Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Chris Lewis' "Solo in Saigon's most dangerous district" [District 8]:
Nothing happens to Chris, of course. Danger in Vietnam means having your cellphone or purse snatched, at worst. Halfway through this video [11:17], Chris sits down at a roadside stand for a bowl of noodles. His fluent Vietnamese makes it easier for him to make instant friends. Chris admits to having some difficulties comprehending the southern accent, thus he misses a joke about "ăn cùi chỏ" ["eating an elbow"] as a street food. Chris thinks he hears "ăn thịt chó" ["eating dog"]. This video has 8K likes, with Vietnamese highly appreciative of Chris' openness to their culture. They love his willingness to observe, learn and mix, and there are even comments from Vietnamese raised overseas wishing they could be as comfortable with Vietnam as Chris.
Three photos of District 8: 1, 2, 3.
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4 comments:
Hi Linh, thought you might like this video on the Hmong living in French Guiana, a department of France in South America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMf-FRl3fpI
Were you taught any French at school growing up in Vietnam? Do you speak any?
Best,
S.
Hi S.,
I studied French from kindergarten upward, but could never speak it. I'm familiar enough with it to read shop signs and menus while in France, which I've visited three times, not counting a trip to Corsica. The most I've ever said in French was asking a lady in Paris where the metro was!
Linh
interesting enough, but man, this dude is woke!
Follow up to my earlier comment, it seems that when refugees get access to land and live on the land, they become more rooted and more successful. Compare the Hmong of French Guiana vs the urban Hmong of North America
S.
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