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Nha Trang has been incomprehensibly sedate. This was not supposed to be the case. After all, the place looked enticing enough from the guidebook pictures. And Miss Universe 2008 was held here.

Perhaps some of the loveliness left with the ladies. Nha Trang lacks the uber-chill out vibe of Sihanoukville. In any case, I now have half a day to burn and nothing with which I can burn it. This explains the existence of this post at this moment. It would otherwise be fermenting somewhere in my mind, until I find myself sufficiently bored enough to post something.

So, here’re some of the observations that I have thus far made. As much as I hope they are pithy and blindingly insightful, I realise that I am hardly a paragon of anthropologic brilliance. Neither have I conducted any  studies that can prove my observations true. Thus I sadly cannot say that I write authoritatively. Please forgive my trespasses should I have offended anyone or anything.

Observation 1

The Vietnamese look like us who look like the Vietnamese. It has become a common occurrence that touts, salespeople and hotel staff initiate communication with us in Vietnamese. They’ll say something and we’ll register it as ?????,????,????? ?. Then we have to sheepishly smile and ask “Do you speak English?” for them to recognise our foreignness.

Observation 2

Sidewalks are truly communal property. Hawkers appropriate space for their stall set-ups; motorcyclists leave their bikes lined up on the pavements; trashs and water puddles set up permanent residences there. Obstacles such as the odd pile of sand and the odd brick are terribly inconsiderate; they too sit on the sidewalks  and refuse to budge. Pedestrians are forced to walk on the roads. Which would be all very well and good if they had the roads to themselves but very sadly they don’t. Incredibly, they must share the roads with vehicles. And so pedestrians and motorbikes and cars engage in a dangerous dance on the roads, twisting and weaving among one another. I guess that’s how Vietnamese stay so slim. All the exercise from vehicle dodging and the stress make for excellent calorie burning.

Observation 3

Speaking of slim Vietnamese, Vietnamese girls generally don’t look too bad despite not dressing up much Mostly looking like they’re going to the market. On the higher end of the scale, they look like they’re going to a neighbourhood shopping mall like say…. Causeway Point (and not Wisma Atria). On the lower end, they wear pajamas. Still, they are easy on the eyes. Which is definitely a plus point of this holiday.

Observation 4

While on the subject of the Vietnamese female, they seem to dominate economic activity. They are hawkers, salespeople, hotel service staff, even construction workers. They are entrepreneurial, enterprising and hard working. All the men seem to do is drive motorbikes, taxis and buses and sit in corners drinking coffee/beer. I wonder if this apparent equality is inherent in Asian cultures. The Chinese and, as we learnt, the Vietnamese, had Empress dowagers who sat at the head of royal families. This phenomenon seems to have continued as many businesses appear to be matriarchal. Like the chicken rice stall at Waterloo Street.

Onwartd to Saigon!