Mason - Destination Saigon

Fluent in Vietnamese, and a regular
visitor to Vietnam, Walter Mason is a
brilliant raconteur who gives regular
talks and lectures on a wide range of
subjects. He has several entertaining
blogs including www.waltermason.com,
and a strong eye for the quirky.

WALTER MASON

First published in Australia 2010

Copyright Walter Mason 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin 83
Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100
Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218
Email: info@allenandunwin.com
Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-Publication details available from the National Library of Australia
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ISBN 978 1 74175 949 5

Text design by Design By Committee
Typeset by Post Pre-Press Group
Printed by McPhersons Printing Group, Maryborough

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Ngo Duc Thang, my lifelong companion

CONTENTS

Id like to thank my partner, Ngo Duc Thang, for his endless support and patiencewithout him, nothing would be possible.

I am eternally grateful to my publisher, Maggie Hamilton, a friend and teacher who saw my possibilities.

Many people in Vietnam extended so much kindness and friendship: Kien N, my brother and best friend; the other Kien, who knows who he is; Sister Truth, who tests me and makes demands that strengthen me.

And Thich Nhat Hanh, truly a bodhisattva, whose gentle wisdom has informed my life and spiritual vision for twenty years.

Jan Cornall, one of the great writing teachers and a fascinating person to boot, inspired this book originally.

Finally Id like to acknowledge Michael Dash and Justine Lee, who have been waiting for this book since 1996, and asking for it constantly. Thanks for your patience and persistence.

I fell in love with Vietnam, because Id fallen in love. I suppose you could say love followed love. Twenty years ago I met an Australian-Vietnamese man of incredible beauty, grace and good cheer, and he has been my best friend and partner ever since. In 1994 he took me to Vietnam for the first timeI spent my first three days there locked in a room crying, the place terrified me so much. But then something clicked in my psyche. I became obsessed with the place. Since then I have returned again and again.

Ive been to Vietnam nine times in all. On one occasion I had three extraordinary months travelling the country with an eccentric Buddhist monk, staying at remote rural monasteries. A decade ago I spent six months studying Vietnamese at the Ho Chi Minh Social Sciences University in Ho Chi Minh City. Most recently I had another three months there while writing the book.

What do I love about the place? The noise, the late-night sounds of karaoke carrying down crowded alleys, and no-one complaining. The crowds that flow and press with such ease. The unabashed curiosity of the people, who are happy to poke me and pull at my body hair and ask me extraordinary personal questions. Whenever Im there, Im constantly moved by the great friendliness and kindness of the Vietnamese people.

The sensuousness of the place, the food and the crazy, hot nights linger in the memory, as does the deep vein of mysticism which runs through the country, and is present in every person you meet. Theres also the relentless, dizzying speed of change. Things arent the same from one day to the next. And then, of course, theres the beauty, vivacity, tenacity and charm of the Vietnamese.

There are those things that drive you crazy. The laid-back approach to time. Prepare for a long wait if someone says, Oh, about five minutes... The impossibility of walking along the crowded streets, and the occasional accidents; I have fallen and hurt myself badly several times. And also the fact that people will never say no, even when they mean it. Certainly means maybe, probably means probably not, and should be ok means not a chance in hell. It took me a long time to learn this. Then theres the fake monks and nuns who scam tourists in the backpacker districts. And, of course, the heat. I spend an undue amount of time frequenting cafes in an effort to stay out of the sun.

Sometimes its hard to get beyond the cynicism and sense of hopelessness felt by so many. The system is cruel and corrupt, and holds back the enormous potential of the country.

People are poorso poor that most Westerners simply cant comprehend it. Any gift or tip you give is enormously appreciated and is of great value, helping people to buy some of the basics. Its impossible to avoid beggars and lottery ticket sellers.

I always keep a stash of small change in a separate pocket for these people.

The problem is that theres a lot we just dont get. Culturally its more important to be seen to agree than to actually tell the truth. While we may love shorts, Im afraid theyre seen by most Vietnamese as underwear. In Vietnamese culture being wealthy carries with it some real social and familial obligations. The richest person pays, always. And you are invariably the richest person. I had to stop kidding myself otherwise, and stop being so damned stingy.

Vietnam offers many gifts. Its given me a more relaxed approach to life, and to spirituality. Its also made me more generous. I now have a much greater sense of myself as someone who has been incredibly fortunate in life, and that I can use my privilege to help others. I have learned to be serene amidst incredible noise and chaos, and Ive learned to accept the inevitability of corruption, vanity, avarice and other human failings. I used to imagine that, for example, Buddhist monasteries would be transcendent places of deep spiritual advancement. Instead I discovered they were hotbeds of intrigue, gossip and pettiness, just like everywhere else. In the end its the everyday moments that captured my imagination, such as the young tradesmen, paint-smeared and laughing, clambering over the ancient statues at a temple in Quy Nhon city as they renovated them in time for the celebration of Amitabha Buddhas feast day. Through all this Ive learned to laugh at myself and my hopelessly high expectations.

Theres so much of Vietnam that lingers long after Im home. The memory of hundreds of monks and nuns streaming out of the gates of the Buddhist University on their way home to make the early monastic lunch is something that will never leave me. I cannot forget the colours of their robes, the way their brown, yellow and grey cassocks catch the wind and fly up; their beautiful, smiling faces and the music of their chattering voices. Or the quiet, perfectly proportioned courtyards of Hanois Temple of Literature; just being in this ancient shrine to scholasticism is inspiring. Then there was the first time I encountered a street side shrine to Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and the first time I ascended those perilously uneven steps to the viewing gallery at the Cao Dai Holy Cathedral, which alerted me to the wonderfully alive mystical sensibility of the Vietnamese people.