Viet Nam Experience

In anticipation of my coming to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), mixed emotions were all over me. Never in my dream did I consider coming to Viet Nam, not at least, of all Asian countries I've known. When my friend told me that the work opportunity she wanted me to consider was in Viet Nam, I had the notion to say no. What I imagined the place to be was what I saw in movies, read in history books- the Viet Nam years passed. My fear and curiosity had me browsing the net to get information of this place, the people, their culture and anything that would appease my reluctant heart. My mother-in-law was the first one to get excited and told me that Viet Nam is fine.

On May 27, 2009, aboard the Vietnam Air with my friend, I reached the City of Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh. From a few altitudes high, I found the place to be just I imagined it to be, green fields and buildings. The International Airport has some resemblance to the NAIA in Manila. The first citizens I met in the arrival area were young men and women, in their late teens or early twenties. They could barely speak English but managed at least to understand and be understood. The hotel chauffer was at the lobby waiving mine and my friend's name. I said hello and he managed to say a word or two in English. All throughout the trip to the hotel my friend and I talked of the similarities and differences we noticed between Vietnam and the Philippines. The driver was silent during the whole trip. As soon as we unloaded our luggages, we went to Ericsson for the briefing and job orientation.

It's been more than a week now since I set foot in this city of Ho Chi Minh. The first thing that amused me and still amuses me today is the Viet Nam Dong. On our first day going to Ericsson, we took a cab. Since the rate of VND to 1 USD is 17,800, we changed only 20 USD each. We asked the hotel crew how much we had to pay for the cab. I showed him the bills and asked him to count the money for me. He got 120,000vnd, that much for the cab. Every time we pay, we cannot help but be amused of how much money we are counting. In the Philippines, P50,000 is a lot of money. A meal in Vietnam costs between 20,000 to 80,000 dong. I am a millionaire here with my 600USD pocket money.

The second thing that amuses me is their food. Viets always serve you soup and side dish, even in lowly carinderias or turo-turo. Their soup is rich in vegetables, meats and seafood. Unlike in the Philippines, their fried rice is loaded that you don't need to order for a separate viand. One serving is good for two ladies or enough for a gentleman to be full. They are experts in French and English dishes and foreigners enjoy the good taste.

Saigon has fast foods like KFC, Pizza Hut and proudly Filipino's Jollibee. Their chicken joy is served with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, well arranged on the plate. For additional 4,000dong, hot chicken and vegetable soup will go with the chicken joy.

The city streets are full of motorcycles driven by every kind of citizen of legal age- men of all sorts, women of all sorts, sometimes wearing plain dresses or skirts. The number of motorcycles is something you may have never seen before or will never see until you come. With those motorcycles coming from and going everywhere, crossing the streets is difficult. Every time we get back to the hotel, the guard goes out to meet us and help us cross the street.

The people's looks are not very different from Filipinos. In Ericsson, the employees are a mixture of different nationalities. Filipinos and Viets can hardly be distinguished until you hear them speak. The locals I work with could barely speak English, but my young interpreter, a 2nd year college student speaks very good English. His accent though sometimes makes his statement confusing. The look on my face often makes him repeat what he said, in a more legible manner.

My student-interpreter will be absent for eight days in the next three weeks because of examinations, sort of performance evaluation and entrance tests at the same time. According to him, every year before the enrolment all students in every level have to take the tests, otherwise they cannot enroll for the school year which starts in September. High school students are also subjected to similar tests which run for three days. If Viet students are forced to study to pass the yearly test, I wonder how well Filipinos can be academically, if the same is done in the Philippines.

Viet Nam has seven mobile operators. We are working for Viet Nam Mobile that carries the Mobifone Brand. I still do not understand much of their mobile numbering. Some begin with 011, others 093, 090 and many more. Usually the mobile number, excluding 0 and the operator codes, is only six digits.

There are many stories to tell about Viet Nam, but I can only say that much for now. Till then…