Vietnam darlings

bikeI just discovered that Drifter has a blog himself. If you are interested you can check it out at www.vnfrom.blogspot.com/ I only glanced at it briefly so far, but it seems he wants the same thing I now have. I hope his dream comes true……… mine has. Yesterday’s blog seemed to touch people. Not only did I get comments on the blog, but also responses from people who know my email, and people I am connected with on messenger service. Maz commented the blog caused sadness. Hopefully sad at the situation and not the teller. Because of the responses, perhaps I shouldbike2 spend a little more time on culture and people, but before I do, please let me tell you about my general thoughts and attitude. I am basically an individualist with slight leanings towards a social good. Leave me alone, and I will do the same. I will not judge you or condemn you for your actions unless you cross some lines. Two of those lines are the corruption of innocence, and the taking advantage of desperate people. In the past I have been accused of being a bit of a redneck because I find humor in things others do not. I can sit and stare google eyed at some young beauty walking past …. All in fun….But the truth is that I have a soft spot. In our society women have the same advantages as men…. sometimes more I think, but I have seen how children and women in different world have had it tough. I feel sorry…. I wish I could help them all.. But we are talking about Vietnam, so I will limit my discussion about here.

 It is a man’s world here. Traditionally, the man is king and what he wants is the law. It is not uncommon for a man to have 2, 3, or even 4 wives, as long as he can afford to support them. It is not legal of course, but an accepted part of the culture. You have probably noticed in the past that I referred a lot to the marriage proposal of the day. Well it schoolhappens each and everyday. I have just stopped mentioning it. I know some women personally that have no problems with being a 2nd or 3rd as long as they are cared for, however, I also know some who will have nothing to do with it. Now….. I said traditionally men are in charge, but the reality is that women here are generally higher educated and hard working to look after house and home. She is the driving force behind the family and the husbands usually fall in line. I have mentioned before that Vietnam changes fast, and the rise of women to equal status is roaring along. Most of the students I see attending university are young women. Many of the store owners and professionals in banks and offices are women. This generation will not as reliant on men for support and there will be less need to become a second wife. Women here generally likegirls to be as feminine as possible. It is just the way they are. I as of yet not seen a Tomboy. As I have mentioned, low cut jeans and skirts are all the rage. High heels are often worn to increase the length of the leg. When outdoors many are covered from head to toe with sun blocking material, all in an attempt to keep their skin light and beautiful. The Vietnamese women are part of what makes it worth travelling here. They are happy, hard working, and a lot of fun to interact with. The souvenirs you purchase were probably hand made by a woman. Everywhere you look you can see women. Men seem almost nonexistent. Where are the men, and what are they up to? I will write on that tomorrow.

An afterthought….. Even though women here dress as fashionable and sexy as they can, they almost never look “slutty” The clothes may be tight but their undergarments do a very good job at keeping their secrets to themselves. Thank goodness for that!! I already have problems with my jaw hitting the floor some days……

Post navigation

5 thoughts on “Vietnam darlings

  1. Blush Blush….thanks… as long as I can find topics and as long as I have readers, the adventure will continue…

  2. Ahhhhh the women of Viet Nam. Poetry is the word that comes to mind. Beautiful, complex and fragile. Troubling also in the sense that yes they seem to need rescueing but they are the toughest bunch I have ever seen. Thanks for the shout out on my blog, I got lazy and haven’t posted for awhile. I didn’t mean for it to be a daily as yours is.

  3. just another comment about today’s blog. I understand what you’ve written about the women today in vietnam totally..in our street in a very upmarket bayside area of melbourne, australia, a house opposite ours was just sold for a million dollars – it happens to be a very very old place which we thought someone would buy and pull down to build a new luxury family home. We were amazed to hear that a vietnamese woman from HCMC has bought it (her brother who lives here acts on her behalf) and she owns outright 3 other such properties in this neighbourhood all of which are rented out for around $700 each a week…..

  4. I was definitely not sad because of you owee or your blog which i am now firmly addicted to- I can’t wait to see what you’ve written every day – it was sadness because of the innocence of these gorgeous young girls being taken for a huge ride- looking for love in all the wrong places (corny words from a song).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *