We're back home now and missing Saigon a lot.
We're both reluctant to attempt any kind of summary about our trips--to say that "Vietnam is a land of" anything in particular. But it's fair to say that, despite a political and economic environment where people find it difficult to use all of their skills and ambitions, Vietnam has tremendous gifts. Particularly in the familiar and easy way that people get along, whether it's parents and children or strangers in a cafe.
At the speech contest where we were judges, we asked one teenager a follow-up question on her speech about the importance of a strong national identity. She had said when people think of Italy, they think of its fine art and she gave some more examples like that about other countries. We asked her, "What do you hope people in other countries will think of when they think of Vietnam?"
"Friendliness," she said. That idea wasn't in her prepared speech, but it came to her instinctively. And our experience supports her hope. Friendliness is what we think of when we think of Vietnam.
We're also reluctant to attempt a summary, because we expect to have an ongoing relationship with the country and our friends there, with as many more trips as our budgets and schedules will allow. We anticipate returning in September 2009 for a five-month stay. So, there will hopefully be more posts on this travelogue at that time. Please check back to see.
-Robert and Ilene
