One of the many perks of my job in Seoul is the vacation time between semesters. After living in the states for the past 4 years with little opportunity or means to travel I was ready to take full advantage of the break. Almost 2 months ago (yes, I’ve been super lazy about blogging) I had the chance to visit my friend, Tony’s, family in a southern part of Vietnam called Long Khanh, Dong Nai. This would be the first leg of a three week trip through Vietnam and Cambodia.  I knew little to nothing about this area before I agreed to go, but I knew that my friend grew up on a cashew and coffee farm sprinkled with tropical fruits with names unfamiliar to me. My expectations were that it was a very rural part of Vietnam and I was informed there would be no air conditioning or hot water. Coming from the concrete jungle of Seoul this was going to be quite the adventure.

Luckily, a fellow co-worker, who is also a new professor at the university, was able to join us for the beginning of our trip. We left Seoul to go to Incheon airport before the sun came up and embarked on an early morning flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

After a 5 hour flight we landed and were greeted with a warm welcome from an entourage of Tony’s family members. Feeling a bit sleepy from the flight compounded with the blast of tropical heat upon exiting the airport, I was a bit dazed and overwhelmed by the amount of people embracing us. At this moment I was thankful that my co-worker, Sarah, had joined us and I took a step back to appreciate the moment where Tony reunited with his extended family.

Tony’s family lives approximately 1 hour from the airport so we stopped for our first Vietnamese meal at a restaurant along the way. This was the first of many delicious meals, each better than the last, that I would experience during my time with his family.

When we arrived at his family’s house I was surprised to see that it was located in a village smaller than I expected. I soon found out that even though the open air layout of the concrete house was new to me, it was a typical style of Vietnamese homes in the countryside. After putting our luggage away, Sarah and I were quickly ushered to sit at a table in the garage/patio and we were soon given a lesson in tropical fruits. In front of us were baskets of fruit fresh from the farm including rambutan, lychee, mangosteen, and a fruit no one knew the English name for called “bong bong.” We also tried durian, which is a popular fruit grown at their farm, but not my personal favorite.

Little did we know this was just the start of the next four days of endless fruit. By the end of the trip we had eaten our weight in fruit including other fruits such as dragon fruit and jackfruit.

The next morning we woke up early (by our lazy western standards at least), but late according to life on the farm. Quickly we realized that if we weren’t awake between 6am and 7am, there would be a strong knock on our door rushing us to get up and eat breakfast. We went to the local market to buy fresh ingredients for spring rolls. The traditional market is at its liveliest in the early morning. It was a small market bustling with people and mopeds weaving through the crowds.

 

Sarah and I decided to get some Vietnamese traditional straw hats at the market. This was the first time we learned that we would not be allowed to spend a penny of our own money during this part of the trip. Tony’s family insisted on buying everything for us and by the end of the trip I still found it difficult to accept their gifts without protest.

Our first day started off without plans, but ended up being an eventful day filled with a visit to the farm as well as buying fabric and getting fitted for Vietnamese long dresses. Sarah and I learned that due to the language barrier and Tony’s spotty translations, we would never know the itinerary for each day and we would have to learn to go with the flow. Our days would start out without plans and within a moment’s notice we would be ushered on the back of a moped to go somewhere.

Picking out fabric for our long dresses was exciting, but getting measured wasn’t my favorite part. Sarah and I attracted the attention of the locals wherever we went, and two western girls being fitted for long dresses was quite the highlight for the locals.

Some pictures from the farm:

 

Life on the farm was pretty low-key. Coming from fast-paced city life in Seoul accompanied with the oppressive heat, Sarah and I were happy to slow down and enjoy the scenery. Most days we stayed at the house during the day and enjoyed home cooked meals. In the mornings we would venture to the local convenience store to get some iced Vietnamese coffee, to which Sarah and I quickly took a liking. These mornings became a source of entertainment for us. The convenience store was on the side of a main road and we noticed that everyone that passed on mopeds, buses, or trucks rubbernecked to catch a glimpse of the foreigners on the side of the road. It was almost if they had radar that we were sitting there and would automatically turn their heads to stare. We started to make a game out of it and would wave or smile back at the locals. In turn we received the biggest smiles or waves. It was definitely a celebrity moment for us.

The other source of entertainment for us during the day was Karaoke. Another surprising fact is that almost every Vietnamese household has Karaoke set up complete with a sound system and microphones. While trying to take a mid-day nap one afternoon, I was awoken by music blasting and Tony’s family singing songs both in English and Vietnamese. Sarah and I hesitantly started to join in and after a few Tiger beers we were singing our hearts out.

About 2 days after we were fitted for our long dresses, they were ready to be picked up. Both of our dresses fit perfectly and it was such a special experience to wear them. We tried them on at the shop and then later had a photoshoot with them on around the village. An interesting fact about the long dresses is that Vietnamese teachers wear them to work everyday. Since Sarah and I are both teachers, it was fitting that we got them. We both plan on wearing them to teach someday!

My four day stay with a Vietnamese family in a rural village taught me a lot. I learned that people who live a simple life are sometimes the happiest people. I also greatly appreciated the importance that Vietnamese people place on family rather than on money. Lastly, since I did not plan this leg of the trip, I learned how to let go and go with the flow. This was only the beginning of my three week adventure. Soon I would be spending another eventful four days with other members of Tony’s family.