Anne's blog travel 06-07

Sunday, February 11th 2007

Sunday is a lovely day in Hanoi. People seem more relaxed. Many Vietnamese work 6 days a week from Monday to Saturday so Sunday is the day to catch up with friends and family. At the gym today, the lovely young woman (staff) I've been talking too (forgot her name) tells me that she thinks we (foreigners) work very hard. I tell her that I noticed that in Vietnam most people work 6 to 7 days per week which is not normally the case in Australia, Canada, USA, Europe etc. "Ahhh but" she whispers almost " I don't think Vietnamese have a very good attitude towards work." She goes on to explain that what she has learned from the foreigners she has met is that most foreigners try their best when they work; Vietnamese rarely do she tells me. This reminds me somewhat of comments made of the Japanese who work very long hours with very few holidays but are somewhat unproductive and uncreative.

She tells me that she gets one and a half day off a week but usually they don't take the half day and just cumulate it towards their annual leave. Annual leave is 12 days per year (two weeks), but with the accumulated half-days this can be made up to about 18-20 days. From the very first time I met this young woman (21 years of age) she strikes me for her attention. She remembered small details of what I've told her before and this also is something I've noticed of many Vietnamese. I can tell a person my name in the street and many days later, they will shout it out to me and then go on to ask me how something I was doing the last time ended up. And when you get pestered to buy something...it's much better to say no than to say: "Maybe tomorrow" because one thing you can be sure of, is that they will find you tomorrow and remind you. Even today, as I walk in the street, Nam calls my name out and crosses the street to come and say hello. I'm sure I haven't seen him in almost three weeks. So we exchange a few words before he goes back to his Cyclo on the other side.

And on my way back to the hotel, the women are sitting outside and ask me to join them. Tam who normally sells the Bahn Khut (but has sold out) brings me green tea and I just hang out with them which is always a laugh. Lien , the other woman is a real character. She shows me a man who comes and sits next to me and I assume it's her husband. When I find the word for husband, she tells me no and after a bit more searching I learn it's the younger brother. Later a young woman called Huong who is the niece of Tam joins the group and we talk together as she can speak English. She is an accountant and now lives with the family of her husband about 7 km away. But, she says she comes to visit often. Tam's sister is also there and it seems that the whole family lives in that building. Through Huong, Lien asks whether I'll still be here for Tet and if I want to spend it with them but I'll be gone already.

Last night at dusk I find myself around the Lake. I realise I haven't seen it at this hour and just sit on a bench staring out over the water. It's still about 22C at that time and the lake is lovely. A few trees around the lake have been decorated with lights. Some in small white lights decending in single strands from the top a bit like the leaves of a Willow tree (saule pleureur in French). The other trees bear red, yellow and blue lights. The monuments in the centre of the lake are lit, the lights of the surrounding buildings reflect in the water and although the horns are still going and traffic is still zooming around the lake- it's amazingly peaceful. I wonder what it is about expanses of water which convey this tranquility. Even as it is in the middle of such a busy area. And there is a mysterious quality to this lake...something that cannot easily be explained in words.

Tomorrow I'm off for a bit of an excursion out of Hanoi with Ton. Should be interesting.
Bye for now