Mai's Travel Journal: Chapter 18 - Ho Chi Minh City

Sunday, 31 October 2004

I could not believe that I was heading toward a city. That strange feeling was still with me until the train reached to Saigon station. I asked myself: “Is it Ho Chi Minh city?”. What's a silly question, that was! A new journey was ahead but I didn't know how and where to start. I sat at Saigon station to find answers for these questions and yet it was really annoying for someone to be waken up at 4 am.

Two hours later, I called Truong, an UNV working in 15 May School, to come to the station. I discussed with him about my plan for the day and again I had a companion.

The journey to the Cu Chi tunnels began at Saigon bus station. I could not picture out what Cu Chi looks like and why it is called a “firm land”. I have been in school for a total of nearly 16 years but it was hard for me to determine what a firm land and living in a tunnel is like.

So far, I have had a long journey up and down the country, but it was my first experience of being underground. I reckoned that from now on I would remember Cu Chi not simply through words, but the hands-on experience, the feeling I had for this land. I was single-minded in thinking about Cu Chi. Luckily, Truong reminded me to call at Duoc Temple. I spent time in front of stone stele reading names after names. History seemed to come alive with the name-carved stones. I felt that.

I've never thought that a tunnel could be that small, narrow, dark and wet even after attentively listening to the tourist guide and watching a documentary about the tunnel. Hanging around the tunnel, I was sometimes out of breath. I was astonished at what I've seen and what I've experienced here. Cu Chi and its tunnels was the most interesting and impressive history lesson I've ever learnt.

Truong and I took a bus back to the city. Tonight, 15 May School celebrated Halloween. It was my first time to participate in this kind of festival. Everything seemed new and attractive. I was asked to disguise as a mummy. My goodness, what an assignment! A talkative person like me now had to stand quietly and keep my mouth shut. I stood whenever I couldn't move and I kept silent whenever I had no one to talk to. It was understandable when my paper disguise torn out. Anyway, I did have a chance to scare some children but no one burst into tears.

Monday, 1 November 2004

The second day in this city. Everything was revolving but I could catch up with it. You can sense the busy business life at every corner in this city. District 1 is crowded with plenty of skyscrapers. Room for trees is also designed to fit in the environment. The City Youth Union does not simply accommodate offices but also IT or language or music classes. It is a dynamic place and provides a lot of jobs for the youth. I was introduced to Khanh Van, Youth Union staff in District 8. Visiting her house, I was surprised by the number of awards and certificates she received. They are hanging on walls all round the house. To her father, these awards are the most precious furniture.

I went to “dirty water commune” – a place I knew through movies - to know more about the other Saigon. The main income source for working residents here comes from nylon detergent, match making [is this sex workers in Vietnamese?] or small business. None of these jobs is better than others as the maximum amount of money earned a day is from 70.000 dong to 80.000 dong. No one complained about their job because they're satisfied with the income.

Nha Be is situated 35 km away from the city center – nearly the same distance from my house to Hanoi city. However, people find it easy to go back and forth from the city. Having a shelter in a city is not easy. Having a place in Nha Be can be considered as a close distance. That's the consequences of a rapid growth of the country's most crowded city. It reminded me about my friend, who already owns a house in Soc Son (Hanoi) but still has to rent another one in the city center for studying. I thought of people here who have to go back and forth day after day.

Roughly 5 km away from the road, a new picture came out with many coconut trees and streams. (The road would be less winding if someone sacrificed a bit of their land. The selfishness of some people would cause community's expenses or at least the time.)

When I was a student, I took part in Student Volunteer Campaign to Hong Ky commune, Soc Son District – Hanoi's non-electricity corner. Again, in this place I met a similar image with no electricity.

Water from wells is used for all people in Nha Be. Perhaps. Water here looks muddy possibly because of muddy streams and pools. That's why better-income residents would buy water for cooking to get good sanitation.

Tuesday, 2 November 2004

At Tam Binh SOS, Thu Duc District, I met so many children with different cases and diseases. It is hard to understand while many families are desperate for children; many others deny their own offspring. I met some children who have been admitted only 2 weeks; who have little chance to survive; who help the staff to feed the younger children. I didn't know what and how to say. I felt that I'm so blessed to have a family with mum, dad and sisters.

Some of my friends sometimes wonder what would be the purpose of building rehabilitations, as they provide nothing for the society. At a time, I shared this opinion with them. However, I now reckon that it is essential for the society to have these centers not to provide the prosperities for the society but to provide a normal environment for children to grow up in. It is really important.

At Hoc Mon District, Nhi Xuan rehabilitation and job placement, I met some youngsters in their vocational training after rehabilitation. There are 2206 learners in this center. The actual number of drug addicts outweighs Nhi Xuan's 2206 learners. Compared to 1000 student enrolling into my university every year, it is a large number.

I asked why young people hook on to drugs. It is not easy to answer that question.

It is so simple to try at first but it's not that simple to give up. Every one knows about it but not every one can deeply understand what it means to go through rehabilitation. Some are able to give up drugs, others can't. The best way for these people is to live separately from the drug user environment. Thus, Ho Chi Minh City's Youth Committee decided to kick off the project offering job placement after rehabilitating.

Chapter 18 - Ho Chi Minh City - Photo Gallery

Photos: Nguyen Dinh Dong
(select image to enlarge)

1. Take care the children, Tam Binh children sponsor Center, Thu Duc district
2. The orphanage feeds each child

3. Older chldren bring swaddling-clothes for younger children
4. Helping the orphanage to dry swaddling -clothers

5. I am at Tam Binh children sponsor Center, Thu Duc district

6. This part of Nha Be district is without electricity
7. A house and also a small shop in a part of Nha Be district with no electricity

8. I am at UNDP's office in HCMC