Footloose and Fancy Free

We’ve lived in China for a year now – I ’spose its about time we popped over the fence to meet the neighbours right?

After a relatively event free three hour trip to the border, we managed to secure new stamps in our passports and got ourselves on the first of many Vietnamese buses, to Hanoi. There’s not a huge difference in scenery and vegetation between Guangxi and Northern Vietnam. At this time of year, its very lush, green, lots a rice terraces and still a little cold. However, the difference in architecture is outstanding. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, you see this skinny, three story building rising out of a swampy, rice terrace. This is the only way I can think to describe the architecture to you: a China man met a 18^th century French colonialist. Whilst tripping out on acid, they thought to get some artist who knew nothing of real architecture and building design, to help them build houses, thus resulting in some brilliant, rather odd looking, albeit very darling structures that will never completely burn down (they are cement after all). The conversation must have gone something like this:

“Dude, we totally need lots of scrolly things. And a turret.”

“Totally man, and the colours – they need to be totally psychedelic.”

“Yeah…and we should have two turrets! Peace all the way man…”

(I know, I was meant to be a flower-power child.)

Of course we know the housing didn’t make for peaceful relations within country in the end. Painting your house in rainbow colours and hanging paper lanterns only spoke peace in America’s 70’s, not Vietnam’s sadly.

(Vietnamese water puppets)

But the culture here is something you have to experience to believe. I’ve a bone to pick with the French – I want to know why they didn’t make the effort to come just an extra six hours north and teach the Nanning people how to make real bread, croissants and show them there are other things you can do with a cow other than just eat it. I’ve seen things I haven’t tasted in a long time…butter…cheese…real coffee. I have the French to thank for Vietnam’s coffee addiction to decent coffee.

(Jason drinking a fresh baby coconut)

(Baguettes for sale!)

A very quick study into Vietnam’s history will show you a very bloody cultural revolution, I guess not without its familiarities to China’s. The biggest difference that I can see on an everyday living level is that China got rid of all Western influence and remains eternally bitter toward the past but Vietnam got rid of only the things they didn’t like but kept what they did like (croissants and cheese and unique architecture – who doesn’t like that?!) and seem generally much happier and they don’t yell (at least not that I’ve yet experienced). And Facebook’s not blocked here. But people are still very restricted in their own freedoms. Even compared to Guangxi being one of the poorest provinces in China, Vietnam is comparatively poorer.

(A basket peddlar -- this is all strapped to the back of his bicycle)

(Old Quarter - Hanoi)

But they’re so happy! And friendly. Everyone walks the streets with smiles plastered to their faces and even today we received a lunch invitation from some random person that saw us walking by his house. Right now as I type, Jason is chatting (with the help of charades, and a Vietnamese translation programme on the iPod) to a young Vietnamese girl who’s going Na Trung to get married to some guy she’s never met before. She is teaching him some Vietnamese and now the one of the bus drivers has joined in too.

(Temple of Literature - Hanoi)

(Tamarinds)

(I've always called them Love Apples but not too sure if that's correct!)