Nha Trang, Vietnam - pt 1

Nha Trang is a port city in southeastern Vietnam known for its beautiful beaches and scuba diving. It has a population of 392,279 (11^th largest in Vietnam) and its economy relies largely on tourism, which is still only about 20% post Covid. It’s climate is warm the year round. I was surprised at the number of high rises and infrastructure. It is considered a resort city, though there are many people living there who are poor. Our guide told us that he works two jobs and makes $3,000 a year and his wife makes the same, so a total annual income of $6,000. 

 

view of harbor from our balcony - Nha Trang, Vietnam

Today’s outing was called “Life on the River.” We first traveled by bus to a jetty where we disembarked and walked to a wharf. From there we boarded boats that took us down the Cai river. With a view of the city and its tall skyscrapers behind us, we rode down the river where we saw houses and boats of those who live along its banks. 

 

view from boat looking back toward city

fishing boats docked along the river

life along the Cai River

From there we walked to see how “stoves” are made by hand. The mud is taken from the river bank, then kneaded and pressed into a bucket-type mold, then turned out to dry and later baked or fired. These stoves are used to cook over and there is much superstition around these “kitchen gods.” I read online that the “Kitchen God was an important intermediary between a family and other important gods. The Kitchen God was sometimes referred to as the Stove God, and this points to the importance of this god to family life, as the stove was thought to represent the unity of the family.”

 

hand building clay "stoves"

 

finished stoves

 

As we walked from there, he was also showing us different plants and how they were used for cooking or in traditional medicine. After climbing back into the boats, we continued along the river, riding under a wooden foot/motor scooter bridge. Further down we stopped for a potty break and our choice of soft drinks or coconuts at a riverside café.

 

we rode under this motor scooter bridge

 

cokes, beer, snacks & garlic on the cafe altar

 

"arena" used for cock fighting and gambling

 

cages separate fighting roosters

 

half-bald roosters running around

 

this one must have lost a fight

After returning to the bus, our next stop was to learn how traditional sleeping mats are made. Some in the group even gave it a try. Alternating strand after endless strand of dyed and stripped palm leaves with some kind of natural grass was such repetitive work! Over and over and over and…the two women worked together in perfect rhythm – one feeding the strand, the other pulling it back to meet the others. The mats were beautiful and I would have bought some to use as place mats but sadly they were just too small. The long mats are their traditional sleeping mats. The guide claimed it is good for the back, but mine hurt just thinking about sleeping on a hard surface with maybe 1/8 inch between me and the floor.

 

the art of mat making

demonstrating weaving process

finished products - small eating mats $5

 

From there, we visited a 200 year home, occupied by a 6^th generation Vietnamese man and his wife. Ancestral homes are passed down from one generation to the next. We went into the entry where we learned about the house itself, their way of life and saw their family altars. We learned that men enter on the left side of the door, women on the right. Men sleep on the left in the living quarters; women and children on the right in the kitchen. Traditionally, if a woman could not bear her husband a son, he could have as many wives as it takes to get a son. I pointed out to him that it’s the man who determines the sex of the child, not the woman but he dismissed my comment by saying “culture.”  The house had 3 altars – the primary one in the middle is for Buddha and Mrs. Buddha. The one behind it is for parents plus 3 generations of ancestors. The one to the left is for siblings and “lesser important” people as in other relatives, etc. Family members are required to pray at each of the 3 altars upon entering the house.

 

primary altar where families pray to the Buddhas

3 altars in entry - Buddhas (center) parents & ancestors (behind) other relatives (left)

passion fruit, mango, papaya, watermelon

 

We then were served tea and tropical fruits under a large pergola in the back yard, which was home to all kinds of trees, flowering plants, caged birds and roosters. As we walked back to the bus, our guide showed us different local plants (lemongrass, coconut, beetle nut) and talked about how they are used in cooking and for medicine. He fought in the war and told us several stories that happened and their lack of resources to deal with them. He told us how coconut water was injected directly into the injured person’s vein, detailing how they performed amputations, etc.

(to be continued...)