Vietnam - Day 8

Today is Thursday April 15, 2010 and our day begins at a South China Sea Resort in Phan Rang Thap Cham. After another delicious breakfast of fresh fruits and rolls, we meet the Vietnamese pastors and check over our motorbikes before we ride. We are told that the ride today will be short, giving us plenty of time in the late afternoon and evening for R & R.

As we were preparing to depart, a small delegation from a local United Methodist church came and met us in the resort parking lot. When these church members found out that we were prohibited from visiting their church, they brought the church to us. In this parking lot, hands were shaken, hugs were given, pictures were taken, and prayers were shared.

We left the resort around 9:30 am and continued south on Highway 1A. As we pulled out of the resort, we watched bright blue-green Mig fighters flying overhead on training flights. Seems there is a very large Vietnamese air base just outside of town. Today was indeed a short ride, with one stop for lunch along the way. Around 2:30 pm we arrived at the Canary Resort in Phan Thiet.
The Canary Resort was very much a foreign tourist spot. Here we met many travelers from England, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and America. The resort was very modern, featuring a swimmimg pool with a swim-up bar, hot tubs, and a spa. Once again, the resort was right on the beach within close proximity to local fishermen. Since we had arrived so early, we made good use of the beach and other facilities.

The late afternoon was spent checking out the local scenery. Here we find a woman gathering sea shells along the beach. She is carrying the supplies necessary to make hand-made shell jewelry, which she sells to tourists to make her living. Down the beach are two other women collecting sea crabs which they too are trying to sell. Several in our group purchased a number of the crabs and had a crab bake on the sea shore that afternoon.

Here a father and son are seen repairing their fishing nets beside their small round fishing boat. All along the shore we can see these small round fishing boats bobbing in the surf alongside the larger fishing boats, or junks. Fishing is definitely a important aspect of life in Vietnam, whether you are doing the fishing or eating the fish.
Once again, we are confronted by contrasts. Here we are staying at a beautiful sea side resort with all the modern amenities one could imagine. In the large lot right next to the resort we find a shack made of wood and tin, surrounded by palm trees and cows. We asked about the shack and were told by a couple resort employees, that the man who owned that property simply refused to sell. The land had been in his family gor generations, and he had turned down a fortune to retain this way of life for his family.

And so, I spent part of my afternnon watching as the wife of this man prepared her evening meal outdoors over an open fire while her husband worked the nets from his small fishing boat. Soon the sun would set over the South China Sea, and we, the tourists, would gather together in the resort dinning room for a feast prepared in our honor.

We had special guests for dinner, the police chief who had been our escort for the past week and his family. Seems the chief lived near Phan Thiet, and so his family joined us for the evening meal. Our dinner was indeed a feast with Vietnamese soup, fried fish, pork chops, sausage rolls, shrimp (prawns), and plenty of fresh fruit. After supper a few of us walked up and down the street in fron of the resort to walk off the large dinner. It is now 10:00 pm and I am off to bed. Tomorrow we finally arrive in Ho Chi Minh City!