It was like sensory overload. Beautiful scenery and people, amazing food, very little horn honking…etc. Drinking endless amounts of sua dau nanh in Quy Nhon to tasting over ten dishes in one night in Hue, our trip to Central Vietnam was certainly something I will never forget.
Before going on the trip, somehow somewhere the perception in my mind of the central was just fields and squatter toilets, after a nauseating train ride to Quy Nhon, my expectations were not high. But as we drove further away from the bus station and closer to the beach, I could tell this was not the countryside I was depicting in my head. We stayed at a wonderful hotel and each room had a view of the beautiful beach. Quy Nhon was a quiet little town, with some streets lined with drink vendors and others with coffee shops and small food shops.
To contrast our stay in Quy Nhon we stayed in an ethnic minority village for a night in a Bahnar Village. The walk to the village was long (over 2 hours! I'm not ashamed to admit I am a city girl, been too spoiled by urban development) however the walk was beautiful. Luscious green fields and strong brown mountains helped the walk a lot easier. Yet even in the village, if not already expected, we were catered. Our night was short and at night it was very festive (will never forget Anh Khoi). Before leaving the village, I learned that a child had died in the village and the people were in mourning. I felt like as tourist we, in a way, came stomping in expecting them to show them to entertain us even when there was a tragedy in their village. Why in many ways do we have the ability to change their course of daily life? (Instead of tending to the family, they were forced to sing with us at night?)
After the Bahnar Village, we left to Da Nang for 3 days. In those three days, our group took trips to Hoi An and Cham Island. Cham Island was paradise and time spent there was too short. The entire island looked like a Corona's commercial (the one where people are chilling on their hammock looking out to a beautiful blue ocean). I had to sometimes pinch myself and ask "HOW DID I GET TO BE AT THIS AMAZING PLACE?"
Our last stop was in Hue which I completely just drooled over. The town was infused with such a liveliness that I don't see when I'm in Hanoi. Walking down the street, as cheesy as it sounds, I always had a smile on my face.
Looking back we were definitely living the good life. While I talk and ask about the development, isn't it tourist and foreigners like me that enjoying these things? I am frustrated by the process of development in the Central and Vietnam in general, but I can imagine that the next time I return to this country, wouldn't I be utilizing what development has to offer me? (Staying in nice hotels, visiting tourist attractions)
Before going on the trip, somehow somewhere the perception in my mind of the central was just fields and squatter toilets, after a nauseating train ride to Quy Nhon, my expectations were not high. But as we drove further away from the bus station and closer to the beach, I could tell this was not the countryside I was depicting in my head. We stayed at a wonderful hotel and each room had a view of the beautiful beach. Quy Nhon was a quiet little town, with some streets lined with drink vendors and others with coffee shops and small food shops.
To contrast our stay in Quy Nhon we stayed in an ethnic minority village for a night in a Bahnar Village. The walk to the village was long (over 2 hours! I'm not ashamed to admit I am a city girl, been too spoiled by urban development) however the walk was beautiful. Luscious green fields and strong brown mountains helped the walk a lot easier. Yet even in the village, if not already expected, we were catered. Our night was short and at night it was very festive (will never forget Anh Khoi). Before leaving the village, I learned that a child had died in the village and the people were in mourning. I felt like as tourist we, in a way, came stomping in expecting them to show them to entertain us even when there was a tragedy in their village. Why in many ways do we have the ability to change their course of daily life? (Instead of tending to the family, they were forced to sing with us at night?)
After the Bahnar Village, we left to Da Nang for 3 days. In those three days, our group took trips to Hoi An and Cham Island. Cham Island was paradise and time spent there was too short. The entire island looked like a Corona's commercial (the one where people are chilling on their hammock looking out to a beautiful blue ocean). I had to sometimes pinch myself and ask "HOW DID I GET TO BE AT THIS AMAZING PLACE?"
Our last stop was in Hue which I completely just drooled over. The town was infused with such a liveliness that I don't see when I'm in Hanoi. Walking down the street, as cheesy as it sounds, I always had a smile on my face.
Looking back we were definitely living the good life. While I talk and ask about the development, isn't it tourist and foreigners like me that enjoying these things? I am frustrated by the process of development in the Central and Vietnam in general, but I can imagine that the next time I return to this country, wouldn't I be utilizing what development has to offer me? (Staying in nice hotels, visiting tourist attractions)
While this trip in many ways felt like a vacation, traveling within the cities and between the cities, I could not help but think about development, especially in Da Nang. After 8 hour ride from Quy Nhon, our bus was greeted with empty land slots sold to developers. What used to be public was now privately owned spaces waiting for resorts to be built on top of them. Signs like “This is Luxury Living” and “World Class Five Star Resort” greeted us. Entering Da Nang, the city itself was also filled with construction sites for hotels. As these places becoming more and more popular, I wonder who the development is actually for? Is it to accommodate foreign interest (tourism)? And what type of citizen is Vietnam attempting to mold and present to the world? At the same time, while I am conflicted by what I see, I wonder whether it’s a part of me that romanticizes Vietnam as something that it used to be and it is me who is not accepting of this change
