How did I decide to take my first big trip abroad? Real Vietnam, and what experiences and culture await you there when you visit the country with a local.
Vietnam, Here We Go!
When I omit the Czech Republic, Vietnam is the first country where, besides the tourist sights, I explored the local culture and people, as well. The origin of an event explore Vietnam was created unusually spontaneously to me.
After all-day Christmas beach volleyball tournament at Domyno, I and my friends sat down at a local restaurant having a fine burger. We washed down the burger with the Czech golden beer. Uhm, apart from a few weirdos such as Jarda with his healthy diet, who got water instead.
At no volleyball event, the discussion about the summer camp in Italy can´t be missed. We go there every year, so the time of visits has already exceeded the two-digit number.
“Well, Jarda, will you go to Italy this year again?”
“Hmm, probably not.”
“Why not?”
I put my arm around Nam’s shoulder, who is sitting next to me and say: “Nam and I are going to Vietnam this year.”
Vietnamese Guide Nam Le Hoai
Nam was born in Vietnam. He lived there for thirteen years and then he moved to Czechia. He is half Czech and half Vietnamese. I would say that more Vietnamese then Czech, actually. Like a native Vietnamese who learned Czech. Thus, I have left all the planning to the expert who knows the language, culture and above all who has a majority of family living there. I told him, “Hey Nam, It’s up to you. I believe that you can do it.”
The plan, which Nam had informed me about sufficiently in advance, was more or less clear, “If you want to go to Vietnam with me, be aware that we will be visiting my family.” I nodded my head as a sign of approval and said, “Sure, you’re the boss here.” And so Nam’s family which is being spread across the peninsula has naturally created the backbone of our trip.
Real Vietnam
Nam’s closest cousins Sahn, Tony, and Honza picked us up right after we landed at the airport. They greeted us from distance: “Ahoj, já jsem …” No wonder they spoke Czech. For the Vietnamese Czechia is something like a second homeland. As it is a success for the Czechs to move to the west, it is also a success for the Vietnamese to move to Czechia, which is also west for them.
I didn’t have to wait long for my first experience too long. After leaving the airport, I tasted the real Vietnam. I got slap in the face by the local Vietnamese steam sauna set to “pleasant” 97 °F. From a slight stagger, I immediately got recovered by drivers who honked as crazy. It seemed as if the drivers had mistaken a horn with a gas and brake pedals.
Food, Food & Even More Food
We get into a car and set off in the direction to the nearest renowned all you can eat buffet. The food was great. There was everything you could imagine – roasted duck with cabbage and dumplings, beef sirloin with cream … just a second … let’s return to Vietnam. We could choose from seafood of all kinds, sushi, various desserts, a lot of unusual vegetables and even more special fruits. We didn’t miss the chance to order Saigon – a local beer. One dessert, however, stood above the others… The one to rule them all. It was a true cherry on the cake, which unique and indescribable taste got stuck in my head to this day.
Cows Everywhere You Look
Another stop was Nam’s native village. The trip itself was full of excitement. We drove almost alone at the new highway, except for a forgotten herd of cows, which apparently liked to walk on concrete more than on grass, cars that were shortening its way in the opposite direction and pedestrians who had mistaken the highway with a rice field. After a few minutes of driving, I saw that perhaps all the traffic laws were broken, all besides the allowed maximum speed. You must start somewhere.
As soon as the traffic situation began to repeat, leaving me calm, the boys began the second round. They told me, “Do you see that broken hut over there?”, “Yes”, “The home we will live in looks similar.”, after a moment of dismay, I calmed down, accepted reality and said, “Okay, the main thing is to have a roof above my head.” When the jokes about where they go to the restroom and how you survive in the hut, ended, the boys began to teach me how to greet the most respected member of the family – the grandma. “Chào bà”, they taught me along the way.
Grandma – Head of the Family
We arrived at a house that I would never dream of. A huge building reminiscent a palace, no hut. The boys had prepared me for the worst possible scenario, yet I’m rewarded with the exact opposite. “Chào bà”, I greet the grandma, who welcomes us from the door. The grandma greets me with a smile. Besides grandma, Nam’s cousin and aunt also welcome us. Oh no, an unexpected situation I didn’t prepare for. I solve the whole language barrier issue with a silly grin.
We were literally wrung out of energy after more than thirty hours of travel without proper sleep. Grandma was aware of this, so she sent us to take a rest in our new room. Our room was great, both of us had one huge bed for ourselves. Although the bed was huge, the average European had a problem to fit in. When I lay down, my feet hang out of it. I solved the problem in a volleyball manner. I lay down diagonally.
Magnificent Dinner
After the nap, Nam told me, “A couple of relatives will join us for tonight’s welcome dinner. You know, the fact that we’ve come here is a big event in the village.” Before the meal, we went to greet Nam’s ancestors. Yes, in Vietnam they do not worship God, or gods, but their deceased ancestors. Because of that they express all their respect to the elders.
As the dinner preparation was going on, aunt and cousin took care of the cooking, while Nam brought a carpet on grandma’s request. Since all discussions took place in Vietnamese, I was out of the picture, so I asked Nam, “Nam, what is the purpose of this festive carpet? Is it a decoration?”, “No, it’s for eating. We would not fit to the table, so we will eat on the floor on this carpet.”, “Would not fit? I thought that only a couple of relatives would come …”
A couple of relatives turned out to be around twenty people, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandma, Nam and me. The carpet changed into a dining table full of food. The food was in big bowls which were placed in the middle of the carpet. We ate duck with rice noodles, soup, and vegetables. As usual beer wasn’t missing. Especially uncles paid attention to a good toast with their dear nephew and respected guest from Europe.
My New Aunts
“Cô Thang, cô Bang, cô Oanh …”, the aunts present themselves. Oh, they do not hold back with the names. I’m already confused because of all the differences, except for the people who all look the same. We played a game called ´Guess what is my name´ all night. The game was simple. One of the aunts always started by pointing out to herself and to her sisters and asking, “Cô …”. Although a simple game, I got one K.O. after another. Not able to strike.
I had a lot of fun with the aunts and at the same time, they were very helpful to me at the dinner. Without them, I would starve to death that night. For the first time, I held a pair of chopsticks and I already had to pass the food from a large common bowl to my small personal bowl. Aunts immediately noticed me struggling and helped me to fill my small empty bowl. As they were filling my bowl my stomach was getting full at the same time.
…
Thank You Nam
So that’s it. This is how our first day in Vietnam went like. Without mentioning what we did after dinner. Perhaps, you can imagine by now how much experience did we gather during the one and a half month of travel in Vietnam. I could write dozens of articles or a book about it. After all, only my brief diary, which I diligently wrote every day, counts more than fifty pages of A4 format.
This first big trip of mine abroad was magical. I visited a beautiful country met amazing people learned a lot about myself and other people’s culture and mentality. I can be very grateful to my guide, but mainly a great friend, Nam. Thank you very much for everything you have done for me, Nam. I know that sometimes it wasn’t easy to be around me but at the end, we did it. And we gained a lot of memories for a lifetime.
So before we go together on our next adventure, let’s recall again the shared memories by viewing our (or rather your) video:
Yes, by today, both of us would be able to make a much better video. Well, one more reason to keep it as it is. At least we can remember our first raw experience in editing and traveling.