The day after being asked to write an article on my experience with Tet, I was in the lunch room with my foreigner work colleagues, who happened to be discussing their Tet plans. The first question was invariably "Where are you going for Tet?"
This struck me, as it made me realize there is a general assumption among foreigners that Tet is a time to travel abroad. There isn't even a consideration of the possibility of staying in the country. This is in direct contrast to the Vietnamese tradition of Tet, which centers on staying at home with family.
As a foreigner, the reasons to leave Vietnam for Tet are obvious and highly persuasive. This can be explained by looking at the situation of most foreigners living in Vietnam.
To begin, many foreigners are disconnected from the basic idea of Tet. As our extended families are out of the country, we do not generally recognize Tet as a time to spend with the family; for Westerners, this is usually attributed to Christmas. Additionally, shops close, and due to the trend of foreigners flying out for Tet, if a foreigner does spend Tet in Vietnam, unless they know a Vietnamese family, they will likely find themselves simply watching a lot of movies alone at home.
I stayed in Vietnam for one Tet, and although it gave me an opportunity to relax and refresh, I found myself extremely bored due to the absence of many friends and the fact that Hanoi basically goes to sleep during this time. There is simply nothing to do, and the holiday is wasted.
Another strong reason to leave Vietnam for Tet is the fact that the holidays are fixed, and known in advance, allowing foreigners to plan their holidays well in advance and thus get cheap flights and hotel deals. Additionally, a foreigner knows their friends have the same holidays; a fact that usually results in excited planning of joint holidays with friends and co-workers.
Tet is the only time that every foreigner can be guaranteed a holiday. When given the option to either stay in one's house, alone, in a country that has basically closed all of its businesses so that people can spend time with their family, or to travel to exciting new countries with one's friends (who can become like family when living abroad), the choice is very easy to make.
Another factor is Vietnam's location and the consideration of the fact that foreigners generally have high incomes. Flights to neighboring countries are cheap if booked in advance (as is possible during Tet). This year I was able to book a return flight to Bali for only 3 days wages, and the total cost of my holiday is only about two weeks wage. If I were to stay in Vietnam, I would be competing with local Vietnamese and Viet Kieu for Hotels at inflated Tet prices, to stay at places I could easily visit a few months later, when the weather is better and the prices are cheaper.
If Vietnam would like to attract foreigners to Vietnam for Tet, and retain the money of the expatriates living here, it would need to re-vamp its image of Tet. Just as Tet is currently recognized as a time when the city goes to sleep, creating a trend for planning holidays abroad, Tet could be reinvented as a time when the city comes alive. A time for color, street parades and festivities. A celebration of everything that is Vietnam. I would love to see a food festival in Hoan Kiem, to show expats and tourists alike what kind of food Vietnamese eat during Tet. Tet could be a time for everyone to come together to celebrate in the street. Not just immediate family, but extended family and friends.
Friends and immediate family are all that many expatriates here have, so Tet could be a time to reach out to a foreigner co-worker and give them the opportunity to spend time with your family and show them your Vietnamese traditions.
Whether it is possible to create a more cosmopolitan Tet, whilst retaining the traditional themes of family, home and food, remains to be seen, but I for one would welcome an opportunity to spend at least one Tet with a family here.
This struck me, as it made me realize there is a general assumption among foreigners that Tet is a time to travel abroad. There isn't even a consideration of the possibility of staying in the country. This is in direct contrast to the Vietnamese tradition of Tet, which centers on staying at home with family.
As a foreigner, the reasons to leave Vietnam for Tet are obvious and highly persuasive. This can be explained by looking at the situation of most foreigners living in Vietnam.
To begin, many foreigners are disconnected from the basic idea of Tet. As our extended families are out of the country, we do not generally recognize Tet as a time to spend with the family; for Westerners, this is usually attributed to Christmas. Additionally, shops close, and due to the trend of foreigners flying out for Tet, if a foreigner does spend Tet in Vietnam, unless they know a Vietnamese family, they will likely find themselves simply watching a lot of movies alone at home.
I stayed in Vietnam for one Tet, and although it gave me an opportunity to relax and refresh, I found myself extremely bored due to the absence of many friends and the fact that Hanoi basically goes to sleep during this time. There is simply nothing to do, and the holiday is wasted.
Another strong reason to leave Vietnam for Tet is the fact that the holidays are fixed, and known in advance, allowing foreigners to plan their holidays well in advance and thus get cheap flights and hotel deals. Additionally, a foreigner knows their friends have the same holidays; a fact that usually results in excited planning of joint holidays with friends and co-workers.
Tet is the only time that every foreigner can be guaranteed a holiday. When given the option to either stay in one's house, alone, in a country that has basically closed all of its businesses so that people can spend time with their family, or to travel to exciting new countries with one's friends (who can become like family when living abroad), the choice is very easy to make.
Another factor is Vietnam's location and the consideration of the fact that foreigners generally have high incomes. Flights to neighboring countries are cheap if booked in advance (as is possible during Tet). This year I was able to book a return flight to Bali for only 3 days wages, and the total cost of my holiday is only about two weeks wage. If I were to stay in Vietnam, I would be competing with local Vietnamese and Viet Kieu for Hotels at inflated Tet prices, to stay at places I could easily visit a few months later, when the weather is better and the prices are cheaper.
If Vietnam would like to attract foreigners to Vietnam for Tet, and retain the money of the expatriates living here, it would need to re-vamp its image of Tet. Just as Tet is currently recognized as a time when the city goes to sleep, creating a trend for planning holidays abroad, Tet could be reinvented as a time when the city comes alive. A time for color, street parades and festivities. A celebration of everything that is Vietnam. I would love to see a food festival in Hoan Kiem, to show expats and tourists alike what kind of food Vietnamese eat during Tet. Tet could be a time for everyone to come together to celebrate in the street. Not just immediate family, but extended family and friends.
Friends and immediate family are all that many expatriates here have, so Tet could be a time to reach out to a foreigner co-worker and give them the opportunity to spend time with your family and show them your Vietnamese traditions.
Whether it is possible to create a more cosmopolitan Tet, whilst retaining the traditional themes of family, home and food, remains to be seen, but I for one would welcome an opportunity to spend at least one Tet with a family here.
Malcolm Duckett (Australian, English teacher)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét