Disturbing

I really like Hanoi, probably more than Saigon although I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps it's because it's cooler, maybe because of its French-style charm or possibly because we're getting accustomed to the frantic goings on. It's certainly not because I'm feeling lively. After some intestinal trouble this morning, we headed to the pharmacy first thing to find the antibiotics that are recommended for travellers in Vietnam. With one of those in my system, I started feeling happier but then the stomach cramps and dizzy feelings began. Right in the middle of the queue to see Ho Chi Minh at the mausoleum. Timing!

The queues are enormous with hundreds and hundreds of adults and school children streaming in in an orderly single-file line dictated by the specialist guards.  At one point, I had to crouch down for fear of fainting. I was commanded to stand up by a guard. I felt instantly very small and distinctly disturbed by the request. There was no emotion from him and I immediately imagined prisoners in the war. I stood up. Our guide tried to explain to him but there was no acknowledgement, he had already begun walking away. Inside the mausoleum, it was a unique feeling walking past the embalmed body of the serene Uncle Ho. In there, our guide was told to unclasp his hands from a relaxed position in front of him. And he did.

And that's just what you do. And just how it is. 

On our journey through Vietnam and again today, we have heard and read about the hydro electric system in China that now controls the water flow into the Mekong Delta; the massive area of fertile land that can be and is being switched off at the turn of a tap. Six countries share the huge river and Vietnam is last on the list. China is at the top.  Vietnam's main wealth is from rice, fish and tourism. All three could be blown into oblivion by an enforced drought. The last two years have seen troubling signs of this. We saw the evidence in the Delta where markers on the stilts of houses reveal how high and low the water levels had been over the years. The last two were shockingly low.

China is also continuing to encroach from the sea.  Vietnam is on tenterhooks and it's easy to see why. The compulsory National Service has recently been increased from 18 months to 2 years to strengthen the skills of the army. 

Vietnam is such a beautiful, rich country with wonderful people. It should be enormously wealthy and making huge leaps in progression with the resources it has. But, it's operating within a difficult governmental system, surrounded by questionable tactics from its neighbours. 

I feel privileged to be able to visit now. Tourism is so clearly where the government is hoping to expand its economy but it's very easy to see how that could all collapse. 

After the mausoleum, we visited the Temple of Literature, steeped in the history of Confucius, generating centuries of learned people in Vietnam. Taking it slowly, I managed the whole four hours including an hour on our favourite mode of transport, a rickshaw, for the journey back to the hotel, weaving in and out of the fascinating old quarter of Hanoi. I've had melon, banana and yoghurt for lunch; a sleep; and have packed my overnight bag for tomorrow's adventure, hopeful that I've stabilised my delicate system.

I wouldn't last long in the survival of the fittest, that's for sure.