by Lucy Howson
District 1 is the backpackers area in central Saigon. It is home to a lot of bars, prostitutes and sex tourists.
As usual I was sat with a bunch of musicians outside one of the bars I go to regularly where I now feel like a local. While sat passing round a pipe with my musician friends (who are from all over the world) many Asians must walk past me probably just thinking I’m another tourist. But I am far from that these days. Internally I am being observant and am constantly learning about the culture here just by sitting by the road side at 2am.
I saw a guy without any legs using his arms to move along the road last night. His bare hands flat on the concrete road as bikes and tourists sped past him, it was like a scene from ‘freaks’ only more surreal because it wasn’t on a screen.
Every time I see something I consider shocking I have to pause and wonder why this is so, I guess it’s because we’re conditioned into thinking certain things as we grow up within our own societies. I am not one shy to seeing those in bad situations with their health because I witnessed a lot growing up with medical parents, but back home those without limbs have wheelchairs or are cared for by others in their homes, we don’t often witness them just out on the street unaided and unafraid.
It is admirable to see that people here regardless of their situations value their independence. All the frail old people selling nuts and small children selling chewing gum into the early hours of the morning show such courage and wear smiles on their faces while a sea of tourists with blank expressions remain ignorant to it occurring. They don’t want to see it happening in front of their eyes, and when conditioned to shut people out rather than embrace them it isn’t surprising they turn away. It fascinates and inspires me how society works over here, people have been through so much you can see it in every wrinkle, scar and stare.
The strength of the Vietnamese people is what makes this country so special, we should embrace all the aspects of culture instead of brush them under a rug. I want to see what is real, I want to help those who seek it and I want to tell their stories so the world will know they exist and will maybe reconsider how lucky they are and show some god damn respect where it’s due.
