Continuing on from my last blog entry about the Vietnamese penchant for telling foreigners they "don't understand Vietnam", I thought I'd turn to my readers to help me make sense of some Vietnamese practices which I freely admit I don't understand at all. These are things I haven't seen outside of Vietnam, but commonly observe here, leaving me wondering, why do they do that? I'm intrigued to know the answers. The first practice is that favourite pastime of Vietnamese youngsters, of setting up modelling sessions in various picturesque locations around town, such as against a rustic-looking wall, or in a flowerbed. Photography is a hobby enjoyed all around the world, so that's not the mystery, and nor is why people would like photos of pretty things. What's unusual to me is that so many young people go out of their way – sometimes even deliberately travelling to faraway scenic destinations - to set up these very staged photo shoots, and pose like models. And sometimes very provocatively too. This practice is pretty much non-existent where I come from, where the only people staging modelling shoots are… models! So I'd like to know, what's done with these photos? Who are they for? Is it to impress the opposite sex? Is the fun in the actual taking of the photos, or in seeing yourself on film afterwards? Why are such pre-planned photos seen as more appealing than a spontaneous happy snap? And most intriguing of all, when did this start happening in Vietnam: was this also a popular pastime before the advent of digital cameras? The next mystery to me occurs in the forests of Vietnam. I've been very lucky to spend a lot of time in many of this country's national parks, hoping to observe local wildlife, but it's the local people who have usually been the most noticeable. Whether I've been in Cat Tien National Park or Ba Vi National Park or Cuc Phuong National Park it's always the same. I'll be quietly and patiently trying to observe a bird or an animal through my binoculars, enjoying the beauty and tranquillity of nature, when I hear "WHOOP!" And again "WHOOOOOOOP! WHOOP! WHOOOP!" No, it's not the call of a rare and endangered bird, it's the call of the Vietnamese tourist, because it seems to be that when Vietnamese people visit a forest, usually in quite a large group, they feel the urge to shout. Repeatedly, and often. And not words, just sounds, or exclamations. Is it because most Vietnamese people are so used to being around constant noise and commotion that the silence of the forest overwhelms them and they want to destroy it? Is it because they're scared of wild animals which might be ahead? Or is it because they're just so excited by being in nature that they want to shout out their happiness? My final puzzling practice also relates to nature. One of my favourite times of year in Hanoi is Tet, when people's homes and offices are decorated with beautifully shaped cumquat trees, and flowering pot-plants are presented as gifts. Yet every year, after Tet is over, I am shocked to see these very same cumquat trees lying in the gutter or in bins. Why are these trees, which are still alive, and can surely be kept alive until Tet next year, treated like a single-use item? Our landlord recently came into our house and was shocked to see that the plant he'd given us at Tet hadn't been thrown away, and was in fact still sitting on our shelf, alive, and ready to flower again, more than six months later. I should add that I'm a terrible gardener, and if this plant could survive in my house, then it's definitely not difficult to look after! In countries that celebrate Christmas, Christmas trees have to be thrown away right after the festive season is over because they're not actually alive. Unlike Tet trees, which are potted, roots and all, Christmas trees are cut off at the trunk and only survive a couple of weeks inside. So is it bad luck to keep the cumquat trees and other plants from one Tet to another? Are they just too impractically large for most people's homes or gardens? Would they grow too big, even if they're trimmed, to be used for another year? Or, are they actually collected from the rubbish and replanted by the orchard growers? One of the greatest things about living in a foreign country is constantly being amazed and baffled by what goes on around you, but still, I'd love to get to the bottom of these Vietnamese mysteries. *** Tabitha Carvan writes the blog The City That Never Sleeps In about expat life in Hanoi. Vietnam tours
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what is fashion trends Today, Dong Ba Market plays an important role in the field of Hue's economic development. If you are in Hue, Dong Ba Market should not be ignored. It will help you understand more about Vietnamese food or culture in general and Hue's food or culture in particular.
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