Today marks my third day in Vietnam.
Vietnam is such an enigma...
As a ethinic Chinese, I can identify so much of the cultural, language and religious beliefs which are similar with the Vietnamese, yet its so anti-Chinese in a way that the Vietnamese are so fiercely nationalistic that they wouldn't stand for any suggestion that they had borrowed so much of their religion, cultural and language from China.
The layered historical influences are what makes Vietnam so unique... their efforts to escape the yolk of Chinese rule with the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the colonial influence of the French, the US presence and influence of communism. This is epitomised by what our lecturer shared... talking communists, working capitalists, ruling monarchists, and dreaming internationalists.
I think what makes Vietnam so fascinating is what makes SEA as a whole so interesting, a crossroads of cultural infleunces... but the way that it mixes can be so different from country to country.
We have been soaking it in... the cuisine and the cafes (I had this interesting ice cream sundae with a chendol coconut sauce and coffee) The food has been fantastic as well.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment