Vietnamese New Year Pt. II
The Vietnamese New Year “Tết Nguyên Đán” is the ultimate festivity. Viet Nam equals a madhouse in the weeks before this occasion. Shops and supermarkets are crowded to overflowing. Goods for sell are gift wrapped in red over packaging. Houses are cleaned and decorated with plants and trees. Various trees such as the peach tree (Hoa đào), ochna integerrima (Hoa mai) or kumquat (Cây quất) can be purchased. Most of the trees are carried home on motorbikes which is really impressive.
We do have fireworks at selected public places. They are governmental run since private fireworks is outlawed for more than 15 years. However, they are pretty good! Unfortunately rain last night, so that I couldn’t see much of the fireworks from my friend’s house in which I stay over New Year.
Vietnamese New Year is also the time for family gatherings and traditions. It is a public holiday and the most sacred time of the year. So people won’t go to work for at least three days. The few people who do business raise the prices for services and goods. Especially hotels and restaurants are expensive at this time. Therefore we’ll cook more often at home and perhaps celebrate my birthday here, too.
The weather in January was cool and rainy. The grey sky let me feel less interest in teaching. Luckily most of my students went to military basic training. In Viet Nam all students, male and female, have to attend a military training of at least four weeks. So I decided going on holiday for two weeks. I asked another volunteer to take over my other classes for that time. He agreed and I left gloomy Ha Noi.
There are basically four different dialects in modern Vietnamese language: Northern Vietnamese (Ha Noi); North-central (Vinh); Central Vietnamese (Hue); and Southern Vietnamese (Saigon). The different dialects follow basically the same grammar but differ in their sound systems and some vocabulary.
A movement of people between North and South began in the mid-20th century. Due to that, and perhaps nationwide television consumption, people may understand different dialects. However, dialects are also a part of culture and the cultural differences are huge. The common stereotypes for the different regions are: the traditional North (home of the socialists?); tasty cuisine for the Central provinces; and the ambitious richer South.
Work the truth out for yourself
Well, I haven’t stayed in other provinces for long time yet. Therefore I shouldn’t really judge about it. I love my Ha Noi community; even though Ha Noi is not really famous for friendliness. The people are easy to temper! The more Southern I went the friendlier I was welcomed. People were more relaxed and warm hearted. Perhaps my view is wrong! If you have a different opinion let me know about it and leave a comment.
I went on holiday with two friends of mine. We first stopped in Da Nang, headed then to Ho Chi Minh City and finally to Phu Quoc Island. It was nice to see the South again which I haven’t visited for more than three years. Ho Chi Minh City, “the economic capital”, is modern compared to Ha Noi, the political capital. The city has many high buildings, wide streets, and plenty of shops and supermarkets. The traffic is less bad and the air is much cleaner.
I like the Vietnamese street food and drinking culture. People sit and gather on tiny plastic stools and tables. The people in Ha Noi drink much tea on the streets. The people in Ho Chi Minh City drink coffee with sweet condensed milk.
Live responsibly, and enjoy life
I was really happy that the Southern Vietnamese could understand my Northern dialect. So I could handle most matters in Vietnamese language and I didn’t have to use English much. The holiday was quite relaxed. We spent most of the time discovering places and trying the local specialties. We also hired motorbikes for off-road trips on Phu Quoc Island. The isle is mountainous and the mostly unpaved roads lead through green forests. Besides we often stopped at some nice beaches for a swim.
After a nice holiday we arrived safely back to our house in Ha Noi. The chilly rainy weather remained for two more weeks. Then, in February, the weather changed suddenly. The thermometer showed around 30°C. I spent much time outside for a walk and some drinks. Though cloudy sky most of the day but sunny about noon. The spring has come! On the other hand mattresses, clothes and wooden furniture started to go moldy on account of the high air humidity.
I should reconsider my training schedule! I have been running a bakery contest lately. There are roughly 30 different places on my list. I’ve been picking out one bakery each day. Perhaps I’ll change to daily workout instead of three times weekly. Meanwhile our house got more crowded. The current number of volunteers amounts to twelve. Since then more and more people gather to cook German dishes.
Being a Southerner myself I find Northerns to be more conservative yet bolder(in actions). I might be biased, but I do think in general Southerners, perhaps one reason for that is the overall living condition (weather, land,…) is much easier in the South, thus people tend to be more “relax”. Perhaps for the same reason, you can see that people from the North and Center of Vietnam tend to be more hardworking.