Early Risers in Viet Nam

[Comanche]

As always, I must make apologies beforehand for the quality of the photos. I am post-processing them on an old laptop with dubious color at best. As some of you know, I used to live in Viet Nam and still make trips back to visit friends and do some work.

The Vietnamese get up early in the morning. An American friend once asked one of her Vietnamese students to join her for a morning run. In making the arrangements, the student said she would come by the American’s apartment at 6:30 - - then quickly blurted “Oh my goodness! Is that too late?”

And the Vietnamese like to spend their morning hours in different ways. For the people of Hue (say whey), the central Viet Nam city where we are now, and where we used to lived and teach, the banks of beautiful Perfume River provide a peaceful place for the old folks to limber up with Tai Chi exercises.



The wearing of shorts is new to this conservative city – especially by older people. When my wife and I first arrived in 2005, shorts were seen on only foreign tourists and the rare young rebel. Most older people still prefer more traditional garb. These two friends mix the two together well, but they are more concerned with the morning’s conversation than fashion. And no – those are not really pajamas – they just look like pajamas to our western eyes.



Here is a man I understand – I am a morning newspaper kind of guy too, but he has his cup of morning coffee and reads his newspaper alongside the river. The sidewalk café is far enough away from the noisy traffic on the bridge behind him to keep it peaceful. Viet Nam has a very high literacy rate – in fact, it is higher than America’s – and the readers have a wide selection of newspapers to choose from. Of course all of them are published by the government, but some are developing a reputation for independence.



On this morning’s stroll to the river, I went through a small park and saw something I had never seen before – someone sleeping on a park bench. I lived here long enough to know there are people who live on the streets (especially kids), but I had never seen a park used this way before. I think the older gentleman was embarrassed for his country to see the big foreigner with the huge black camera and white lens sitting on a bench nearby, obviously taking pictures of the sleeper, so he sidled over and tried to nudge the lump awake, but with little success. As I passed through the park on the way back from the river, the lump was a wake and looked very disheveled. I hope this is not a harbinger of things to come. I don’t know if the sleeper was a drug addict, and I know drugs are not yet a major problem in Viet Nam – but I would hate to see drugs in Hue.



Finally, there is the poor schmuck who has to get up early and doesn’t have the luxury of a stroll with friends, or a cup of coffee, or morning Tai Chi. This is the guy who must deliver the morning’s good to restaurants and stores. A xich lo (say sick low) driver makes about a dollar a day. Life is hard – and mornings start very early indeed for him because he had to pedal his machine somewhere to pick up this load of coconuts, melons, and vegetables, deliver it, and then spend the rest of the day hoping to pick up a free-spending foreign tourist.



One thing I could count on as I roamed the city early in the morning was that I would not see a foreigner wearing a t-shirt with “Good Morning, Vietnam” emblazoned on the front. The foreigners were all still in bed.

[ngoduyviet]

Heh, I remember that. The main reason people are up early is to avoid the daily heat. I still remember my dad got up at 3 every morning to go get a cup of coffee, went to church at 4 AM, yes AM, then by 5 AM he already started working.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. They remind me of these early mornings.

[lhdvies]

Good job Doug, Thks for the post. I know you are enjoying your work there.

[Patti Edens]

Thanks Doug for the great photos (no apology necessary) and the tidbits of info. I always enjoy your posts.

[dlbdata]

Great Post. A realistic perspective.

[toverman]

Thanks for sharing these. Even if it's the call of duty, those who rise early know what's what. That is often the absolute best part of the day: beautiful light and crisp air followed by hours of possibility.

[12stones]

This is a wonderful post that makes me regret that I wasn't more into photography when I lived in Japan and spent the time traveling to places like Thailand, Guam, etc... I saw some amazing things that are just fuzzy memories now. It would have been fantastic to catch them properly with a camera.

[Comanche]

Originally Posted by ngoduyviet

Heh, I remember that. The main reason people are up early is to avoid the daily heat. I still remember my dad got up at 3 every morning to go get a cup of coffee, went to church at 4 AM, yes AM, then by 5 AM he already started working.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. They remind me of these early mornings.

Ah yes - avoiding the mid-day heat is exactly the reason. In the two large cities of Saigon and Hanoi, they have become westernized and people now eat lunch at their desks or go to meetings during the noon hour or do some other stress-inducing activity. But in Hue, things are still civilized and from 11 to 1:30 or so, people go home for lunch, then take a quick nap.

And yes - I have been to church at 5AM here - - but not often.

Thanx to all for your compliments. I did not feel it was that good a piece, but the camera kept muttering to me that I needed to put it to work.

[Goaliesgirl]

I really enjoyed this series. I have basically never been anywhere and it fascinates me to think about people in other parts of the world going about their daily lives. The similarities (morning coffee and newspaper) as well as differences ( I know very few people who have been to church at 5 am anywhere). Thank you for sharing them.

[mjdmike]

Thank you Doug for sharing your images and comments about Viet Nam. I always enjoy your posts. Keep them coming please.

[mhuebner]

Nice shots that make you feel like you're there. BTW, your processing looks very nice on my monitor.

[semperaggie]

Great captures and commentary.