Description
After a lukewarm start to my trip, I decide to book a new group excursion, hoping it will change my mind about Vietnam.
Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Transcription
- Speaker #0
After a lukewarm start to my trip, I decided to book a new group excursion, hoping it will change my mind about Vietnam. Enjoy the episode. Keep the wings. Chapter 4. A Glimmer of Hope in Murky Waters Still recovering from my last private tour, I was beginning to have serious doubts about Vietnam. Disappointed by my guide and the vibe in Ho Chi Minh City, I headed south in search of something more meaningful. I met some backpackers who invited me for a Mekong tour, yet another paid excursion I thought. I wasn't exactly keen on taking that risk again, but the few people I met encouraged me of doing so. And, lacking of any better plans, I eventually gave in. That's how I met Bao. Bauer was a few years younger than me, constantly smiling, with the kind of energy that would make most of old folks blush. He didn't speak great English, actually, barely any at all. But thanks to Google Translate, we managed to communicate. I decided to learn a bit more about him. He was on holiday in the South, far originally from Hanoi. A film enthusiast, Bao works as a cameraman on various shoots. He raved about Mr. Nobody by Jacob van Dormael, and even knew about Brussels.
- Speaker #1
Very beautiful place to shoot a movie.
- Speaker #0
He had it, explaining that one of his friends had studied there. He also confided that life wasn't always easy, but he managed to find work in Vietnam. Sometime, he's hired for major films, documentaries, and sometimes, headled films. He told me I should consider joining the industry, because I'm white and according to him, they're always looking for guys with big dicks,
- Speaker #1
not like Vietnamese men.
- Speaker #0
I burst out laughing, and obviously turned him down. Though the idea crossed my mind. One thing I couldn't help noticing, this store was too risky as hell. They sell you a picture perfect journey and you end up stuck in a kind of river traffic jam. Canoes on all sides, paddles splashing water in your face, people shouting in Vietnamese trying to decide who goes first. I look at my fellow victims, they were delighted and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it all was. We also had lunch at a local family's house. A nicely set table but no one sat with us. The locals act more like servers than hosts, never joining in for the meal. I would never again go on an organized tour. From now on, I would travel on my own terms. Still, not everything about the visit was a waste. The Mekong River crossing itself was done on a motorboat, with several stops along the way. Fruit tasting, visit to local businesses, coconut candy, biscuit making, honey, crocodile farms. As the tour progressed, things became more interesting. Only downside? The Mekong River itself. a murky green that made Belgium's amber look like crystal clear water. Some 20 million people call the Mekong Delta home, and 60 millions are dependent on the natural environment of the river system for their livelihood, says the Environment Administration on Vietnam.net. The Mekong water isn't exactly appealing, but people use it to cook, bait, and dump waste. Unfortunately, climate change and pollution have become major obstacles for these 60 million people. In 2018, Ho Chi Minh City ranked among the worst top 10 most polluted city with an air quality index of 94.6, according to a survey mixing public opinion and scientific data. Waste management is a disaster, especially in places like the famed Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam, which sees an average of 6 million tourists per year. According to an April 2016 article in Le Soir, a Belgian company was even called in to help clean it up. Vietnamese authorities have launched an ambitious plan to improve waste collection and processing. But full implementation will likely take at least a decade. And while places like Halong Bay are the focus of such initiative, efforts elsewhere in the country are unfortunately much rarer. People don't really sort their trash here. Everything's tossed into one plastic bag with no separation whatsoever. Piles of waste are a common sight. There are also dongna or vechai, street vendors who try to make a living by selling salvageable pieces of garbage. Add to that the country's intensive agriculture. Vietnam is the world's fifth largest rice exporter, which involves heavy pesticides used to stay competitive. I'm no expert in this field, but I've noticed that most Vietnamese people aren't very aware of environmental issues. For several reasons, though. It's simply not a priority. They're focused on what they see as essential. Development, comfort, abundance. Just as Europeans were a few decades ago. Now, our lifestyles have been questioned and we've become more concerned with pollution, recycling and the effects of overconsumption. As I was lost in my eco-philosophical tout, one email changed the course of my journey.
- Speaker #2
Hello, sir. Today, the police station sent us your Belgian passport, which you had lost. If you're still in Taiwan, you can come and pick it up by the office. Do you have a learned solution for what you need?
- Speaker #0
Just when I thought my temporary passport had made the old one invalid, a second wave of good news hit me.
- Speaker #2
Hello. The revenue passport is still valid. We will forward it to your embassy in Hanoi. Hoping it arrives in time, the embassy has already been informed. If you are unable to retrieve it in time, we will cancel it and you will travel with a temporary passport until you return to Belgium to apply for a new one.
- Speaker #0
It was still valid and ready for pick up in Hanoi, my final destination before flying off to new adventures. Perfect timing with a stroke of a dumb luck. Finally, the tide was turning for me in Vietnam. And from that moment on, the country and its people began to open up to me at last.
Description
After a lukewarm start to my trip, I decide to book a new group excursion, hoping it will change my mind about Vietnam.
Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Transcription
- Speaker #0
After a lukewarm start to my trip, I decided to book a new group excursion, hoping it will change my mind about Vietnam. Enjoy the episode. Keep the wings. Chapter 4. A Glimmer of Hope in Murky Waters Still recovering from my last private tour, I was beginning to have serious doubts about Vietnam. Disappointed by my guide and the vibe in Ho Chi Minh City, I headed south in search of something more meaningful. I met some backpackers who invited me for a Mekong tour, yet another paid excursion I thought. I wasn't exactly keen on taking that risk again, but the few people I met encouraged me of doing so. And, lacking of any better plans, I eventually gave in. That's how I met Bao. Bauer was a few years younger than me, constantly smiling, with the kind of energy that would make most of old folks blush. He didn't speak great English, actually, barely any at all. But thanks to Google Translate, we managed to communicate. I decided to learn a bit more about him. He was on holiday in the South, far originally from Hanoi. A film enthusiast, Bao works as a cameraman on various shoots. He raved about Mr. Nobody by Jacob van Dormael, and even knew about Brussels.
- Speaker #1
Very beautiful place to shoot a movie.
- Speaker #0
He had it, explaining that one of his friends had studied there. He also confided that life wasn't always easy, but he managed to find work in Vietnam. Sometime, he's hired for major films, documentaries, and sometimes, headled films. He told me I should consider joining the industry, because I'm white and according to him, they're always looking for guys with big dicks,
- Speaker #1
not like Vietnamese men.
- Speaker #0
I burst out laughing, and obviously turned him down. Though the idea crossed my mind. One thing I couldn't help noticing, this store was too risky as hell. They sell you a picture perfect journey and you end up stuck in a kind of river traffic jam. Canoes on all sides, paddles splashing water in your face, people shouting in Vietnamese trying to decide who goes first. I look at my fellow victims, they were delighted and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it all was. We also had lunch at a local family's house. A nicely set table but no one sat with us. The locals act more like servers than hosts, never joining in for the meal. I would never again go on an organized tour. From now on, I would travel on my own terms. Still, not everything about the visit was a waste. The Mekong River crossing itself was done on a motorboat, with several stops along the way. Fruit tasting, visit to local businesses, coconut candy, biscuit making, honey, crocodile farms. As the tour progressed, things became more interesting. Only downside? The Mekong River itself. a murky green that made Belgium's amber look like crystal clear water. Some 20 million people call the Mekong Delta home, and 60 millions are dependent on the natural environment of the river system for their livelihood, says the Environment Administration on Vietnam.net. The Mekong water isn't exactly appealing, but people use it to cook, bait, and dump waste. Unfortunately, climate change and pollution have become major obstacles for these 60 million people. In 2018, Ho Chi Minh City ranked among the worst top 10 most polluted city with an air quality index of 94.6, according to a survey mixing public opinion and scientific data. Waste management is a disaster, especially in places like the famed Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam, which sees an average of 6 million tourists per year. According to an April 2016 article in Le Soir, a Belgian company was even called in to help clean it up. Vietnamese authorities have launched an ambitious plan to improve waste collection and processing. But full implementation will likely take at least a decade. And while places like Halong Bay are the focus of such initiative, efforts elsewhere in the country are unfortunately much rarer. People don't really sort their trash here. Everything's tossed into one plastic bag with no separation whatsoever. Piles of waste are a common sight. There are also dongna or vechai, street vendors who try to make a living by selling salvageable pieces of garbage. Add to that the country's intensive agriculture. Vietnam is the world's fifth largest rice exporter, which involves heavy pesticides used to stay competitive. I'm no expert in this field, but I've noticed that most Vietnamese people aren't very aware of environmental issues. For several reasons, though. It's simply not a priority. They're focused on what they see as essential. Development, comfort, abundance. Just as Europeans were a few decades ago. Now, our lifestyles have been questioned and we've become more concerned with pollution, recycling and the effects of overconsumption. As I was lost in my eco-philosophical tout, one email changed the course of my journey.
- Speaker #2
Hello, sir. Today, the police station sent us your Belgian passport, which you had lost. If you're still in Taiwan, you can come and pick it up by the office. Do you have a learned solution for what you need?
- Speaker #0
Just when I thought my temporary passport had made the old one invalid, a second wave of good news hit me.
- Speaker #2
Hello. The revenue passport is still valid. We will forward it to your embassy in Hanoi. Hoping it arrives in time, the embassy has already been informed. If you are unable to retrieve it in time, we will cancel it and you will travel with a temporary passport until you return to Belgium to apply for a new one.
- Speaker #0
It was still valid and ready for pick up in Hanoi, my final destination before flying off to new adventures. Perfect timing with a stroke of a dumb luck. Finally, the tide was turning for me in Vietnam. And from that moment on, the country and its people began to open up to me at last.
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