for a much more intimate experience, not only for exploring Halong Bay but with the other guests on-board and the staff too. The other guests range in age from very young kids (with their parents) to older seniors. The other tourists also come from a range of countries and during my time here I flow in and out of conversations in English, French, and Spanish–and I try and learn a few new words of Vietnamese as well. The “forced” time together allows us to delve into a variety of topics which, when combined with the unique setting, allows us to form some nice connections.
One of my more memorable interactions is with a member of the crew. She has some fancy title (“Director of Guest Relations” or something like that) and has spent most of her time directing the staff and making sure our various activities are going as planned. On one of the evenings we have some downtime before dinner and I decide to relax on one of the lounge chairs in the stern of the boat. She asks me how I’m enjoying the cruise so far and I reply saying that it has been a wonderful experience, which it honestly has been. She asks me a bit about my travels and, as I talk about where I have been and what I intended to do, it becomes clear that, for her, my life is a dream. She is curious without being envious and I tell her a bit about my life. She is surprised to learn that I’m a lawyer- I definitely don’t “look” like a lawyer with my backpack and three-dollar-floral-print baseball cap. Much like many others, she asks me if I will go back to that career when I get back home. Still, I have no idea. My life, after all, is still a dream.
As we delve deeper in conversation, I ask a bit more about her life- how she got this job, where she learned English, about her family, and what she hopes to do in the future. She isn’t paid much to be here- though by Vietnamese standards, she makes a good amount of money. Her salary is paid monthly, and doesn’t really account for the long days she works (like many others in Vietnam). She only has 4 or 5 days off a month. Her parents want her to get married, but she wants to build her career and travel.
At some point, she realises it’s time for her to go and help get the dinner service ready so we have to end our conversation. I am left to reflect.
Having met so many different people on this boat, it’s interesting to think about how our lives appear so different and yet, at the core, we face similar questions. As I think specifically on whether I want to go back to practising law, the broader question many of the people on this boat have inspired me to think about, without anyone ever explicitly asking it, is: what is it I want to make of my life?
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H number 3 is Hue. Hue is an ancient capital and lies close to the divide between the North and South parts of the country. Because of its historic importance, the main sights to see in Hue are the old citadel and the tombs of former emperors- which are sprawling complexes comprising of equally impressive parts of nature and architecture.
Since some of the tombs are quite a challenge to get to, I decide to sign up for a day tour that includes visits to some of the more well-known tombs. What I wasn’t anticipating was that most of the tour group was actually going to be Vietnamese people who were visiting from other parts of the country. While most of them spoke no English and I’ve still only mastered two words of Vietnamese, the day did give way to some fun interactions–especially with some of the children in the group who are just learning English (I got asked “hi, how are you?” at least 20 times). Luckily our tour guide, who went by the name “Blue,” spoke both Vietnamese and English. He always seemed to be giving more time to describing things in English–which felt like a nice treat.
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Hoi An, is about 130 kilometres from Hue, but given all the stops worth making along the way, it takes me the better part of the day to make the trip.
I get to my hotel in Hoi An just in time to take shelter from a summer downpour, typical in these parts of Asia. As I take some time to relax and settle in, the rain eventually gives way to sun and shortly thereafter I set out for a walk around town.
Hoi An is known for its skillful tailors. There are many tailors in town and I check out some online reviews to find a suitable option (pun very much intended!) before wandering around to consider getting a suit made.
As I leave the tailor shop, I decide to stroll through the charming streets of the old town for a bit. The sun has long set and shops are nearing their time to close so I eventually decide to turn back and head toward my hotel. That’s when three young Vietnamese men approach me and say they want to talk to me for a bit.
I’ve heard about these scams in Vietnam where people say they want to practice their English and the well-meaning but unwitting foreigner agrees only to fall victim to the friend of the English “student.” Given that it is so late at night, I’m suspicious. But I also want to be friendly and open-minded and the setting seems to be otherwise safe. So, I cautiously agree to converse with them, but my guard is up.
The conversation, and resulting series of events prove to be anything but believable and form the topic of my next post…stay tuned! (How’s that for a cliffhanger?)
Impermanent Establishments 