Land of motorbikes and beaches

The long beach in Nha Trang is considered to be one of the finest in the world. With the green mountains behind you, the mighty waves in front and the nearby islands casting different shades of blue against the sky you feel entirely relaxed. Vendors cater to all your needs (and some you don't have). Fresh shellfish, lobsters and crabs are grilled and served with a simple and delicious sauce of pressed lime mixed with salt and pepper. It is winter, the Vietnamese dress accordingly, pulling woolen caps over their ears, and the temperature is +20 degrees Celsius.

Ao Dai is the uniform of Vietnamese female students, and a common formal dress for women. The traditional garment consists of long sleeved, tight fitting tunic with high slits on the sides is combined with long, wide trousers. Vietnamese cover up even when it is warm, but the sheer, white Ao Dais are often virtually see-through, so X-ray specs are not necessary. Confucius would not have approved.

Nha Trang has several daily markets, this vendor has her stall at one of the smaller, just north of the old Xom Bong bridge. Fish, meat, vegetables, nuts and fruit is for sale, but very little poultry. Avian flu has made Vietnamese consumers very careful, and nobody buys chicken or duck any more. In the restaurants here even eggs are difficult to find. It reminds me of the situation in Belgium 1999, where we lived during the dioxin scandal – every poisonous chicken in Belgium was killed and buried or burnt, and the price of fish went up 400 percent in two days. Market economy, of a kind.

Market economy has winners and losers. Before, kids in Vietnam used to have free education, provided by the state. No more. Families in Nha Trang often have to pay up to 500.000 dong per month for the school (about 26 euro). This is an enormous amount of money, in a country that is one of the poorest in the world. Corruption is widespread, and all services are affected: not only do you have to pay to get an appointment at the hospital, you also may have to bribe the surgeon to get the operation done.

Everything in Nha Trang takes place on the motorbike. Commuting, taking the kids to school, transporting, socializing, flirting, watching big-screen-TV and listening to concerts. Two wheels are all you need, no number of people is too high, no cargo too big. It used to be Honda Dream II, now it is Honda Wave, Suzuki, Yamaha and others. The most common greeting to the strolling tourist is "Motorbike?". I miss the more relaxed cyclo-culture. After two weeks in Nha Trang, my patience with stinking and noisy motorbikes quickly became very thin.