meet sebastian.

Sebastian, named for the rather endearing Caribbean crab, and I first met in Paris a few years ago. He was a touch more red then, but in Hanoi has since taken more of an orange hue. I see him quite frequently, I am rather enamored and think that he would be a rather nice big brother for Boris back in Adelaide**. Not to mention an oh so stylish way to travel about Hanoi***. This was the present I did not get. I did however get many other lovely presents, phone calls and wonderful wishes. So thank you to everyone.

The last few weeks have been a bit of a treat with visitors galore. Our dearest friends have relocated to Hanoi, and in a rather ambitious adoption of their new life applied and got jobs the very next day. Now what I am saying people is there are jobs, many to go around, so anyone feeling the need for a life change, come to Hanoi, the more the merrier!

We also have had family in town, and more friends arriving this very week. This all makes for busy and lovely summer days, unfortunately I still have to work, and Ash has taken off on his far too long Pacific jaunt. However, many lovely dinners, bottles of wine, and bits of tourism were enjoyed. Well, more shopping last week than touring per say, but definitely some touring to come. A camera should be making it out and about soon so hopefully some visual accompaniments will be provided to the next post.

We will also endeavor to provide Pacific updates, although these might involve environmental rants or an odd photo minus words as all that has been done is work, which would lead back to the environmental rants. Ash will be off saving little Pacific islands from sinking into non-existence from sea level rise, climate change impacts and such nasties. This might be a slight exaggeration, but you all get the gist. It is an adaptation planning pilot initiative that will see him visiting the Philippines, Timor L'Este, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands and Palau. All side diving adventures are banned in my absence.

I am back to studying as of yesterday (happy birthday to me), so that I may complete my Masters,  which will involve late nights with work seemingly keeping me very busy during the day. In short, things could be a bit dull in the coming month or two as I do not foresee much travel. Sad times indeed. Perhaps with all the visitors I will actually get to capture a bit of the wonderful sites in Hanoi. Today is a perfect sunny blue day (read - phenomenally hot) and it seems really rather cruel to be stuck inside, hopefully it will stay this way until the weekend!

*image from little brown pen
** yes I do name ALL of my two-wheeled adventurers, hold your judgement, a little bit of love goes a long way 
*** this is meant as no disrespect to Nigel, our nuovo, who is a very reliable and probably more appropriate vehicle for Hanoi, meaning not nearly as shiny or likely to be kidnapped. It happens. 

the tree of life

Last night we went to see the guru of Vietnam, the exporter and importer or culture, a gentleman named Hữu Ngọc. A rather incredible 90-something year-old professor and historian who has written numerous books in french and english explaining the traditions, causes, quirks and problems of Vietnamese cultures as well as writing tens of books in Vietnamese trying to distill western cultures. Americans, Australians, Swedish, French, English, and many many more. 


The talk, 3,000 yeas of history in an hour long, merely scratched the surface of Vietnam and its' culture, most of the facts were already known, however it was fascinating to have it presented in such a charismatic way with insight into the distinct ways we view many things. How and why this is problematic in Vietnam. What makes Vietnam so special, and of course why Ho Chi Minh is so wonderful.


Hữu began by explaining that Vietnamese culture can be described as a banyan tree, a very important tree in Vietnam, often surrounds sacred sites, and featuring on the front cover of his book (in the case below, well it is the home of sacred...street food). He began to draw a banyan tree on the whiteboard as he explained the way features of the tree capture the creation of Vietnam and its culture. The trunk of the tree is the entwined and layered culture. The branches push down on the trunk and represent the four influences that has lead to Vietnam of today.

From the Viet (ethnic group) Nam (of the south), 3000 years ago were a rice civilisation based around the Red River with the northern Viet people further north, in the China of today and no longer exist. The Viet people fought the Chinese for 1000 years, before finally becoming and independent Vietnam. The Chinese, and confucianism has a fundamental influence on Vietnamese culture and concepts of community.


There was 800 years of "independence" before the French arrived in 1895 and stayed for 80 years. Interestingly (as this part I did not know) was that in 1945 Vietnam declared independence under Ho Chi Minh, it was in 1946 that the French returned armed to redeem some sense of power after Vichey and Ho Chi Minh (the non-violent) volunteered Vietnam as a free state of France, a commonwealth state be it. Hữu argued that should the French have accepted this offer, Vietnam would still be a French, capitalist nation today. This triggered the French War, followed by the American War against the communist/marxist Vietnam as Hữu described Vietnam of the time. 

Vietnam was reunified in 1975 with Ho Chi Minh now preserved as a political icon, a trophy of victory, despite his express wishes to be cremated and scattered across the two halves that was then Vietnam. A lot more was said, but I need not go on. The interesting part of his talk, now that we had arrived at the last branch, the renewal, named for the economic policy to reform Vietnam in 1986. This led Hữu to look at the balance Vietnam now needed to strike between the economy, free markets and capitalism, individualism, with culture. A culture that in Vietnam is based on collectivism. This is the balance that I have discussed more than I care to think of in lectures addressing the successes and failures of East-Asia. 


It was fascinating to have such a charismatic individual with an enlightened understanding of such contrasting cultures share his thoughts on Vietnam. The most poignant point made for me, was "in Vietnam we do not speak of human rights, this is a western concept that has no bearing in our culture, in Vietnam we speak of human responsibility and duty to others".


History lesson over. We will endeavour to post a few more pictures that have been looked over from our last adventures. 
*As I have not been, nor have any intention of going to see preserved Ho, I have pilfered this image. Thank you google images. Perhaps one day I will go and see the sacred grass up close instead.