最近，也容易感到寂寞。以前习惯了一个人独来独往，但是也不会觉得寂寞，因为自己懂得自己。但是，现在的我，因为可能多了一份期望，希望你懂我，所以自己更容易有种失落。知道男孩子都不善猜谜，但是就因为我没用言语说出来的，你就会都听不见，让我难免有种失落，难控制自己的情绪，所以心情更容易起起落落。说真的，这是我没有预料到的我。我害怕问自己是不是不快乐啦？为什么最近容易鼻子酸酸的？为什么突然又想哭啦？为什么就不想接你的电话。为什么现在看到的不完全是美丽的，还是自己要求太过完美？但是我还是想对你好的。

Taming the Past: The fabrication of Vietnam’s National martial art

Identify and explore an instance, relating to Southeast Asia, of how “what we know” is affected by political, institutional or ideological (or other) factors.

On the first week of November 2009, Vietnam hosted the third Asian Indoor Games (AIG 3). This was an opportunity for the state to usher in the new Vietnam that it would like to present to the international audience. At the opening ceremony, the Vietnamese state choreographed a splendid martial arts display to officially introduce Vovinam Viet Vo Dao (Vovinam) as the quoc vo (National martial art) of Vietnam.[1] Said to be the embodiment of the martial traditions and the fighting spirit of the nation and its people, the promotion of this particular Vietnamese indigenous martial art as a sporting event was lauded as presenting a vision of a Vietnam of peace, friendliness and hospitality to the world.[2] However, Vovinam has only been recently portrayed in media as the traditional Vietnamese martial art due to political inclinations of the Vietnamese state for the need to elevate and secure Vovinam as quoc vo of Vietnam. The making of Vovinam as quoc vo of Vietnam essentially entails the corporatization of the martial art organization to maintain the state hegemonic control over organizations deemed important and crucial to the state status quo. The history of anti-communist involvement of Vovinam and the subsequent repressive state measures taken against the organization had resulted in a history of disapora of Vovinam disciples. Corporatization therefore, is a direct effort to tame the subversive past of Vovinam by officially making it state agency.[3] In light of Vovinam’s political past and its overseas connections, corporatization was even more essential in the current climate of reengagement with the outside world. Thus, elevating Vovinam to Quoc Vo must also be viewed as a pre-emptive measure to neutralize the potential threats of Vovinam. This paper aims to provide a nuance understanding of the varying interests of the different actors: the state, the Vovinam organization, disciples and the Vietnamese people in general and how these different interests actually converges to result in this ongoing instance of inventing traditions and knowledge formation.

The Vovinam Martial Arts Display at 3rd AIG made up of 1000 university students from Hanoi

It is not uncommon for states to create an imagined shared culture that can be symbolic of the nation and its people in an attempt to assert its identity in the family of nations. The fact that the Vietnamese state is attempting to do so finally, by the introduction of Vovivam as national martial art, is seen as a welcome sign that the communist state has finally begun to move on from its war torn past to one that is willing to engage with the outside world through friendly cultural exchanges. Indeed, the Vietnamese state’s exorbitant bid to host the AIG with support for the people speak volume of its new vision and attempt in re-positioning itself on the world stage.

On first glance, what the Vietnamese state is doing can be seen as harmless as its promotion of pho as the national dish or the ao dai as the national costume: different components in the formation and assertion of a distinctive culture symbolism for the nation. However, there had been dissatisfaction in the choice of Vovinam as quoc vo by martial artists of other traditional martial arts in Vietnam who see Vovinam as a synthesis of many foreign martial arts types.[6] The founding of Vovinam during the colonial era also did not seem to qualify the martial art as traditional relative to the other more well known traditional practices in the country. Even Vovinam disciples agreed that Vovinam is only more visible in Southern Vietnam just a few years back. However, the state has argued that efforts have been stepped up to bring Voivnam to all parts of the country.[7] Most importantly, the formal acknowledgment of Vovinam as quoc vo backed with the appointment of important cadres from the community party to head the newly formed Vovinam federation meant that the state is serious in institutionalizing the knowledge that Vovinam will be representative of Vietnamese martial arts and that there will be little or no further debate on the state’s choice for Vovinam as quoc vo for the Vietnamese.

It is crucial to question at this juncture if the state is solely interested in inventing traditions and culture. For the ease of administration, many societal organizations have to be registered with the state and governed with certain set of guidelines. However, the degree of control that the state intends to impose on Vovinam is much beyond. The elevation of Vovinam to quoc vo status is not just a reflection of the state’s interest in promoting a particular facet of Vietnamese culture but rather, a political strategy aimed at controlling potential subversive elements of Vovinam in view of its historical past. The opening up of Vietnamese society after Doi Moi policy heralds a period of openness in the society and also increasing communication with the outside world.[8] The state is facing a conundrum with previously scrutinized and policed organizations riding on this officially sanctioned relaxation to establish contacts with overseas members. There is a need for the state to search for a new method to control the overseas contacts of Vovinam organization and it would be even better, if these overseas contacts can be of use to the interests of the state. That the Minister of Foreign Affairs is the president of the Vovinam Federation is therefore not a mere coincidence.

The current ongoing process of shaping Vovinam to fit into the mould of quoc vo entails the selective remembering and forgetting of the nature of the role of Vovinam in certain critical period of Vietnamese history. What is played up by state media today is the patriotic and nationalistic role of Vovinam during the struggle against colonial rule of France.[9] However, pertinent to this version of knowledge is the necessity in silencing another side of the narrative: the anti-communist stance of the founding father of Vovinam and the organisation. The current strong state support for Vovinam do not suggest in anyway the history of suppression of Vovinam by the communist state after reunification of Vietnam. Arrests and detentions of Vovinam masters, including the current patriarch of the organization, were common and many Vovinam disciples had to flee overseas. Vovinam being more popular before the 1990s in the Europe and America than in its homeland Vietnam is testament to the harsh retaliation of the communist state against Vovinam and the consequent diaspora that resulted.[10]

Today, it is the paradoxical popularity of Vovinam overseas that the communist state sees value to place Vovinam under state corporatism. Rather than continue to alienate certain parts of the Vietnamese population with a hardline stance, the state appears to be reconciliatory with its re-engagement with the Vovinam organization and by extension, the large overseas Vietnamese population who practise or see Vovinam as an anchor to their Vietnamese identity.[11] There are immense potential gains from cultivating warmer relationship with these overseas Vietnamese. Further, the state has demonstrates political shrewdness in adapting to the challenges it faces so that it can capitalize on the popularity and support of other countries towards Vovinam. As a sports event, it is an excellent vehicle for the state in extending a friendly and healthy image overseas.[12] Most importantly, with its existing popularity, the state need not have to expend as much effort to popularize Vovinam as compared to other traditional martial arts which may have a stronger standing in Vietnam.

The attempt to place Vovinam under state corporatism is by no means peaceful. Tensions and splits within Vovinam have occurred between those which still could not reconcile the present developmental directions of Vovinam with the history of repression it had suffered under the communist regime and those who would like to envision a more active role in projecting a new Vietnam at the international stage. Many Vietnamese youths have been responding positively to the call by the state through schools and universities to practice Vovinam.[13] The younger generations have not experienced the war period and do not understand the bitterness that many overseas Vietnamese still feel against the communist state. The “cultural leadership”[14]the communist state has been successful in this instance of knowledge production as it has spurs on social reproduction of this knowledge too as seen by Vietnamese youth who are convinced and therefore persuaded into taking up Vovinam. That the Vovinam organization in Vietnam is being more willing to cooperate with the state shows that the organization understands the benefits of being on the right side of the state if it wants to reach out to more Vietnamese. of this invented tradition of Vovinam as a patriotic martial arts is showing gripping signs of entering the subconscious of many Vietnamese youth. Vovinam is becoming closely linked to their identity as Vietnamese and the manifestation of pride of being Vietnamese in a confident Vietnam today.[15] Thus,

What has been lost in the current making of Vovinam as quoc vo Vietnam? A few letters by elderly Vovinam masters have been circulating within Vovinam online forums. They represented the group of Vietnamese who fled overseas during the period of the communist state repression.[16]The elevation of Vovinam as quoc vo by the state today brings on such backlash due to the history of the not so cordial relationship Vovinam organizations once had with the communist state. The voices of this generation of Vovinam masters would soon be forgotten as what the Vietnamese are interested today is the construction of a confident Vietnam and the positive role Vovinam can play. What we can anticipate in Vietnam is the glorifying of Vovinam athletics as they clinch more medals for the fatherland. All of them lamented the loss of independence of Vovinam for agreeing to be placed under state corporatism, for accepting the politicization of their organization and allowing the activities of Vovinam to be closely scrutinized so as to be “in direct support of existing government programs or …larger state-approved policy goals.”[17]

Bibliography

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Carruthers, Ashley, “Kung fu Fighting: The Cultural Pedagogy of the body in the Vovinam Overseas Vietnamese martial arts school” in The Australian Journal of Anthropology 9:1 (1998), 45-57.

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<http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/News/Pages/200931/20090729223537.aspx>, Jul 29, 2007.

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Nguyen, Khoi, “Đậm nét sắc màu VN (Bold Colours of Vietnam)”, Tuoi Tre, <http://www.tuoitre.com.vn/Tianyon/Index.aspx?SearchQuery=%22vovinam%22&fromTime=&toTime=&fieldIndex=0&channelID=0&pageID=1> , Oct 30, 2009.

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Phuong, Duy, “Vovinam - Việt Võ Đạo 70 năm xây dựng và phát triển (Vovinam-Viet Vo Dao 70 years of building and development)” accessed at the official website of Vovinam Viet Vo Dao TP Ho Chi Minh <http://vovinam.com.vn/Home/modules.php?name=News&op=viewst&sid=46>,May 2, 2008.

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Tuấn, Đạt, “Tổng kết tình hình phát triển và thảo luận kế hoạch hoạt động (Summary on the development and discussion on the development plan of Vovinam” accessed at the official website of Federation of Vovinam-Viet Vo Dao (Hanoi).

<http://vovinam.vn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30:tng-kt-tinh-hinh-phat-trin-va-tho-lun-k-hoch-hot-ng-&catid=1:federation&Itemid=2>, Apr 27, 2009.

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Havent been blogging for very long, but one of the few modules that I am taking this semester, especially the module taught by Prof Ileto, has been thought provoking. FYI, Prof Ileto is one of the most famous Southeast Asianist Scholar, and he is the only SEAsian author to have penned the top 14 most infulential book on SEA studies.. he is really a grandfather figure.. and i thought i just put this little reflection piece i have written for his class. nothing spectacular or thought provoking, if I have a chance to post up maybe Alexandra or Xin En's responses, you will know immediately who have been reflecting and who have been the one doing it for the sake of handing it up.. lol

anyway Prof Ileto went back to Philippines, I asked him to bring back his famous book for us, and he did get each of us a copy. but the thing is, we ended up having do do a final exam paper on this book. :( to critic his work and also to support him against the crictic.. haiz, i sldnt have ask him to bring us his books if i have known..

but then again, I must look on the bright side of things, haha, his book will kick start my proper collection of books on SEA studies, with his dedication somemore on his book, haha :)
 

and then yeah, showing off Pasyon and Revolution! haha.. its really an interesting book, not not too academic to send people to sleep.. it looks into the minds of the normal people who supported or joined ranks with educated leaders in revolution against colonial masters. are these people thinking in terms of nationalism? are their ideas congruent with the western notions of these educated leaders in the rebellion or have their real intentions been ursurp?

Having become acquainted with some of the early scholars and their writings on Southeast Asia, what in your view is the field called “Southeast Asian Studies” all about? Given your different educational and cultural backgrounds, what have you learned from studying the lives and key works of these few pioneers?

As a Malaysian borne in Singapore and has been living in Southeast Asia (SEA) most of my life, this is truly a region that is closed to heart. My first memory of mapping out SEA as a region was when I was in Primary 6. It was during my social studies lesson and I was thought to situate myself and Singapore in relations to the other Southeast Asian countries. I remembered feeling amazed at how my teacher linked the concrete jungle that I have been living in with the rolling hills of Thailand and the rice paddy fields in Indonesia. I never questioned the historical formation of the region or the image of the Southeast Asian identity, taking it very much for granted. I could not really see the commonalities among me with the rural population that make up most part of the population or the shared historical culture, but what I understood was that since we are neighbouring countries, I gathered it was only right for us to band together as one. Since then, SEA to me was already a region in existence and there was no denial of its strength in my imagination and understanding of my own identity. It is a region that holds great fascination and I wanted to travel through all the different countries. But I soon began to take up a more scholarly interest in SEA during my secondary and junior college years. Perhaps this is because as a Chinese, I felt it was important to know my own roots before I venture off to explore other parts of the world. Thus, while so many of my friends have questioned my decision of pursuing a degree in Southeast Asian studies and the possible future prospects of such a general degree, I have always felt it very rewarding to be able to comprehend the dynamics, behavior and the happenings in SEA. In many ways, it helps me to understand myself, my thoughts and actions. I am definitely Chinese, but I can identity myself with the many characteristics from the region: the “Malayness” of the choice of my favourite food, my Indian boyfriend etc.

It was truly only during the course of this module that I began to gain an understanding in how some of the few pioneers of Southeast Asian studies have helped to construct the region. They represented the first few who envisioned SEA as a region and through their academic work, demonstrated how the region was interconnected and should be understood as such. My understanding of the region today would not have been so broad, exciting and varied without the work of them. For example, DGE Hall had advocated for the rejection of the euro-centric perspective of studying SEA, he vociferously argued for a Southeast Asian perspective of our own history and development, to study our region for the sake of our region, not merely because it was essential politically or when see in relations with other powers or region. This has a huge influence on further generations of researchers on SEA.

Very often, I have read and quoted the works of pioneers such as D.G.E Hall, O.W. Wolters, Harry Benda and Benedict Anderson. However, I have never sought to understand how their upbringing formed their perspectives and mentality and to realize that their experiences shaped their understanding of what they see just like how living in the region has shaped mine. The way this course has been structured allows me to see how we are very much a product of our environment. Due to Professor Ileto personal interactions with some of these pioneers, I was given a rare chance to gain better insights on the creation of the works of these pioneers which I have so often quoted. The upbringing and life stories of these few pioneers allow us to understand their work better. For example, Wolters’ experience as a colonial administrator influenced the way he perceived the natives. Unlike many colonial administrators, he was able to empathize with the communists during the Malayan emergency and could therefore inform the colonial bureaucracy to formulate policies that would be able to accommodate the communists and persuade them to put down their arms. His experience fighting against the communist and interactions with the communist leaders influenced the formulation of his concept of “man of prowress”. This concept would not have been possible if not for the personal involvement of Wolters on the grounds with the people that he was interested in.

Despite the influence of these pioneers and their many ground breaking contributions to the area studies, I personally feel that they have also to a certain extent, limit the voice of the Southeast Asians scholars from being heard. As their ideas take on so much force and persuasion, they become the standards of what Southeast Asian studies should be. Perhaps it is also our own preference and how we have been thought to think that the best is always from the west so much so that we never bother to read works from native scholars. Also, some of the precedence set by these pioneers has been so strong that when new generation of scholars strayed away from what that had been set down, these scholars has to fight hard to defend their research and arguments. I was introduced to Professor Ileto’s work on Pasyon and Revolution when I was in year 1 by Professor Montesano. It came across as a striking piece of work that only a native Pilipino has the ability to produce. During the course of this module, I was very privileged to gain an insight to hear from Professor Ileto himself about the birth of his book and how native scholars might actually have to defend their work against the standards or precedence of established pioneers, in this case of Harry Benda. I feel that there will be many more native scholars who will have to go through the same process. But this is only the way for Southeast Asians to be truly heard and for our works to be appreciated. 

On a side note: One thing that I would really want to follow up on this reflection piece, how personal experiences shape our outlook on lives, our personalities etc, but not on SEA studies.. but on my personal feelings this past one month. I have to admit it is impossible to expect anyone to forget their past course we are products of precisely these experiences. I am a history student and i think we like to say history is important as we learn from mistakes. But somehow, somedays I do get too sensitive and tired over your history. I admit we do get lessons from the past, but then I hate it when I have to think too much into it and that it has to come to haunt me and disturb my peace. I am still trying to get myself to accept but on some days, I admit I am defeated. Sometimes, If there is something I shouldnt know, then better not let me know. Wishing that there are no evidences of the past is really selfish on my part, course I dont want to deprive anyone of certain momentos or memories and lessons learnt that have made them grow up. But I cant help wanting to know and dig into history, due to this inquisitive mind I have,and sometimes it hurts me in the process. Maybe it is wise to keep to the dictum of not knowing too much for the benefit of the self. On a bright note, there are lessons learn. 1st) I know that I have to be careful with whatever I do now, course I dont want things that I do to disturb others or to hurt anyone I am going to meet in the future. 2nd) I understand myself better now, lol, even though what it reveals is that there is this ugly selfish side in me and that I am not so magnanimous as I really want to be. I am learning to be a better person, but I need time. :) and I am really sorry that this is going to be so unfair to you.

 
Opening Ceremony of First World Vovinam Championships 28th July-30th July 2009

 

29th July Last training at Dam Sen: thanh, Thay Van, Nhan, Nghia,Ngoc

19th-20th July 2009
I was very fournate to meet Tri, an overseas Vietnamese from Belgium. He is a good friend of Thuy Tien's family. I like this aspect of vovinam very much as you makes friends from all over the place due to this vovinam's connection. A pity I met him just when he was about to head back home so we only had chances to go out for one night of bowling and pool. As it was my first time bowling, it was not surprising that most of the balls went into the drain. And he named me "Multi Zero" after the game. Lucky I have been playing a little bit of pool with my friends in Glasgow so I wasnt that bad in pool or I will be a "Multi Zero" to him. :P Tri also introduced me to the Vovinam club in Dam Sen Park. I was glad that there was finally another place to train in as the blue tiger club only go to To Duong 3 times a week and I think it is really too little. But I do not want to venture out on my own ( tired from having to be bold and active so I admit I was rather passive). Since Tri likes the Dam Sen training so much, I am sure it will be a good chance to see. It also meant that the first activity on the day of my 22nd birthday was 6am training at Dam Sen followed by 8.30am training at To Duong. Turned out that the training at Dam Sen introduced me to another way of Vovinam. Vovinam of To Duong is the most widely known and followed way. One that emphasied Strength 刚  with 柔 (gentle) but in Dam Sen what I witnessed was 柔 with 刚. Alot of emphasis was placed on the (qigong) 气功
techniques of Vovinam. Imagined my surprise when the Thap To quyen that was supposed to be excuted with stength and might as I had in To Duong became something like ..ya qigong! but it was so breath taking to see the power of qigong! and man, the teacher, Thay Van, looks so much like Donnie Yen from the movie Ip Man that I was totally impressed. I didnt know qigong, which to me was for old man could be so exciting and fascinating to watch when preformed up close!

23rd July-24th July
But before Tri went back home, he agree to attend Thuy Tien's 21st birthday celebration. We had a hard time shopping for a birthday gift for Thuy Tien. Personally, I am not very interested in gold jewellery. But as all the french friends are guys, I were asked to give opinions and to choose. It was also rather expensive but since Ong Tuan's family has been very hospitable, I have to be generous too! We decided on a gold dragon pendant with a matching gold necklace since Thuy Tien is borned under the dragon year. It was supposed to be a happy affair shopping for the birthday gift of Thuy Tien. But as the whole group of us were walking on the roadside for dinner, disaster stucks. It happened so fast that I have no time to react. 2 men on motorcycles rode so close to my group but I was not paying close attention until I see a hand reached for the diamond necklace I was wearing. They were so quick and precise that in a blink of an eye, they were gone. I stopped in my tracks too shock to utter a word. My friends asked what happened. Apparently, it happened so out of the blue that none of them had seen anything. I told them my necklace was gone. There was no injuries on my neck as the necklace was thin. My parents knew that I dislike thick chain. They thought that it was a costume jewellery so my friends were not too concerned. But I think I was not looking too OK so they asked and I told them it was a diamond necklace, with 5 diamonds..!! I had not much appitete then and only looked on as they proceed on with dinner. They were conversing in French so I do not understand what they were saying. Probably discussing how stupid I was to bring a diamond necklace to Vietnam of all places. I excused myself and went onto the streets to call my parents. It  was only then that  I had just understood what had happened. I called my mummy at home but the phone was engaged so I messaged my sister  that I wanted to call home now as something bad had happened. I did not want to cry in front of my friends and told myself not to cry in case I worry my parents. But when I hear my mum's voice, I could not prevent myself from wailing.. Imagine my parents' shock and worry. This is the second time I had cried in front of my mum since dont know when. My mum was worried that I had been bullied but when I told her it was the necklace, she immediately consoled me and said that what matter was that I am safed. The necklace was not just expensive, it was precious to me as it was my 21st birthday gift from my parents. And since it was only the 23rd july, it meant that I had it only for one year and 3 days. WHen I had it last year, I had to leave it at home only one week after having it as I was going on exchange to Vietnam for 4 months. My mum asked me to bring it with me to Europe when I was in exchange on glasgow to have it near me. Since I had been travelling so much and nothing happened, I decided to bring it with me on this trip as I wanted to have it when I spend my 22nd birthday alone in Ho Chi Minh city, only to lose it a few days after. I did not want to dampen the spirits of my friends so I had to appear OK. And that night, I really felt like I wanted to go home. Almost one week in Ho Chi Minh city and what I had been doing was going out to play with the French. Hunting for good food ( which usually means dog meat, snakes,crocodile, half hatched chicks which I did not even feel should be served on the table.), clubbing,drinking,billard....and as for Vovinam training. not much. But after a night rest, I was feeling better but still sorry that I had lost the necklace. I had to be cheerful too as it was Thuy Tien's 21st birthday and I do not want to cast a shadow on her birthday celebration if I looked moody or grumpy. :) I was impressed with my ability to be happy for others despite my lost. haha. not that I am bragging, but seeing her happy on 21st reminds me of my parents on my 21st birthday celebration. I was glad that Tri was also on my side joking with me and making fun of me. Everyone was nice to me that to a certain extent, I was guilty for stealing a little of the limelight. But Thuy Tien was seated at the far end of the table with the Fench delagates from the French Vovinam national team in the upcoming championships which Thuy Tien would be representing. Apparently, she had nothing to talk with them as she had met them only a few times. On the other hand, I was seated at the other end with people whom I had grew close to in France and the past few days so there was more laughter on our side of the table than at Thuy Tien's side, which was really a pity.

after training at to duong, Ong Tuan bought all the ladies flowers :)
 

Going out to play with Ngoc



Last training with thay thieu long from To Duong after the Long Ho Quyen training

Bercy Stadium, where the martial arts event is held

How it feels knowing that I will be in Paris for a month? Well, frankly it was not part of my plans at all to be in Paris for this long. I was excited about being able to be in Glasgow for exchange and due to the close proximity; flying to Paris to catch the Bercy Martial Arts Festival was not a dream. I was meant to be in Paris just to catch the performance, hopefully to also seek out a vo duong which I can train for a few days and then fly off to tour Italy and other countries with my exchange buddies. However, just a couple of days before I flew off to Paris, I managed to get into contact with a French Vo sinh, Fred, who is currently based in Hong Kong. Hearing about my plans to watch Bercy, he referred me to another vo sinh who have his own vo duong. Pierre can help me get free entrance into Bercy and even to the back stage to view the preparations going on. Furthermore, Pierre offered to contact other vo duong to seek consent so that I can practice Vovinam. Being forced by circumstances to stop my Vovinam practices since leaving Hanoi, I jumped at the chance, inform my exchange buddies the change of plans goodbye, gave up my travelling plans and impulsively booked tickets for me to stay in Paris for a month. Also, I had to call home and tell my mother what I had done, in a tone that suggested that I would not be convinced to change my decisions.
 

My little best friend of the night, Micheal, at Bercy Stadium

Shotokan Karateka Kata Performance

28^th March Saturday

On the day I reached Paris, Pierre offered to pick me up at the airport with his son, Yago. I recognized him from the bag that he was carrying as it had a Vietnamese flag on it. He took me,Wilfed and April to his home. While April and Wilfred headed off to Richard’s (our first ever Couchsurfing host) place somewhere in Chateu Rouge, I went with Pierre to Bercy in the early afternoon. I was excited about tonight’s performance. However, after being at the backstage for a few hours to see the preparations, I was bored to tears. The karate mass kata display was a mess and I really wondered how they are going to put together something presentable in a few hours time. As for the Vovinam team, the children’s team of Johann was already in their vo phucs and doing warm ups. They were all very young and very very flexible. I was happy to see the blue vo phuc which I have missed seeing for so long. Pierre and I left Bercy at around 4 to his vo duong at Kajyn. His is supposed to be teaching his class tonight. We reached Kayjn too early and I talked to the tender of the café in the club. He was a nice guy who spoke somewhat good English as he had stayed for a year and a half in London. He also treated me to a crepe with sugar, the most French thing to have he said. The training was light as it was basically a recap of the chien luoc (staregic defence) 1 to 10 . I also met Micheal in the club who even though was a half Vietnamese could not speak Vietnamese. There was only 4 other people and the attendance was poor. Pierre was disappointed and said that most of his students had called him to say that they had something on tonight and could not come. We soon left the vo duong in a rush before training actually end so as to catch the performance at Bercy. I was introduced to Master Burno by Pierre on the way to Bercy, who was also the teacher of Pierre. Master Burno also brought along his 13 year old son, Micheal, who unfortunately could not speak much English but was my best buddy of the night.
 

Sacred Couer (Sacred Heart) :) the first tourist site that I went to, with CS Richard and Wilfred + April :)

 Unfortunately, the Bercy performance was a rather let down. It was uninspiring and not as magnificent an event as it used to be. The performance was mediocre and I was honestly very disappointed by the Vovinam performance from the French national team. It was ill prepared and with only 3 people in the performance, there were hardly any amazing feats that won audience’s applauses. Furthermore, the most spectacular techniques of Vovinam, the don chans ( scissors kicks) were not fully displayed due to a personal accident with some members of the team and there were unable to turn up for the performance. What also reduced the audiences’ awe with Vovinam don chans was the fact that the Shotokan Karate team of France ended their amazingly executed application of their kata with a scissor kick to the neck too. I heard Master Burno let out a “ouchhh…” when he saw the karatekas performance of the scissors kick. I reckoned it was a response of the karate team to the popular reception of the Vovinam don chan every year, that it was not so unique after all. J However, I must still say that no one can do don chan like the Vovinam vo sinh J The children performance of the Vovinam team won a lot of applauses with their fast and dynamic performance and the flawless execution. I am sure that Johann must have had train his team very hard to reach this kind of perfection. I felt myself won over by the discipline and the cheerfulness of the Vovinam children team as they left the stage waving to the audiences with wide smiles on their faces.

Apparently, some of the Vovinam vo sinh had drove in from Belgium to catch the Bercy performance too. I was introduced by Pierre to them and we decided to head down to a pub to catch a drink. Paris is still a living city at 12midnight unlike Glasgow and even at around 3 when we left the pub, there were still many people going in and out of different pubs. It was certainly nice to see some nightlife in Paris but being too hungry, I did not have any beer for fear of being drunk on an empty stomach. Also at 7.5-9 euros for half a pint of beer, it was way more expensive than it was in Scotland to have a drink.

Arc of Triumph with April

29^th April Sunday

I went back with Pierre to his apartment and shared a room with his 4 year old son, Yago. I was worn out after a day of not exactly excitement but many things had happened in one day. I woke up at around 10 the next day, had a small chat with Esther, Pierre wife who is a great fan of philosophy and especially Nistche. I left hurriedly after lunch with Pierre to Masion Blance where we will be training at Master Burno’s vo duong. I was a little sick, had a running nose and phlegm in my throat. It really affected me and I could not concentrate on what Pierre was teaching. I t was so bad that the whole afternoon, I was left alone by Pierre to learn Tan Quyen (the Stance kata). He appeared to be a little angry that I took so long to learn the kata which he said was so simple. How am I supposed to learn Nhap Mon Quyen ( Kata of Acceptance into Vovinam) if I cant even remember Tan Quyen. I was saddened at my own slowness and also his tone. In fact, Pierre never criticized me, but it was his way of not saying anything that disturbed me and had the effect of unnerving me. It was only after the end of the training that I realized I have been doing the Tan Quyen for 3+ hours and could not learn it. No wonder the other people in the class kept casting curious glances on me, the newcomer who was “exiled” to a part of the room to learn and repeat and repeat the Tan Quyen that she could just not get right. I got back to Pierre’s house and it was empty. He was moody and said that Esther must be angry that he had not spend the weekend at home but always on Vovinam. Sensing that it was not the best time for me to be around, I packed up my luggage and say goodbye to Pierre to rejoin my friends. I was glad that I had managed to secure couch for the nest one week plus so I would not have a problem with where to stay. But what would be after that, I am not sure. Pierre had told me not to worry about accommodation but just to come. I had trusted him as both of us mentioned and agreed that Vovinam is a family “gia dinh”. True to his words, Pierre sent me a message over facebook and said that his house is open for me. But somehow, I felt that my presence was not what would make Pierre’s relationship with wife any better. They need to have space with each other after Pierre got off from Vovinam and work. To have me in the house is to remind me of Vovinam, which Pierre had commented, “Esther hated everything to do with voivnam.” I understood why Esther’s would have felt this way judging from Pierre’s dedication to Vovinam. I am not sure what I should do except not to add any more troubles or inconveniences to Pierre. After leaving Pierre’s place, I asked for directions to the Metro and was glad that I could understand the hand gestures of the lady who could not speak English. Lugging my heavy luggage, I took the metro the first time alone and was terribly lonely. At the same time, I told myself this was the sense of adventure that I was looking for so I shouldn’t complain. Wilfred and April were off to watch the Effiel towel light up, so I waited at the metro station alone for close to 2 hours for them to meet me at the metro and bring me to Richard’s place. An old man tried to engage me in conversation from the opposite platform and even cross over to sit beside me. I told him I don’t speak French, but I could vaguely make out that he was inviting me to his home. I appeared to be busy reading my book but I do not want to appear rude in case I misunderstood his intentions. In the end, I told him I was waiting for my friends and hearing this, he said bye and walked off abruptly. I looked around me and saw rats scuttling under the seats of the Metro station. As I pondered upon where I would be after the few days that I had secured myself a place to stay, I felt a sense of forlorn. I had spent a night on the streets with Angus and April before in Aberdeen but did not feel that Paris is safe enough for me to be on the streets alone. I briefly calculated the amount of money I would need if I have to stay in a hostel. I was glad that at this point in time, I met up with Wilfred and April and came to Richard’s beautiful apartment. One look was enough to conclude that he is a fairly rich man and truth turned out that he was the founding director of Boots, one of the chain of pharmacy type of store in UK. His house was comfortable and we have internet access. JWe were also able to use the kitchen. After a good night sleep, (couldn’t really sleep on the first night) I still felt tired from my cold. I insisted on recapping my Tan Quyen in Richard spacious apartment, much to the amusement of April and Wilfred. “Why do you insist on training even when you are this sick?”asked Wilfred in an off handed manner. This is question I asked myself too. I was the one who had approached so many different people to help me to get a chance to continue training in Vovinam. They have been so kind to allow me access to their clubs without me having to pay any fees at all. If I do not turn up just because I am feeling slightly ill, I will feel bad for troubling them.
 

Parisian Streets
 30^th April

Finally, I got to see Paris like a tourist. I haven’t catch any sight of Eiffel tower, or the Lourve Museum which April and Wilfred have already been to. Seeing the 2 of them together, I really felt that they have become closer friends after all these days being together. Truthfully, I have always have more to talk to Thye Heng then Wilfred and Wilfred have more things in common with April than I since they both go to Church and cell group together in Glasgow. I woke up in the morning and met Richard for the first time. This is my first couchsurfing experience and I am glad that Wilfred and April both enjoyed the house. It was hard for me to convince them the first time to couchsurf and Wilfred had commented that it was a crazy thing to do. Richard talked to us about his plans to go around the world the end of April. He would leave his comfortable lifestyle and high paying job behind to tour around the world and probably work for a NGO in Bolivia to help get children and women out of the coal mines. I felt that I respected Richard as he was finding ways to give back to society and also that even a rich and busy man would participate in Couchsurfing so as to help tourists out and allow us to save some dollars from accommodation. He even took time off to take a walk with us around his house and I saw the first tourist site, Sacre Coeur Church. And from there, he brought us to a charming area where there are a lot of street artists either painting artworks of Paris or doing portraits and caricatures of tourists. There were even some who with a sicssors and a piece of paper would cut off swiftly the outline of the person for a few euros. I liked the paintings a lot and the talents of the Parisians. We walked on further and Richard brought us to a café to have lunch. We got to eat the first French food, escargots, and it was heavenly. These kind of snails can even be easily found in the streets of Hanoi, but it is the sauce, the butter-ish olive oil in garlic sauce that makes the whole dish stands out. It is especially good with the baguettes too. All 3 of us had some duck meat dish as it was the cheapest, and Richard commented “how very original.” He did not realize, being a rich man, that it had nothing to do with originality, but that we were limited by our pockets. This lack of originality that he commented on is certainly not the case in other areas. I do not want to retort him due to the hospitality that he had shown. After lunch, Richard left to buy a motorcycle that he would need to go around the world. We decided to walk on a little more to Moulin Rouge following the directions from Richard. I have never watched the movie before, and only when I was there did I realized it had to do with prostitution, passion and other vices? There were a lot of naughty shops around and there was even a museum of Erotica!
 

Park in Palace of Versailles on April's Birthday! :)

I received a message from Johann that there would be no training tonight and felt a secret relief that I could rest a while. Furthermore, I wanted to spend some time with Wilfred and April before they leave for Paris to Italy. I am still guilty that a 3 person trip became a 2 person trip as I have pulled out abruptly from the original plans. We walked all the way to the center of Paris and even to Netre Dame Cathedral, Champs Elysees and saw the Arc of Triumph. Wilfred and April were doing this all over again as this was the route they had taken on their first day in Paris. We met with a funny incident at Champs Elysees when a middle aged woman from China asked me and Wilfred to help her get some wallets from LV, claiming that she had reached her limits. Feeling that I should help a fellow Asian, I took 2000 euros from her and agreed to help her. I did not have my passport and Wilfred was becoming suspectful that she will give 2000euros so easily to me. I thought that perhaps she trusted us and did not suspect anything. It was the alert manager who told me that the woman is involved in trafficking and warned us not to be taken in by her tales. Wilfred reasoned that there must be a reason that passport is needed when buying in LV shop as a way of tracking the items down and had asked the manager. How close we were in landing ourselves in trouble! I walked back to the woman, and to avoid conflict, just told her that we did not have passports and were not allow to purchase any items from the shop. As we walked away, we were silent and all 3 of us burst out in laughters! What relief! After this little excitement, we trudged an hour home to Richard’s place to prepare dinner. Wilfred dropped 10 euros on his way which dampened the mood. We ate the crepes that we bought and packed up for our second home. This time our host were Misty and Xavier, a librarian-computer technician couple who will host us for 3 nights.

Their house is smaller than Richard’s apartment, but it eluded a feeling of homely coziness. There were 2 hugh cats in the house, and I did not know April was scared of them. I normally dislike cats especially those with an evil grin in their eyes but these 2 cats appeared to be without the evil look that I am so afraid off. As such, I was OK with them jumping on me and pawing at me. We talked a little with our hosts as this was their second experience in hosting and it was also our second experience in surfing too J

CSers + Vovinam friends at a beautiful park in Spring :)

31^st March Monday

Unfortunately, due to the work hours, we have to wake up in a mad rush at 730 to get ready to be out of the house by 815 as they would have to get to their work place. We were so tired and in need of sleep that we ended up sittng in MacDonalds tired and not sure where to go. April kept a cheerful spriit and went to the next table to ask for directions and recommendations on where to go while Wilfred and I just stoned at our seats. We decided to go to Garden du Luxembourgh which is a big and pretty garden with seats facing the little pond. We took a nap there for 2 hours to recover and later a walk to the Chinese quarter at Bastille. It was tiring just walking and walking but we need to get to the Chinese quarter to get some groceries as I have volunterred April and Wilfred to prepare some Asian dishes for our hosts. I would not be around for the cooking as I would have to go to Noisy Champs in the suburb for vovinam training in Farid’s vo duong. Tired from a day walking, and still feeling sick, I felt forlorn as I am not sure how to get to Noisy Champs. What worse is that I have to do it alone, which I know I have to even when I was in Glasgow. But still with apprehension, I bade my 2 friends goodbye and left uncertainly for the metro after asking for directions. I hated myself for liking Vovinam this much to be doing this to myself.

After changing metro and to the RER A, I decided to follow many others whom I saw. They did not buy tickets and I decided not to buy for once too as they were expensive at 3.6 euro for a single trip. After passing through the first gantry by following closely the lady behind, I felt my knees turning weak while I acted nothing was wrong. The trip took an hour and when I reached Noisy Champs , I had to figure out how to get to the training center. After asking bus drivers by showing them the address, I got onto the right bus but was already half an hour late. What relief I felt when I saw the familiar Vovinam vo phuc through the glass at the sports center that I was supposed to be training. I felt welcomed immediately as Farid, who could not speak English was very friendly in his behavior. After the whole session of training, I was glad that I have came all the way here. It was worth it after all as I have all attention of several teachers to myself to learn Nhap Mon Quyen. To my relief, I felt less pressure here and could learn the whole quyen in an hour and was praised by Farid. I told him how I failed to learn Tan Quyen after 3 hours and he just laughed it off. I liked his manner and his considerations towards me. After lesson, his wife drove me to MacDonald and treated me to a meal. I had a bacon burger and was really happy. JThey drove me to RER and I was glad that I did not have to walk half an hour on the deserted road as the bus service had stopped running by then. Remembering the evening’s attempt in sneaking through the gantry and my weak knees after the incident, I decided to buy a one month ticket. No way am I going to have this feeling again of committing a crime even if it is going to cost me 100 euros to get a one month pass. I got back to Paris late at night and began to search for a cake. It is going to be April’s birthday in an hour time and I wanted to celebrate it with her. It is special, probably once in a lifetime for April to spend her birthday here. Unfortunately, I could only get an apple flan as most bakeries were close. Rushing home short of breath, I greeted Misty and Xavier and apologized for my absence from dinner. I tasted the dumpling and tofu soup that April and Wilfred had prepared. It was so so good! The pineapple rice was OK but I like the hotdogs in it which I missed. I used to like them so much back in Singapore. While April went to bathe, Wilfred tried fanatically to light the candles using the heat from the electric oven. I insisted on having a candle when he was going to give up as it was giving out more smoke then bursting into flames. He then lured her out to the kitchen, lying that she had not done a proper job while doing the dishes which was a constant joke among us back in Glasgow. Then she saw the cake and we sang her a happy birthday song. This was the first day I saw April attempted to finish something even though it was after dinner time and she was full. I am glad that she enjoyed it but I really hope that there could be more. J I thought about the necklace that I have bought online for me a few weeks back in Glasgow. When it came, it was a disappointment and far away from the picture that had enticed me to make a purchase at first. I am sorry that I have no presents for April on her 22^nd birthday.

1^st April

Again the mad morning rush and the stoning at MacDonalds. This time we decided to head to the palace of Versailles for the whole day and I was glad we made the decision. Wilfred was adamant that he would not enter the palace as it cost 15 euros to do so. Even though it was expensive for me too, I wanted to go there as I have heard about the Versailles since when I was a secondary school girl during history classes. It would be cool to see the place where the signing of the Treaty of Versailles had been done. After alighting the train, I became mad at Wilfred. He was joking around with April and I made a comment too. He said to me “ Aiya, I am not talking to you.” This really hurt me as I have been feeling left out the last 2 days as I am always not around. However, I could not help but felt my temper rising and refused to talk to him the whole of the trip in the palace. I left them and wandered around the palace on my own. It was less of anger but more of hurt for feeling left out. I was even glad that I wouldn’t be going to Italy with them on the next league of the journey if it is going to be this way. 

April and Wilfred had secured entrance tickets at the ticketing office into the palace with nominal stroke of luck by claiming themselves as European citizenship with their Glasgow university student cards and some fine acting. I forgot my student card and only managed to sneak in with April’s ticket while April made used of her student card again to enter the palace. It turned out that European Union student do not even need to buy tickets. They just need to show their student cards. Viola! I entered the palace without having to pay a single cent. JBy around noon time, my anger was more or less gone, but I am still cold towards Wilfred. They probably realized my coldness towards them. I broke the silence while we sat down at the garden for our picnic lunch. April and I had bought different pastries to share and we were keen to try out the different French pastries. I was glad that I was able to talk normally to Wilfred and April or it would have spoiled the beautiful day. Apart from the opulence of the palace, I really like the expense of the grass and the lake of the palace. There were so many people who were out having picnics and just enjoying the sunlight. I really like how the Europeans stopped to appreciate nature. It is not that Singaporeans do not know how to do it, just that sometimes; there is not much of such beautiful spots to do such things leisurely. We walked around and decided that it was too fine a weather not to lie down and sleep on the grass. And for the next 2 hours, I fell into a deep slumber. It was such a nice experience and I woke up refresh. JWe wandered around a little longer in the town of Versailles itself and stop at a local pastry shop to try a quicne Lorraine, basically a ham and cheese pie/tart from the famous town of Lorraine. I like all things cheesy a lot. We took the train back and again, I left on my own to meet Pierre at Voltaire as he would be bringing me to a new vo duong to train while April and Wilfred headed home to have a Turkish dinner with our hosts which I have to miss for Vovinam.

----- Original Message ----

 

Em chào thầy ạ.
 
   Em la người Singapore. Mấy tháng trước,em sang Việt Nam để học và đã biết với Vovinam Việt Võ Đạo. Trong thời gian ấy, em đã tặp Vovinam ở Hà Nội gằn 4 tháng. Mấy tuần trước, em cũng đã nhập môn rồi. Trước khi em về Singapore, em đã liên lạc với võ sư Pactrik Levet xin phép tặp vovinam với thầy. Nhưng rất tiếc thầy Patrick bảo thầy sẽ về nước vào tháng 12 thí không có ai dạy Vovinam ở Singapore nữa. Thầy Pảtrick khuyến khích em viết email xin thầy giúp em.
Trước khi em tặp Vovinam, em đã tặp karate gằn 2.5 năm rồi. Nhưng em nghĩ là em thích tặp Vovinam không phải vì võ thuật của Vovinam thôi, lý dó chính cũng là võ đạo và tính thần của Vovinam. Em rất hý vộng một ngáy nào đó, ở bên Singapore, Vovinam cũng có thể phát triển rất mạnh, để người ta biết với một phân văn hóa của Việt Nam qua Vovinam VIẹt Võ Đạo.  
 
Em chúc thầy khỏe mạnh.
 
Kính thư,
Em shi lei

Hi this is shi lei. I went on the semester away program with daniel last semster and am now in Glasgow University for exchange. I would like to thank Daniel for reading this out to everyone present.

My ISM topic was on Vovinam Viet Vo Dao and the Generation 8X of Hanoi. Basically, this paper explores the motivations and the everyday life experiences that influence Vietnamese youths in Hanoi to practice a native form of martial arts, Vovinam Viet Vo Dao. This study is an attempt to reveal the reasons for why youths would consider the practice of a native form of martial arts as a worthwhile and meaningful endeavour and how it relates to their identity both as a Vietnamese and being part of generation 8X.

The motivation for basing the ISM on Vovinam Veit Vo Dao is really because of my personal interest in Martial arts, having practising Karate for the past 3 years. And I was particually intrigued by Vovinam when I accidentally saw some clips on youtube. Like many of you, I never thought that Vietnam would have any martial arts to speak off, but coming to think of the many many invasions that the Vietnamese had repelled through the formation of the nation, it is not surprising that many Vietnamese were actually warriors, and their martial arts are really practical and lethal.

However, Vietnam is at peace nows after long periods of trubulence when the practising of martial arts were forbidden due to political reasons. However, Vovinam is making a comeback in the capital city of Hanoi today. Through my interactions with my Vovinam friends, I attempt to find out why many Vietnamese youths in Hanoi are attracted to practice this particular form of native martial arts and interestingly, it points to the sense of patrotism and the regained pride of being Vietnamese during the current period of rapid development and higher standing of Vietnam in international arena.

Apart from what I have learned about Vietnamese youths and the society today from the research for the sake of writing this ISM paper, I have to admit that my stay in Vietnam was made more meaningful and memorable because of all the friends I made in my Vovinam classes. I remember how I complained to Daniel about how little we done, we never really do any serious bits of tvelling, unlike our couterparts in Thailand or Indonesia. But Daniel said something which really made me feel that it was a semester well spent away from home and NUS, he told me “ at least you have Vovinam”. Ya, that was quite right, the many friends I made in Vovinam taught me a lot more than the techniques etc of a martial arts, they did not just help me to accomplish my research requirements etc. More than that, they showed me new meanings to life, like how simple it is to be happy and satisfied. How to cope with the little they have and making do with what they have as much as possible. How life can be make more purposeful because of a commitment, in this case their goal to spread Vovinam to as many Vietnamese and foreigners as possible as this is the proud cultural contribution of Vietnamese to mankind etc. There are so many examples and little episodes that really touched me, and I put most of them on my blog which you can read. Even though it can be a little too detailed at times. But I really think that the whole experience was really awesome, and I think that only the semster away program in SEA dept allow such an experience to be possible.

But most of alll, to all my friends from SEA, if you are thinking of doing an ISM so as to know the country you are interested in more, there is one advice that I would like to give. You just have to show how passionate and interested you are truly have for whatever that you want to do. Only from there will people be willing and enthusiastic in helping you. Cause they will be sincerely appreciative of your interest in them. Have lotsa of fun!

Shi lei from Glasgow. 13^th Jan 09

Finally I have time to sit down quietly and to think back on the time I have spent in Hanoi.

Bye bye to ISMs. I have tried to do them as best as I could, but sometimes it is difficult. Especially trying to be objective when I have been part of the whole experience. Next time, I am going to choose something that wouldn’t need me to be this involve. >.<

Hmm, my family in Vietnam, Oopa and Ooni who are the cutest couple I have ever seen. They went through a lot to be together. I am sure that the latest trial they faced in their first week in Vietnam brought them even closer to each other. And Chue Xin Oopa and Anh Long.. really, I feel that I am in Korea more than Vietnam with all the kimchi, bibimbab, ramen, tobuki you have feed me.. seriously it was the first time I know there are so many kinds of kimchi.. and ya, that Koreans really love spicy food J

and of course dearest Bac Oi! I wont forgot how she chided me for spending 3sgd for taking a motortaxi home after school. Yes! I promised to be more thrifty.. but she probably will kill me if I tell her I took taxi very often too..

And to Renee! My sis! It was my first time sharing room with someone. You saved my sanity. I almost got driven crazy staying in the stupid A2 with no one to talk to. But at the same time, I really have to thank A2. It was the place where I got to know some of the most fabulous people which made the whole trip meaningful and memorable. Sam, Jia Lun, Stano, the Czechs girls, Kenta, Fumijiko andYamada J and of course you and Papa Sodo J Both of you gave me a home in Vietnam. Time passed so fast because I have a family. J But it also makes parting so difficult.

And to Daniel, the one who have been with me throughout the whole journey! There are times when I really feel like killing you. But I shall only remember the moments when you are nice and sweet haha! Like the time when I opened the door and you gave me a bouquet of flowers from your concert! when you messed up the whole kitchen just to cook something Singaporean… when you wash the dishes when I rush off to Vovinam.. also the times when you got home late but always remembering to bring some treats home eg xoi, kem bla bla.. haha and of course the October 20^th Women Day card. It was better than any other gifts I received. Oh ya for rescheduling things when I tell you I need you to come along with me for something.. haha. That’s really a nice buddy to have. And of course swapping lessons slots when I don’t want afternoon lessons J I really appreciate all of these..

And of course my Vovinam family. Daniel told me once before, even if we haven’t done much in Vietnam, at least I have Vovinam. The first month was just practicing like any other of my friends, but I got more involved and it began to take on a bigger significance. Most of my Vietnamese friends are from Vovinam. I never trained as much as this before. J And the different outings we have had. Haiz. Because of Vovinam, it took me 2 weeks of painful “xi kao” to finally decide that I shall go to Glasgow for exchange next semester. I am sorry that I can only return to Vietnam earliest in July next year. But the only way for me to train Vovinam is by getting out of Singapore and going to Europe. There, there will be Vovinam in France, Italy, Germany, Sweden blab la. SO Glasgow here I come!

Tấn với các em trong lớp ảnh của thi lên đai ( Tan and his students)

see how adorable these little fighters are! : ) Sơn (middle) and Tấn (far right)

yummy yum! all these are cook using firewood..

After thi lên đai, we went to Tấn house to have a meal. His house was build in the traditional vietnamese fashion and it was the first time I had a meal in the countryside of Vietnam. I like the way Thầy Thể sat down with his Vovinam students together for meals ( not a simple meal by the standards of Vietnamese farmers). From their conversations, it is so easy to see how close they actually are.

Tấn and his parents are all farmers and their village is really beautiful. We ran along the dirt road to pick flowers growing on the roadside. I even got to cycle to see some of the houses of the other kids in the Vovinam class. Realised that I couldnt really negotiate the narrow streets on the bike with Oanh behind me. Oanh is Tấn little sister. Oanh and Sơn took me to the river to play where we saw huge nets along the river. Sơn said that any of the villagers can just let the nets down if they would like to catch some fish. It doesnt belongs to anybody but everybody in the village. Maybe one day, I should just live in a little village and live like them. : )

And I am honoured to meet  Master Duong Nhu The ( whom I addressed as Thay The, thay for teacher), one of the only three red belt masters (highest grade after the Patriarch of the martial arts form) of Hanoi - Vovinam Viet Vo Dao Organization during an informal lunch gathering with several of his assistants trainers after the thi len dai (grading). During lunch, he was entertaining and told us about how he felt about vietnamese martial arts.  Vietnamese martial arts distinguish itself as a truly “fighting art”, characteristically simple and practical borne out of the threat for its existence and the need to protect the people and defend the land due to the frequent war fares that had marred our country. He also talks about how Vietnamese used to learn from others, adapting what is suitable so as to better themsleves. However, nowadays, people just follow blindly without considering if it suitable at all. and the example he gave: girls riding motorcycles wearing skirts and carrying handbags on oe shoulder as they do so, mimicking what they see in korean dramas. Thus, they end up as easy preys of robbers who just snatched their handbags off their shoulders ( i think he meant it as a joke cause people were laughing after he said this) but the general gist is that it is only wise to learn what that is suitable for us : )

Thầy Thể and me in front of Chùa Thầy after hours of trekking which was really memorable

and in a moment of enthusiasm, Thay The decided to bring us to Chua Thay .( a Temple which have beautiful sceneries but requires more than normal effort to climb up and reach) It was touching as he wanted to pray for Tấn, Thuy and me even though we have only met for the first time. : ) I felt bad that he had to pay for all of us ( ard 30 sgd for all the rituals and stuff) as I didnt bring my money along. It is a huge sum of money for him as he works only as a Vovinam instructor and didnt get much income.
 

taking a rest after all the steps, Thầy Thể loves taking pictures, he used to be a professional photographer

After falling and tumbling in the darkness, we arrived at the Wind Cave (Dong Gio?), and the wind really blow our tiredness away : )
as the saying goes, when you work for it, you will be rewarded.. : )
again, pic taken by thầy thể, who couldnt stop snapping away..

View of Chùa Thầy, all peaceful and tranquil

It was a tough climb and i felt like i went for vovinam training. : ) Thầy Thể jokingly told me that at least I would have the memories of this tough climb to bring back to Singapore even if i forget anything else. However, the tiredness in the legs will go away, but it is truely his words of wisdom that I will not forget and the way he treat his Vovinam students, like a teacher and like a father. Telling us to watch out for our steps, going first knowing that it would be the most dangerous as it was so dark and slippery. He slipped in the dark, but kept reassuring us that he was alright. He wanted to buy me and Thuy a souvernir even though I insisted that I don't want to as he had already spent too much. But he insisted, wanted us to have a momento. and the bracelet that he bought for me and Thuy, even though just 30 cents, is one of my most prized possession. : )

what else to say? this is my longest stay in VIetnam and away from home. Although I havent travelled or done alot, I felt like Vovinam and the friends I made in Vovinam make me feel that my time here is well spent. At least, I done something, even though it is just mainly Vovinam related activities. 



 

Today I waded through the streets of Hanoi.
My mum says I looked like a prengant woman, but hello, that was the wind blowing my dress...
actually, i was deciding whether to walk on cause the water level is even higher ahead.. 

I never thought it would be so bad, even after trying to call for a cab for half an hour without avail, I decided that I am going to get out of the house for the night, and just hailed a cab down on the streets. Apparently, Bach Khoa, the area we were staying in was badly flooded up to the waist level and vehicles can’t pass through. Refusing to believe what I am seeing on the news and what others said to me, I pulled Daniel along with me. Class was canceled today due to the heavy downpour, but I am not planning to cancel my plans tonight. I wanted to go to Hoan Kiem as my Vietnamese friend would be having his art exhibition. I had mixed up the dates thinking that today was the opening ceremony, but turned out that it was the last day of the exhibition so I had to catch it before it ended.

Getting the cab wasn’t that difficult after all, and I was triumphant that it was so easy. However, I was just too wrong to think like that this early. The trip to Hoan Kiem took thrice the time it normally took as the taxi driver had to making detours as almost all roads were impassable. We were excited to see the flooded streets and people wading around pushing their motorbikes, and at some parts were it was really bad, people were struggling to keep their possessions dry above their heads as they struggled against the current. We watched all this in the comfort of our taxi and it was just like watching news footages. When we finally got to Hoan Kiem, I realized that the whole place was practically empty of people, not even the tourists who usually flooded the place. Worst of all, the exhibition hall was closed due to the flood and I didn’t get to meet my friend! I didn’t tell him I was coming as I meant it to be a surprise, but oh well.. Maybe the worst thing that would happen to Daniel was he lost his hand phone on the taxi, just like I had on the first month I was in Vietnam. It was just a little inconvenience for me when I lost mine as it was a liability to have one when I knew that people would always be trying to contact me when I wanted to be left alone. But Daniel would probably die without his phone, and I felt bad especially when he lost his wallet just last week with his i/c. So we decided to go have a nice dinner along a sky garden café in Trang Tien street. It would have normally been a perfect spot to watch the streets while we have dinner, but today there was nothing much to watch. And worst of all, the burger that I ordered were like… hmm, every time I tried western cuisines in Hanoi, I had to be let down just almost every time too. However, I am incapable of learning from my lessons despite telling myself “just stick to Vietnamese food next time” after all my meal experiences. : P



 

                Feeling very unsatisfied, Daniel and I decided to go to KFC, the only place that sells food familiar to us and that never fails to reach my expectations. It was only then that we realized that Hoan Kiem lake had… expanded… All the sidewalks around the lake had disappeared under the water. Feeling adventurous, we decided to walk on...I mean wade on. The few people who were on the streets looked at us queerly as we were heading in the opposite direction of where they were going, out of the flooded central. But for the 2 of us, there was no turning back as the road that we had came were swelling with water too and it didn’t make sense at the point in time to turn back since we had already gone thus far. I was also thinking of the promise I made to my roommate to get her some hot food. She was also one big fan of KFC like me. The rain had suddenly came back with a heavy vengeance and yet we pushed on, going deeper and deeper into the water. Against our better judgments, for the pure sense of “adventure” and the lure of hot warm juicy KFC chicken, we waded on… by this time I could already swim in the yucky water. We felt sense of accomplishment upon reaching the KFC, only to be told that they had ran out of chicken and only had… ice cream. But ice cream was better than nothing and Daniel wanted to feel a taste of how it was to eat ice cream in the “winter”… not quite winter yet but ya, everyone already talking about winter. I took some pictures of Daniel wading in the water and we bought a lot of bread to stock up as it seems impossible to go anywhere tomorrow as it is forecasted to rain on for 2 more days. On the cab home, the taxi driver forced the cab through a stretch of flooded street after navigating through numerous streets that were equally flooded, exclaiming that the experience was “soong” (exhilarating!) But he immediately confessed that he was more afraid than anything as the engine might just die and we would be trapped in the middle of the street/river/ocean? Throughout the whole journey, I could hear the sound of water was seeping through the door and the swishing of the water in the cab as the cab swerved and turned. The water level was close to the windows of the cab.  

All in all, it was a uniquely wet Hanoian experience and I am glad that I am blogging about this in the comfort of my bed with plenty of hot honey : )

SeEing * sTars * *

            I saw stars for the first time… by falling hard on the back of my head against the floor… lol, still feel my head spinning and that my head is heavier than usual..

Me and Thuy could not get one of the steps correct. One of us had to hug the other from the front (ôm trước không tay), and the victim would then have to throw the attacker down using the hip. The attacker would then have to fall but used the arms to break the fall in time so as to not hurt the back. We have been taught how to fall the proper way, but both me and Thuy could'nt get it after successive attempts. Thay Thang even picked Thuy out from the whole class and made her redo it during pair exercises. Feeling disheartened as the grading was going to be on this Saturday, both Thuy and me decided to practice extra. However, even with the help of Quang, we still were'nt able to do it. All of us had disagreements on how it should actually be done. And this was when Thay Viet came into the picture. He saw us practicing and came forward to demonstrate how to throw the opponent down. But, it seems like everyone has a different way of falling, what Thay Viet, Quang and Thay Thang did was different altogether, their instructions were different too. But I guessed as long as it served the purpose of not hurting the back, it would be good enough. :P However, Thay Viet’s presence unnerved the both of us, (unexplainable). I really wanted to do it properly, but maybe because the more I want to perform it correctly, the more mistakes I made, and WhaM! I landed with the back of my head on the floor. Was really seeing STARS * *** but was too paiseh (embarrassed) and had to quickly stood up and walked away as if nothing happened. Apparently, the bang was quite loud as some of my classmates pat me on my hea afterwards.. haha, it hurts and there is a small bump now, but what’s worse is my head is not very clear even when I am thinking of what to right now..

            Apart from seeing stars, training today was good. Came to school early caused I promised to meet Truong to revise for the grading and also because Jia Lun wanted to register for classes. But what made my day was Thay Long! He came up and told me that my essay on Nga was very interesting! Haha, really, I wrote it just as any other blog entry but because of the encouragements of Anh Minh, I decided to post it up on the Hanoi Vovinam forum. And as it happened to be women’s day on 20^th October, Anh Minh figured it could be a nice tribute  to all the ladies training in October 10^th School. Thay Long even asked me to write an English article for some newspapers or travel magazines so that tourists and foreigners would get to know Vovinam and come to train! ( truthfully, I dont really like writing in English as it isnt my mother tongue after all, and the sentences come out awkard and clumsy). Thay Long is always thinking of ways and means to spread Vovinam. He asked me when I am coming back to Vietnam again, and this reminded me about the exciting news that I received today! A formal letter of acceptance from University of Glasgow! So that means I will be off to Glasgow for my next semester and that I will only back in Vietnam next summer holidays. (Hopefully!) :o The only down side is I have to find somewhere to continue Vovinam training.. but there is no place to learn in Scotland. And again, Thay Long talked about asking me to get people interested in Vovinam together so that he can come over and trained them up to spread Vovinam. I told him that there is Master Patrick in Singapore, but he replied cleverly that there is a need for more of Master Patrick. I am afraid to give any quick promises as I do not want to make empty promises and I am not too sure of my own commitment. It would be a lonely journey with big responsiblities and this is why I really admire Thay Long for spreading Vovinam in Russia and Hanoi, commiting his life to develop the art. In fact, I am also aware that this is one of the goal of a Vovinam mon sinh (disciple), and it will become my responsibility too when I officially become a Vovinam disciple after the grading on Saturday. For now, I am in training to prove my worth : )

 And one point that I have to remind myself:

after 2 months, I still could not get myself to just concentrate on my own practices without worrying about how others will think about me. I get self conscious every time when I have to do actions that are unfamilar to me, especially when the Vovinam sparrring stances are so unlike those that I am used too and I got the impression that I am clumsier than others in class… sign... but actually, I know it was just me thinking so…if not, I dont think it matters to others too.. so just concentrate!

 aftermath of the fall: for a few days straight, i was slow in understanding what people were telling me. I even lost my temper in my vietnamese classes as I just could not understand what the teacher was teaching me. and it seems like I forgot things that happened and it got me very frustrated and it takes me longer to respond so I had to take 3 sessions off from my martial arts training. Sob.. But after the bump went away, everything return to normalcy and I am glad I am ok again : ) Now, I sort of understand how Hendra must have felt after losing part of his memory due to head injury during karate competition. And for him, it is not just a matter of a week. 5th Nov 08