For Vietnam, I ended up reading two books instead of one (with some time between them). More about that later; as usual, first some information I gathered about the country.
Photo by Doan Tuan on Unsplash
Geological facts
Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Capital: Hanoi
Government: Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic
Language: Vietnamese
Area: 331,699 km2 (128,070 sq mi)
Population: 102.789.598
Currency: đồng (VND)
After more than 1000 years of Chinese rule, Vietnam became independent in the 10th century. From the 19th century, the area came under the influence of France (part of colonial Indochina). The first Indochina war was against France (1946-1954). In the second Indochina War (the Vietnam War), the communist north (with the support of Russia, China and North Korea) fought against the anti-communist south (with the support of the US, Australia and South Korea). The Viet Kong (National Front for the liberation of South Vietnam) was a communist resistance and guerilla group that infiltrated South Vietnam. Part of the Vietcong consisted of old Vietminh fighters, who earlier fought against French rule and later fled to North Vietnam. The Vietcong made use of a very extensive tunnel system (the best known is Cu Chi).
September 2nd is the national holiday, which celebrates that in 1945, Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969, Prime Minister/President and Chairman of the Communist Party) read the Declaration of Independence. In particular, he read passages from the United States Declaration of Independence, replacing the word "England" with "France." Saigon was named after him and is now called Ho Chi Minh City.
Some random facts
Traffic in Vietnam is very chaotic, especially the many (continuously honking) mopeds and motorcycles, preferably stacked with people or stuff.
Important export products are rice, coffee, cashew nuts, oil, black pepper, pitaja (dragon fruit), rubber and nowadays also a lot of electronics and clothing.
The conical hats are called Non la and are mainly worn on the rice fields as protection against the sun (and the rain).
The cheapest beer in the world is found in Vietnam: $0.20 per glass for Bia Hoi.
Vietnam has a very low crime rate.
80% of the people are atheists (or animists), the rest are Buddhists and Catholics.
The Dong has notes from 200 to 500,000. If stores don't have enough small bills at hand, you'll get your change back in the form of candy.
The Book I read (part 1)
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Translated to Dutch by Johannes Jonkers
Synopsis: This is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born. It tells of Vietnam, of the lasting impact of war, and of his family's struggle to forge a new future. And it serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog's life his mother has never known - episodes of bewilderment, fear and passion - all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation.
This book was already on my shelf and I had heard a lot of good things about it. And it definately lived up to it's expectations! Every word has been thought through and almost every sentence is a poem in itself. The author is of Vietnamese descent and here and there in the story is also a link to Vietnam (especially from his mother and grandmother), but for the "purpose" I read it for now, it was not enough. I imagined myself more in America than in Vietnam. That's why I decided to read a second Vietnam book.
The Book I read (part 2)
As it was mostly set in the US, I felt I did not learn enough about the country and its people; I did not 'experience' it enough. So when my library reservation for The Mountains Sing finally arrived, I decided to "re-visit" Vietnam. And I'm so glad I did! I loved this book. It's has a good pace, is written beautifully and tells such an important and devastating story.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Synopsis: The Mountains Sing tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Tran family, set against the backdrop of the Viet Nam War. Tran Dieu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Noi, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Ho Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that will tear not just her beloved country but her family apart.
About the author
Author Nguyen Phan Que Mai is a poet and world traveler. The 47-year-old writer was born in North Vietnam, but grew up in a small village in the South, destitute, hungry and horrified by the ruins of war. She took the story of her father's mother, who died in the great hunger of 1945 as inspiration for her novel. "It's a catastrophe as a result of World War II, where two million Vietnamese people died. It was horrible, and my grandma died, together with her youngest son and her brother."
Other book recommendations for Vietnam
Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham
The Song of Kieu by Nguyen Du
The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
Fields of Fire by James Webb
Souvenir
When I think of Vietnam, I think of endless rice fields. So a set of nice, ecofriendly, chopsticks seemed like a nice souvenir.
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