Mango tree, Vung Tau, Vietnam

Another birthday and we’ve taken a cab to a restaurant on a wide street in a part of town I have rarely travelled. The restaurant is two large levels and the part is on the top in a room in the back which—unlike the larger front section which is open in the front like a large veranda—is sealed by a wall of glass as if we are being quarantined. It is air conditioned cool and very loud with sound having nowhere to go and a lot of people making a lot of loud noise.

There are two long tables at the side of each room and three large round tables down the middle. Most are full; probably about fifty to sixty people in the room. I sit with my back against a wall, the table already laid out with food, beer arriving and some loud activity going on in the far corner.

A stout, dark man is leading a group into toasts and singing. it’s so loud I can’t even hear the children screeching. But everyone in the small singing cluster and the rest of the room looking over all seem to be happy, and many people are smiling. The dark stout man eventually wanders back to his own table at the other side of the room and I then wonder if all these people are here for the same party.

It turns out to be at least two parties for people in the same family, a niece and an aunt. There are a few faces familiar from other birthday parties. I am the only obvious foreigner and, as is usually the case, everyone mostly speaks Vietnamese. But people smile at me and enough walk over to toast with me that before I’ve been there an hour I’ve drank the greater part of four Heineken and am already a little buzzed.

Ear canal cleaning, Vung Tau, Vietnam

Two or three men, with chopsticks, are rooting amongst a pile of meat on a plate in order to find the best piece for my plate.

Street sweeper, Vung Tau, Vietnam

My experience with ordering food in restaurants in Vietnam is one of two extremes:

• sometimes you are seated, given a menu and the person waiting on you hovers until you order

• sometimes you are seated, given a menu and never approached again unless you request service.

If the prior instance I usually manage to explain that I’ll be a few minutes and they can come back.

In the latter—and I’m indifferent about consuming food—I’ll usually finish my drink and, if they ask if I want another I may or may not order another and if i do order another I may or may not then order food.

If I want food it’s not difficult to get their attention.

Rang Dong Cafe, Vung Tau, Vietnam

A dog stands, front paws on the handlebars, head high and enthusiastic. Behind him a man—the driver—followed by another dog being held by a woman sitting last.

The Imperial Hotel and adjoining facilities (restaurant, bar etc) have some of the nicest washrooms I have seen in Vungtau; luxurious, clean and largely functional. I do question the urinals, though, which could be misconstrued as toilets.

Photo by Phil.

Vietnam is not paradise. Or rather Vung Tau is not paradise. Like everywhere I have lived it has good and bad qualities. What keeps me here is that it is so foreign and unusual that it is rarely uninteresting. And, of course, that it is also inexpensive. But what I really like is how liberal it feels.

You might laugh reading that but that might only reveal that you have never been here and that your knowledge of communist and socialist states might be limited. If you consider the relatively recent war in this country it’s easy to understand how our views of communism may be misconstrued.

I’ve talked to a number of expatriates here and what almost all of them find amusing or a pain in the ass about their so called democratic homelands is how restrictive they are compared to Vietnam.

The good example — especially considering where many expatriates meet and talk (or possibly bad example depending upon your point of view; The Jehovah Witnesses would certainly disagree and, yes, Vietnam has them, too) — is drinking and bars. In Vietnam I can purchase beer (any alcohol, really) almost anywhere and can consume it just as freely without being told I cannot drink on the sidewalk, park or beach. I’ve even brought a beer from one bar to another (very Las Vegas) although this may not be encouraged and my ‘status’ gives me some leeway. Did I mention that beer is generally inexpensive?

Bars themselves vary a little in their schedule policies, however, that seems to be up to the proprietor as opposed to the authorities. I’ve been in bars that do not close if there are customers (expatriate or otherwise). I’ve been in bars until the sun comes up. I know people that have been in bars until the time the bar ‘officially’ opens again. Of course I’m not saying that is exactly a good thing but it sure is nice not being told last orders and time to leave by some hulk of a bouncer.

Aside from the joys of debauching things are, overall, more relaxed in that you do not feel this oppressive police presence intimidating you for hanging out too long or driving your motorbike on the sidewalk. You don’t see people getting ticketed for illegal parking at all or for unlawful or suspicious driving that often. There are no roadblocks that I have seen.

As far as I can tell people can sell what they want from wherever they want whenever they want (I’m referring to general merchandise, not drugs which I might discuss at another time). I doubt many of them have business licenses. Commerce isn’t inspected and regulated to the point of making everything banal and generic.

Of course Vietnam has many deficiencies, there is no denying that. And many people will claim either legitimately or defensively that checks and measure, rules and regulations and the presence of authority make for a better, healthier and safer lifestyle. Maybe.

On the other hand — and as much as I loathe some people’s manners and lack of common sense — the people here by and large seem very capable of managing themselves; there seems to be less violence and crime, people are generally more relaxed and pleasant, there are less people begging on the streets here than most big cities I’ve lived in and — did I mention — things are generally less expensive.

Sure Vung Tau is dirty in places, traffic can be insane, people may not always be polite and there are often too many dogs barking too late at night (etc etc) but I can say the same — give or take — about almost everywhere I’ve lived and visited.

The benefit of Vietnam? It doesn’t provide you with an over domineering police force. It doesn’t tell you when to go home. It doesn’t regulate what you can buy from whom when and where. It doesn’t tell you what freedoms you are lucky to have.