Cherry Huong

When someone tells you about a village, you will visualize it as a very poor traditional place. Well, so does 'An Lac village'. When I went there 10 years ago, I found it totally (sort of ) BACKWARD. The people earned their livings mainly by agriculture. All families stayed in the traditional lifestyle - they set in their own way; they did routine procedures day after day; they spoke with simplicity; they were warm-hearted and hospitable (I have to reveal this thing - I extremely disgusted the W.C and bathroom there - oh my god! NIGHTMARE!).

This time, everything seemed to be the same but; in fact; it was covered with a new colorful coat. The village gate, temples, pagodas and houses were alike. The relatives and villagers were still there (though I hardy remember them). All of those things appeared to be familiar to me as they used to be 5 years ago. Yet, I did realize lots of changes in every aspect of the village - from its appearance to its people. There were some houses built in modern structure - tall ones with many floors and Western decoration - inserted with other countryside-style ones. The inferiors were restored and 'updated' to be more convenient for using (at least I felt more comfortable to enter the bathroom or W.C). As a result, people used more technological devices like T.V, radio, amplifier and cell phones than before. All streets were paved with beton which made it easier for transportation. Well, right then, I realized that the little old village has been developed or, in other word, urbanized.

What surprised me most was the villagers there. It was the combination of traditional and modern lifestyle. Why traditional? The way they treated me revealed that (HOW TERRIBLE!!!). I told you that they were particularly HOSPITABLE and ENTHUSIASTIC. Right, I was scared of them when they fed me a lot of dishes or forced me to eat lots of meat, pork, chicken, fish,etc, which drove me sick and ... gain weight (i won't tell more about it now). Besides, they celebrate mostly all-year round, especially in January. From the Tet holiday, villagers are swamped with anniversaries, parties and festivals. Everywhere I went, I had work to deal with. Let's imagine in this small village, there were 20 anniversaries for 20 old people who had reached the age of 60, 70 and 80; there were 5 weddings, 3 funerals, 2 festivals taken place in pagodas and temples, etc. This is the truth. My parents and I had to participate in this party at this house to wish a grandpa a happy 80 year old, go to that funeral at that house to say sorry for the dead person, jump to another place to say happy wedding to a new couple, then do to the pagoda to worship, bla bla bla. What do you think? January - 'to paint the town red'!! I was loaded with these kind of stuff all day at the village. Moreover, Vietnamese traditional way of life is appreciating familial merits - they worship their ancestors and tell the children about their origin. 'An Lac' people do the same thing. They planted rice, vegetable, fruit and raised chickens, ducks for self-sufficiency. They slept and got up early to do exercise frequently. They led a life of sustainability which we should learn from. This is the remains of the traditional style of countryside people in Vietnam from Feudalism.

OK. Why modern? Few of the An Lac people now depend on agriculture. In contrast, they do more on business (really good businessmen). Though some families still work in the field, it is their 'left-handed job'. An Lac people have become more wealthier and industrialized thanks to their talent on business. A number of youngsters fled to another places to settle down and establish their career (Still, they got marriage soon - some girls at my age have their own children - oh my god!). People concerned more about global affairs such as the financial crisis triggered from the US and widespread all over the world. They themselves understood how they were affected by it. The people, as far as I see, turned to be more practical and rational. I mean they were still hospitable and warm-hearted in appearance, but there was something untrustworthy in the way they showed it. They did it as it would benefit them in the future (sort of it). It is certain that materialism and rationality is not the characteristics of villagers but ones of people living in a more developed, 'advanced' countries.

The urbanization in the village leaves me some wondering. I wonder if An Lac village can remain its traditional values in 20 or 30 years. I cannot imagine what it will be like then. Whether the An Lac village becomes the An Lac town or An Lac city? Well, it is hard to guess. I myself admit that I am affected by the Western style as I am living in the environment badly affected by the Western cultures. Well, no one knows how the world will be in the future. Some say the globalization will make the wold homogenized - everybody is the same. Some say that they can develop and remain traditional at the same time (the tradition will never lost) as long as they know what their strengths are to preserve, what their weaknesses are to quit to develop. Glenn say we should be open to other traditions to learn their good points - tradition is alive because it is the exchange of information. A lot, a lot of comments and definitions around this question. I do not think much because I am not qualified enough to answer it for sure. Anyway, I am happy because I can see the village is developing and people have a better life. I believe that the Vietnamese root will stay alive inside every citizen of my country to keep our tradition an unique one comparing to others in this homogenizing world. What do you think?