the world for more than it simply is

I celebrated my birthday on Saturday night here with some friends whom I have met through the course of these few months. For my birthday, we had dinner at Kaiser Kaffee on Bà Triệu, a German restaurant with decent bratwurst.

After dinner was a stop over to Minh’s Jazz Club where there was some good live music. Next up in the night was chilling at G/C bar where I watched Arsenal lose the game. The night concluded at the food stands of the Chợ Đêm Dộng Xuân where I consumed an additional phở xao and my xao. I might be putting on some weight due to nighttime eating habits (the previous night I was there eating two fried rices.) All in all, with the birthday drinks and people present, it was great.

It is a bit disappointing that there is less than a month left of study. Time here in Hà Nội has become too swift. I am looking forward to what is left.

Strange how many in Việt Nam welcome its entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This will bring about further job and education abroad opportunities to the peoples of Việt Nam, but what are the costs exactly?

The whole idea of global integration may contradict the founding ideologies of Communism. Greater wealth and purchasing power, competition among individuals and businesses, production no longer just for internal use–this stage of communism may be shifting to an entirely new capitalistic model.

Likewise, the conflict of years prior to remove Western influence and occupation has seemingly been fruitless in this regard. Việt Nam may soon develop into something along the lines of what they have fought against becoming.

Then comes the question of whether or not this global integration is inevitable and has always been happening. I would contend that the exchange of foreign ideologies and cultural aspects has always been in play throughout the course of Việt Nam’s history. Many of Việt Nam’s leaders and intellectuals have lived, worked, studied, or traveled abroad–with these experiences bringing greater outside interaction and knowledge to this country. By definition, Hồ Chí Minh was a Việt Kiều of thirty years after all. Likewise, Phan Bội Châu’s writings suggests that the knowledge he gained from the outside would help him to ‘reclaim’ his country from the likes of the French.

It seems an entirely sovereign country self-sufficient on its own solidarity has never come to pass if that was the idealistic goal of the campaign. Just pointing out the obvious.

Destroying part of oneself only to rebuild it in the same likeness. Why do some people (patriots) forge new names/identities for themselves? This has been in occurrence through the course of Việt Nam’s history. To create the means to battle infractions that they deem harmful perhaps.

On another note, I have been informed that Việt Nam’s education curriculum is changing from a listen and reproduce to one where the student must think for himself in a more open-ended structure. What sort of society might this produce in the near future?

The aftermath of the Vietnam-American war has been greatly emphasized through the course of the past few days through visits to the former Presidential Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Tây Ninh Holy See (Cao Đài), and the Củ Chi tunnel complex. Of course, the majority of what was shown is biased in the Việt Nam issued perspective as are the majority of showings of most controversial subject matter anywhere in this world. As it stands, each of these locations visited has that feeling of incompleteness.

The former blame as it were, is cast upon the government of the United States and its soldiers once occupying Việt Nam. Gruesome images of village massacres, agent orange disfigured individuals, video presentations displaying the vigor of the Vietnamese peoples, and other allotted sources of information were aplenty. These government-sponsored media, however biased, do provide another important perspective on this conflict which inadvertently continues to shape the course of our lives. For who enjoys admitting their own wrongs?

During the previous day’s visit to Tây Ninh sect of the Cao Đài religion, I was able to witness one of the sect’s daily masses. The organizational structure of Cao Đài in this region seems to closely resemble that of the Catholic Church–there are hierarchies in this conglomeration of beliefs with different colored robes representing the differences. Likewise, this sect is tied to also connected to the struggle of over thirty years prior.

Today after an early train departure to Phan Thiết, I have arrived in Mũi Né. Famous sand dunes and other sites tomorrow.

I took a late-night walk yesterday around the entirety of what is Ho Xuan Huong in Da Lat. It really is beautiful at night as an almost silence compliments the thirty-something odd street lights reflect off its surface. As I walked, thoughts came abound–I cannot fathom life living in the shadows of others. I have decided that I would rather be a leader in my own right, that I will make my take my own roads. This was the sense of what I perceived to be individuality yearning to make itself realized once again. In recent months I have become too lethargic and not determined enough. I see this trait as a significant flaw that needed amending–thus, during the course of my late-night walk I have made up my mind to become this leader whom others will be inspired by.

The city of Da Lat is as I remember it from months ago… the traffic is light compared to Ha Noi or HCMC, the people wearing winter clothes in cool weather, and the scenes brilliant. I do believe that I have enjoyed this southern town more so than its northern equivalent Sapa. Likewise, the food is getting noticeably better once again.

This evening after a day long bus ride with a stop over at the Pongour Waterfalls, I am finally back in Saigon. This is what I have been waiting for for weeks.

I do not believe that I have seen clear blue skies once since setting foot in Hà Nội, or perhaps I have not been looking up enough. Earlier in the week, I did happen to see the outline of the rising red sun battling for survival through the layer of grey I have come to know as the sky. As with many developing cities participating in the industrial race to further their economic gains, the city is in a constant state of road construction, congested traffic, and noise pollution. The road construction, which seems to be moving along at a considerably slow pace, invokes much dust into the air which itches eyes and throats when on motorbike. The congested traffic of thousands of motorbikes spewing unchecked amounts of smog are an eyesore. Drivers also tend to honk their horns at the most unnecessary of times.

The upside of all this pollution is that one is able to focus on the finer qualities of life–food. Unfortunately, the food in the city is not all that good to begin with. The only unique northern Vietnamese dish which I have come to enjoy is Chả Cá Lã Vọng. Other than that, all other standard dishes sold here are usually mediocre.

Our study program is scheduled to begin a week-long excursion to the South on Friday (if that tropical storm succeeds in switching paths closer to China). I have not been this excited for awhile.

All chicken-eating enthusiasts should be excited to know that another KFC has opened up in the city on Bà Triêu. I actually went to eat dinner there with Kara, Hac, and Jacob on its grand opening night. The chicken could had been even more delicious had it stayed more stationary while alive. After eating this meal of fried chicken thighs with fries and a coke, I washed my hands at the handwash sink while my tray was politely cleared from the table by the employees.

Last night, I applied for a summer internship with the US State Department in either the Ivory Coast or Austria. I hope I get one of the two.