Moment #1: Last week, after a long day of meetings with religious and government leaders in Buon Me Thuot, we bought a bunch of Cokes and snacks and piled into a van for the 4 hour drive to Pleiku. As the sun set, our Vietnamese host began singing Sinatra into the van's microphone (normally used to guide tour groups). Then Binh sang an unidentifiable rock song. Roger sang Elvis. Nolen sang the Monkeys. Eventually, the Vietnamese and Americans sang one another their national anthems. It doesn't get any weirder than baptists and communists singing karaoke together in a van driving through the middle of Vietnam.
Moment #2: Last night, we were again in a van, this time riding toward the train station in Lao Cai, where we'd catch the sleeper train back to Hanoi. Outside the train station, local residents had set up an impromptu market to sell food, flashlights, and other necessities to travelers preparing to board the train. Our van was slowly maneuvering its way through the crowds of street merchants, our windows open in the stifling heat. Oddly enough, our van had a TV inside that was showing music videos, sort of. This particular video was, in reality, an episode of Tom & Jerry overdubbed with Afropop. Strangely, the antics of the cat and mouse actually seemed to match the pulsating rhythm of the song. Someone turned the volume up until the van vibrated. So perhaps it does get wierder than baptist-communist karaoke . . . driving through a Vietnamese market in a van thumping to an Afropop-Tom & Jerry music video.
In both of these moments, the American delegates and the Vietnamese laughed uncontrollably together. This too, I think, is the stuff of relational diplomacy.
It’s so great that you were able to experience the “Vietnamese singing”. My husband and his family are always singing and humming (they’re Vietnamese) and I always found this strange until we arrived in Vietnam and everywhere we went people were humming or singing!! I couldn't believe it… I then realized where he and his family get it from. Since we came back from Vietnam we have paid closer attention and have actually heard Vietnamese people singing while working in their restaurants. Just this past Saturday we watched the documentary, “Howard Zinn- You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train” - he talked about his visit to Vietnam during the war and when he was there government officials of Vietnam wanted to sing for him and wanted him to sing for them. – Enjoy the singing!
Posted by: Elizabeth Luu | 05 September 2006 at 21:49
Hey Amy - It's Jen from ICC, we met a few weeks ago. I didn't know you were going to be in Asia! As you are returning to the states I will be taking off to N. Africa.
Peace and all good,
Jen
Posted by: Jen | 06 September 2006 at 12:17
That's hilarious - I laughed out loud. Moreso at the thought of you doing karaoke...I'll have to remember that next time we're riding in a tro-tro together!
Posted by: Tina | 07 September 2006 at 22:36