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Hue Journal
(Keith)
Vietnam has been an interesting country. The people we met are very
friendly, open, and eager to learn more about America. People have shown
us genuine concern and compassion when we were lost; this makes me think that
the people of Vietnam want tourists to visit their country.
Vietnam recognizes that their country is special in terms of history, culture, and natural beauty; they are undergoing massive efforts to provide tourist infrastructure, but have not fully learned the art of creating a memorable excursion. For example, we took a day excursion to the tombs in Hue. The trip consisted of a beautiful boat ride to the ancient Nguyen tombs along the perfume river, so far so good. But, what the tour organizers neglected to tell us (until we were on the boat and paid) was that they would only take us as far as the river . . . the tombs were several kilometers further. At the dock, there were eager motorbike drivers to take you the final 2 km for an additional cost. During the same trip, lunch was included and it was great . . . what we weren't told was that we had to pay for something to drink.
Also, we have had several points of confusion at banks and hotels . . . the receipts are forgotten and the wrong amount of money is exchanged or the hotel rate is slightly higher than initially agreed upon; this is all happily corrected once the errors are pointed out, but it is tiring.
Initially these little annoyances were bogging us down. We then decided that we needed to change the way we were thinking and put it into context. This doesn't mean we don't still count our change and make sure it is right, but we are trying not to overemphasize some small additional charges. Usually these charges are insignificant in our terms of our wealth and an extra U.S. dollar or two (a full day's salary to many Vietnamese) is worth the experience of meeting these people and enjoying this extraordinary country.
(Lea)
There I am, standing in front of what used to be the Emperor's library...my
favorite place! This was in the Citadel of Hue. Hue contained a lot of
interesting historical sites tied to the Nguyen dynasty, which ruled until 1945.
The sites included the remains of the Citadel and emperor's grounds - quite
elaborate and beautiful. Also we visited the serene
sites of the emperor's tombs and their beauty.
In Hue, I started thinking how it is interesting to see the exciting changes happening in Vietnam. In 1986 Vietnam began economic reforms to avoid economic collapse and started with allowing limited private enterprise. Since then, they have continued with reforms such as more privatization and more foreign investors.
The free enterprise market is readily apparent in the number of times I say "No thank you" in a day. At least 100. Maybe 200. "No, thank you I do not need a cyclo driver, postcards, conical hat, bread, suit, wooden fish" One guy tried to convince me to take a ride in his cyclo...and I was riding a bicycle at the time! It can get frustrating dealing with this, but I do respect that these people are trying to make an honest living and try to be polite with my "nos". In addition to these smaller run businesses, we see well established private hotels, restaurants and shops, and some joint venture companies with foreigners. We also have met young people who are educated with degrees in areas such as biology and electronics, but cannot find jobs in their fields. The people we have met are very hardworking, friendly, open to change, and up for learning new technology and ideas. Hopefully with continued reforms and more free trade there will be industries in Vietnam to employ them.
Check out more Hue Photos.