Tuesday, 13 March 2007

Settled.

Can tho, Vietnam: march 25, 2005

When me and a friend decided to take a boat trip from Saigon, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, all we wanted to see was Angkor Wat, the ancient ruins from the Khmer rouge regime.
But we saw some things more worthwhile than a tourist trap on our journey. When the boat stopped at the floating market in Can Tho, at first glance we were amazed to see the river bank looking like a third world city slum: but on stilts. The crowded huts had corrugated tin roofs, were scattered among sludgy, littered paths, and barefoot children mingled with freely wandering chickens and dogs.
One thing that stood out for me was the improvisation involved in their ‘survival’; children made little toys out of rubbished plastic water bottles and the sides of some houses had pots and pans hanging from chicken wiring, doubling up as a balcony wall.

Unfortunately like with other slums around the world, no matter how well developed and settled these communities may be, there’s always the possibility that the government can impose forced relocations of these populations. Much of the land inhabited by slum dwellers is officially owned by the government, but corrupt officials can sell the land to private interests with little alternative, forcing communities to start over from scratch.

Vietnamese woman controlling our boat

At the time, through our excitement and slight naivety, we weren’t aware of this inevitability as something potentially devastating.
Being aware that we may never get to witness this vista of life again saddened us, and knowing that others may not feel the same warmth and optimism of these Vietnamese locals, if foreseen circumstance prevails.
My opinion is that these people aren’t just surviving, they are living. You know you’re alive more than ever when you experience the negative things in life, I know I certainly do. But it seemed to me that -when compared to western society- they may not be aware how less fortunate they may be, they do not have the pressures of too many choices, the media over exaggerating or aesthetic significance.
This experience only humbled us.



Vietnamese women sorting their wares for floating market

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