asian bohemia

i woke up this morning to the voice of a lovely vietnamese woman. although my vietnamese is restricted to a few key phrases, all in some way related to either politely moving in a crowd or ordering a drink, i was sure i was listening to something i had never heard before.

the fact that i am vacationing in a communist country is strangely reinforced by what i am sure is propaganda messaged over the light pole mounted loud speakers found all over the city. the situation is not muted by the fact that i am enjoying the dual pleasure of holding american dollars and purchasing in the loose commerce of a fast growing asian country. but the sounds were mesmerizing, and the similarity of the smooth melody to the morning call to prays which have been waking me during ramadan was not missed. the tones of the woman’s voice are both soft and motivating. the message to someone who does not speak the language appears to be one of get up, start your day and work. help us grow our nation; prepare yourself for the coming day and the job that is in front of us.

If this is the message, it is strange that it is broadcast to a nation that appears anything but communist. during my first visit to a “former” communist nation, the czech republic, i was deeply surprised at the level of commerce on the streets. the people who had grown up under russian communist rule appeared to have made the transition quickly. this may have been shocking at the time, and the world is quickly changing, even china is making moves in the direction of open economic systems, but this small hamlet of communist rule is far beyond anything i would have expected.

i was just walking and randomly shopping, really doing nothing at all and mostly looking for opportunities to take photographs of life on the street. as i shopped i found a lacquer and granite chess board, with hand carved pieces for US$ 20, i am thinking of buying two. i also found an amazing CD and DVD shop that has CDs for 10,000 dong, but if i buy in bulk i was promised to have the price come down to 7,000 dong (US$ 0.44).

i am sitting in a micro brew pub with brick walls covered in football posters, brass and stainless steel holding tanks clearly visible, and a menu full of pub grub from all over the world. there is even "com rang malaixia (fried rice malaysia style) on the menu.

i am paying 30,000 dong (US$ 1.87) for a wonderful belguim red beer on draft, a price that would have seemed cheap even before i moved to KL and got used to paying US$ 10.00 for a decent, but bottled beer. Even at this price it does seem a bit steep, given last night I was drinking in a bai hao place, sitting on plastic chairs with cars and motorcycles going by, but only paying 4,000 dong (US$ 0.11) per beer.

the main wall of the pub has 10 foot wide reproduction of a political poster that reminds the workers that by working together they are making the country stronger. as i write this there are westerners from europe, US and australia simply enjoying the beer, having conversation and most likely ignoring the fact that the country is officially communist.

i sat next to a group of aussie kids on a school trip this morning. they told me their school brought them here to teach them about the history of australian involvement in the US/vietnam war. i was not sure how coming to vietnam, eating pizza and buying sex in the city on pirated DVD could teach them about that, but why fight it. i wish my school had taken trips like this. besides, clearly this is why i am not an educator.

hanoi does appear to attract a certain type of traveler, not a surprise, hong kong and singapore attract the shoppers, bangkok attracts pedophiles, and hanoi attracts bohemians. the people who travel here are laid back, relaxed, in search of a cheap and easy place to hang out. many have travelled around asia and have come to a point where they need a refuge. they are looking for somewhere to recharge, to take in a comfortable environment and simply enjoy the easy life.

the fact that it’s cheap, the people are easy to get along with and no one seems to get upset about very much is just the bonus that makes this city great.

vietnam was able to expel the french and defeat the americans; they were also able to bring the best of both of those cultures into their own. there is a wonderful sweetness about the people, they smile and help you relax. it seems the people here are much more relaxed about themselves and those around them than the people i have met elsewhere in asia. they seem to just want to do their jobs and not worry about bigger issues like politics, religion and economic policy.

this is asian bohemia; there are art galleries, cafes and cool food establishments all over this city. people, locals and foreigners, are simply relaxed and enjoying life. there is a comfort that shows itself as you look at and smile at people. i wonder why more of asia does not want to come here, experience this way of life and then bring it back into its own culture. i can think of one city that despretely needs to have its people come here and find the meaning of really taking it easy.

this is the closest i have come to seeing “la dolce vita” in asia. the fact that its here in a communist country, and is kept motivated by early morning announcements and strange communist music played at day break really does have me reconsidering some of my earlier opinions about communism. some would say it’s the march of history that has brought the country here, i have to think it’s the artsy people who smile and make it a perfect retreat for burnt out westerners.